Loss of Taste & Smell after Head Injury

Hi Guys,
Interested if anyone else has suffered from loss of Taste & Smell after a fall and hitting my head.  It happened
about 4 months ago.  About 3 weeks ago I have notice  a change.  I can taste and smell but they
are exactly the same.  Horrible smell and taste, I have never experience this before.  I can't ever record this
smell or taste, too hard to distinguish what it is.   The doctors can't help me, they only advise that my senses
may come back but it could take up to 2 years.   Has anyone else experienced this and is there something I
can do to change it.   It is getting me down and I am losing all self-esteem.  Not sure whether anyone else I come
into contact with can smell it from me.   I shower around 3 times a day because I would hate anyone else to smell it.
Can anyone help me out with a solution !!! Thanks Teena  

[coopie4ever]

Hello l have the same problem as you l cant smell or taste anything but l was in a hurry 1day and wacked the back of my head on the freezer door l caused a bleed on the brain and at first l could smell bad odurs but now l smell nothing l could taste lemon juice now nothing only really hot hot foods but thats the hot spices its hard to go out when everybody else is enjoy there food and you have to try and blend in l also have found loud noises are really bad it gives me a headache lm just going back to see movies its been 12mths now.

[Dr Rajgopal]

Hi,
Smell and/or taste problems can be caused by trauma to the head. There is no known treatment for such problems caused by head trauma. Some patients will get better with time, although this may take years. Spontaneous recovery has been reported for smell function, with the majority of patients showing improvement within 3 months of injury. Please consult an ENT surgeon and neurologist. Hope this helps you. Take care and regards!  

[sare_sare]

Hi,
    My current boyfriend of 3 years had a bad head injury 10 years ago,  someone attacked him from behind knocking him out causing him to fall side ways onto the towbar on a car,  at the time he weighed 15 stone. This caused him to have 3 bleeds to the brain and doctors thought he'd been hit with a ball pane hammer to the side of the head he had multiple fractures around that area. . . .  . 6 months or so later he had a 27 minute fit caused by the injury. Still to this day he has never regained any smell or taste, i'm told by his family his temper is alot worse since the attack,  i never knew him before the incident happened but will agree that his temper is quite bad. He sees a neurologist and psyciatrist. He's been on antidepressants since before i met him and gets really bad headaches i still hold hope that there must be something that can be done even if he gets just some smell and taste back would be a blessing for him,  its also strange for me when ever i cook something different he can never say if that was nice or tell me that i smell nice where as partners before would always comment on things like that. I understand how it must affect him i really enjoy my food and love the smell of freshly cut grass,  he can never smell or taste the things he loves again. My daughter and other children in my family get really confused when they ask him to smell something and he say's he carn't smell, it also affects him when seeing the look on there faces.
I'm not giving up hope that one day someone may have a solution which could regain some taste or some smell,  i'd really like to hear about anything that helped you or other people get some change with this he'd try anything 10 years on and he still isn't used to this.. . . . . . .

Best wishes  Sarah x  

[kiki6262]

I have had a head injury,with spine sugery,and lost my smell and taste.  I understand you, and what you say.  I, on the other hand always ask my boyfriend, how does that new dish taste, how are those cookies ect.  I do also want and I mean' want chocolate or sweets' all the time. It is for me to figure out my anger and how to deal with this.  I am also angry with alot, people do not seem to understand. How do we understand this wheel we are on?.Sometimes I can laugh about situations, ok I live on a farm and have cattle.  I go outside and can't figure out the smell, hmmm, it is the manure from the cattle, whatever, that night cook pork chops and low and behold eat a piece of the chop, gross me out ,there is that smell/taste in my mouth, well that was out right away. Other times it is so frustrating Im angry and crying again. Over all this I have gained 40 pounds and not happy was a bubbly happy, working women and now NOT.  You have been patient with him and continue, I will also try to continue better attitude after listening to your story. I love to talk alot and hope I made sense as for my brain injury has made me even goofy. lol
My injuries happened April 24/08, so this has been a long hall.

Thanks Connie

[AmitJhingta]

Hi Sir

My name is Amit Jhingta 30yrs old male I had an accident about 5 yrs back resulting into loss of smelling power. My nose was fractured and had a blow on my forehead.but now the problem is that I smell everything as same, I can not tell what is the smell of this thing & that thing.Sir pls tell me can it be cured

[SamPCS]

I had mild Traumatic Brain Injury one and a half year back and now nothing smell and tastes as it should be.  It was horrible in the beginning and now it was not that horrible or I am used to it.

Yes, it brings me down when people say it smells nice and tastes good which keep reminding me that I have this disability.  Unfortunately nothing  much can done.  I suffer from many other severe symptoms like dizziness, fatigue etc., besides losing smell and taste and even for that I cannot get much help.

Let us all hope something can be done in the future with stem cells.

[xri]

Hi Amit !!!!

even me as a same problem like you !!!!! i fell down 2 months ago
don't know what to do ????  some one suggested me to go for ayurvedic treatment may recover the disorder problems

[SamPCS]

Try everything possible.  For brain injury/concussion itself people try all kinds of therapies/treatments since western medicine alone cannot help much.

People had success with homeopathy, ayurveda, siddha, chiropractic, HBOT, Neurofeedback/biofeedback, stem cell therapy etc., and is really a long list.  Most of them available in big cities in India too for a reasonable price.  One thing I like to mention is for me neurofeedback helped a little meaning it suppressed the bad smell immediately after the therapy but keeps coming back the next day.

You can check out the site http://www.tasteandsmell.com and this doctor deals with that.  Again no matter what there is no guarantee but definitely you can try if you can.

Best.

[TERRINEU]

I was feeling depressed and hopeless too. I had brain surgery 8/14/11 and I lost smell for alot of things. Thanksgiving was kind of depressing cause I couldn't smell the turkey cooking and when I tasted it, it was horrible. I lost about 10 pounds, not because I was tiring to. It's been 4 months and I think it might be getting better. my email is ***@**** pls email me and I will keep you updated .

[JVGOOD]

About 2 1/2 weeks ago me and my buddies got jumped. After the incident, I could taste ans smell fine up until last week. I have seasonal allergies so I began sneezing irregularly to the point where my last sneezes cut my sense of smell and taste.   I have yet to regain my senses back, but I can smell some items slightly when directly under my nose. Was wondering if anybody knew someone with the same condition or good advice. I am a 21 yr old male.

Thank you.         JV X

[Kimdayna]

I had a skull fracture in two places and concussion with brain hemmorage in Dec 2012. I'm experiencing the same thing. Can't smell a thing, not bleach, onions, hand sanitizer or something burning in oven. I keep  trying to smell anything I know I should be able to smell with no luck. Can only taste salt, spicy foods, sweet and sour but can't tell what flavors they all are. I'm glad that I'm going to be ok but this is very disturbing. My hobby was cooking. I mean, I literally always think about cooking. Kind of hard to do that when can't taste or smell. Praying it will come back. I have an appointment with concussion specialist tomorrow. I guess I will find out more tomorrow. Has anyone had any success with it coming back?  I was told by primary dr it may come back and may not.  Hope all of you are doing ok and healthy otherwise.

[mert444]

I had concussion in Dec.   Dizziness sporatically since.  Recently taste and smell are like yours.  Please let us know what concussion Specialist said