Smelling is lost

[drake101]

I cannot smell most the time.It's weird cause when I blow my nose right for that slight (sec) I can smell but rapidly after that sec I can no longer smell.*(rarely ther will be times that I can smell the way i'm suppose to for one whole minute,then it goes away as soon as it came to me)Wt heck is wrong w/me?I don't have a cold and it makes me feel miserable that I cannot smell.Also my taste has gone away as well.This has been going on for like 5 years.What ever I eat I assume it is good.I'm afraid I will get food poisoning eatting something im not suppose to due to not being able to smell or tatse.Can there be a blockage problem up there or something?Help...-Guy who lost his smell

[Nuki]

i used to suffer from the same situation especially like previous writer wrote, during colds and flu and also found that i had hey fever. There are  products on the market which help with nasal discongestion (mainly as a result of colds and flu) and can be bought over the counter.......be sure not to get addicted though coz they work wonders!!.
Also, i have been taking an anti-haestemine (not sure abt spelling) - anti allergy medication, everyday for about 4 months and have not once experienced the loss of taste/small. find out from your local pharmacist, given your syptoms if there is anything that can help.Good Luck!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for the post!

The loss of smell is usually the result of nasal congestion or blockage, colds and nasal allergies, such as hay fever (allergic rhinitis). It can sometimes be a sign of a nervous system (neurological) disorder or aging. Nasal polyps, nasal septal defects and nasal tumors too can cause a loss of smell. In your case the air is prevented from reaching the part of the nose where smell receptors are located due to some blockage like congestion or polyps. The loss of taste appreciation is due to this loss of smell, however you must be able to differentiate the basic tastes like salt, sweet or bitter and sour.
Hope this helps. I think you should discuss this with your doctor and get an ENT referral. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!