TBI head bang loss of smell and taste -help!

hi,

It's now been my Anniversary of my head injury, no smell, no taste and it's not coming back! what i am worried about is the 'phantom' smells or 'emanations' as the doc says. Lost 15 kg in 6 mnths just aint intrested in food anymore! caused depression and frustration and my 3 lovely daughters are still trying to put up with me! would appericiate any comments...

[chrissoez]

it's been almost a year since my crash and when i went to the neurologist shortly after my release from hospital he told me that my sense of smell might not come back. and my wifes uncle hasn't been able to smell since he was 21.

luckily i havent lost my sense of taste aswell. although losing 15k's wouldnt be a bad thing in my case.

my sons also constantly try to get me to smell things.  it is hard.  i just pretend that i can smell them as they are not old enough to understand (2 & 5) it takes a while for everyone to adjust, my wife constantly says things like "ahh smell that" and my mother bought me aftershave for christmas. but you just have to learn to deal with it i guess.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Loss of smell and taste following head injury can be a symptom of concussion and this may take months to resolve. At times it is due to traumatic injury either to the olfactory nerve or to the olfactory center in the brain and this type of damage is permanent. If it is due to injury to nose internally then this may recover. The various tests carried out to detect the cause of loss of smell are CT scan of nasal sinuses, MRI of brain, allergy testing, and blood glucose levels. This is followed by quantitative smell test which helps identifies the degree of loss. You can change your diet to include highly seasoned foods and stimulate the taste sensations that you still have.
Be careful to ensure your safety around the home by using smoke detectors and electric appliances rather than gas, or use equipment that detects the presence of gas fumes in the home. Take care!

[chrissoez]

yeh a few times i have accidentaly turned a gas appliance on and luckily someone else was there to smell the gas. too bad if there isnt anyone

[BearsyBoo1382]

Same here - no sense of smell from a skull fracture 2 1/2 years ago.  I get depressed sometimes too.  Miss the taste of food, can't really taste peanut butter, popcorn, coffee, all the good stuff.  It's also really hard to cook anything, and I'm the cook in the house.  Hang in there - you get used to it and if you don't think about it too much, it just becomes a part of you.  Don't let it get you down and enjoy your three princesses.  I have two children 9 and 12, they do the food tasting for me and let me know what it tastes like.  Would like to lose weight, I think I eat more to make me feel better (ice cream is great).  Would love to talk more....

[scottied9]

immediately after my head injury, I resorted to large amounts of alchohol to fill in the missing gap.  This wasn't the best of ideas.  my depression will always be there along with the anxiety.  My anxiety is being controlled effectively by zoloft but as far as the depression, I've accepted it and I move on and forward everyday.  I'm been sober for more than a year and things are starting to come together.  In short, I wish I would of tacked this a long time ago. (20 years).  I may never be happy again like I use to but I'm functional and happy to just be alive.  (self positive reinforcement)

[wildbill134]

I lost my sense of smell 10 years ago from head trauma due to a fall from a ladder. I fractured the back of my skull by impacting the asphault driveway. I do miss not having that sense. my sense of tase is sweet, sour, tart, and salt. Salt did not change before or after my accident. food textures are still the same. I can't tell the difference between instant coffee or Dunkin Donuts coffee. Scallops have the same texture with out flavor it's like chicken.  I was told by one of the neurologist that a part of my brain detached from the concusion. I wish there were a way of reataching it. The strangest thing is seeing smoke without a trace of smell.