I am about to go crazy! I got a rotten cold on Monday, and lost my sense of taste the day before yesterday. Today I can breath but I still can't smell hardly anything or taste much.

How long does it take to come back?

And worst of all, and I hate to say it, I was cooking all my Christmas gifts today and last night. I made sure to keep washing my hands and I'm not sneezing or coughing, so with cooking, it should all be okay. But on the other hand, I can't taste anything! I have no idea how everything turned out.

DH says everything is yummy. I can taste sweet and salty but I can't taste flavor. I'm making speghetti right now, and can barely tell that is what it is. Thankfully, I already made the sauce a couple weeks ago. Just pulled it from the freezer, so I know it tasted good then.

Okay, I'm ranting now. But of all thing about a cold, I hate losing my sense of taste most of all. It has been a very very very long time since this has happened. And each time I've been sick I just say or think "at least I can taste everything"

Woe is me.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 09:15 pm:

I don't know if I've ever really lost my sense of taste. I hope yours comes back soon.

By Scott on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 09:19 am:

The sense of taste is intrinsically linked to the sense of smell. The basic five flavors (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, "savory") are unaffected by nasal congestion, but just about every other flavor is. Consider that the nasal sinus is just north of the oropharynx and you're essentially smelling everything you put in your mouth. When the nasal sinus is congested, everything tends to smell (and taste) like (sweet and/or salty, sour, bitter, savory) snot.

I hate when that happens. When I have a cold, I tend to overdo strong flavors like hot sauce, horseradish and so on just so I can taste SOMETHING.

By ~harlena on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 11:23 pm:

Did you get your taste buds back in working condition ? Hopefully in time to enjoy Christmas dinner (and more importantly in my opinion, the deserts !)

I've had that happen too, OR just my taste buds went nuts, tastes I usually like I don't, and then after I'm all better the food still tastes funny to me, so I've learned NOT to eat favorite foods while I'm sick ... anybody else have that reaction while sick ?

Anyway, even if you weren't feeling and tasting fine on Christmas, hopefully you'll be able to enjoy New Year's !!!

By Dana on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 08:41 am:

Well, I still have a loss of smell, but some of the other flavors are starting to return. But nothing what they should be like. I LOVE FOOD, and it just tasting "good" is not good enough for me.

What has me dumbfounded is that I am breathing just fine. I don't notice congestion (but I guess it is there). I can breath in air but just not smell much of it.

Some of that has been helpful, LOL. But for the most part I find it very annouying.

Thanks for asking. And nice to meet you harlena!

By ~harlena on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 11:03 pm:

well, now I'm sick, I haven't lost my sense of taste, just my desire for food. I'm NEVER a big food person, but deserts .... that's another story, I'm not even interested in chocolate right now .....

Good grief .... I'd better check myself in somwhere, something is wrong with my wiring .... I never NOT want desert .... the chocolate is 75% off right now and I don't care .... agghhhh !!!!

Nice to mee you too, Dana, hopefully we'll both be back to normal soon !

By Dana on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 08:42 am:

Wow, you really are sick with clearance sales on chocolate and no interest.

Feel better soon!