Head trauma causes loss of smell/taste

[brittanyf]

Hello,
I'm 17 years of age and recently (2 months ago) had an accident that has resulted in the loss of my sense of smell and taste. I was at a lake, swinging on a rope into the water but lost my grip and wnet head first down a cliff of rocks and roots. I landed in the water but had hit the back of my head (near the crown, at the top) splitting my head open and fracturing my skull (3-4 inches). The neurologists told me I had a severe concussion as well as contusions (bruising) near the front of my brain where I damaged the nerve endings. I also have a herniated disc located in my lower back which has pinched my sciatic nerve running to my left leg.

Since the fall I have experienced several changes. The main concern I have months later is my senses. I understand the brain is complex but I feel as though I haven't recieved satisfying answers from my doctors. My doctor gave me a 3-4 month time frame to see improvements with my senses. He said I could get my taste back slightly, fully or not at all, same goes for my smell. I could get both back, one or none. To date, I have not experienced improvement with taste but recently I have been noticing (for about 2 days now) my nose is sensitive and feels as though it's tingling and I constantly smell mild "burning" so to speak. I was just wondering if this is a positive notion toward recovery or common in all patients who suffer from losing their sense of smell. Is it likely I will return to normal within my lifetime?

Also, if anyone has ever heard of anyone losing their senses after head trauma and regaining/not regaining them. Please comment, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks greatly!

[arby16]

Info about my accident
Hello, I suffered a TBI about 13 or so months ago.  I was knocked unconcscious and put into an induced coma for 6 weeks, following that was a very long road to recovery (... still on in mind) including living in a hospital for 7 months.  About 6 or so months into this I discovered I can no longer smell (Have also lost 95% of my hearing in one ear -'treated' by a hearingaid).  I used to be and still am a good chef, however that lack of smell makes things har now.  luckily I still seem to have most of my taste, just also aware that it has probably changed.  I was told by two different doctors that my smell and hearing may return after about 2 years, and one doctor that it was likely gone forever.  So far it has not returned atall yet.

Everyso often (for about 1minute every 2 weeks) I seem to catch a faint smell of something, but if I'm honest this could easily be my brain playing tricks on me.  certainly daily tests with 'perfumes' show no improvements.

[oliversnow]

I am new to this site, but not new to no sense of smell. Dec. 2011 i fell backwards on the ice, legs straight up. Was able to sit up but very dizzy. I felt like throwing up, but i made it inside. I went to the ERthe next day since i had the pounding head ache, and keep throwing up. (I am sure many of you rember that feeling). I did have a concussion and was given meds to stop throwing up. 2 weeks later a person asked me if i liked the smell of a candle. I held it to my nose and NOTHING . Went to the doc, sent to an ENT doc and was told the nasal  nerves were sliced off when my brain was thrown around from the fall. I do get strange smells, but not the right ones. It is good to know that the over eating is common. I will watch my self more. If i do not get my sense of smell back, i will have the memories. Hang in there gang, you are not alone.

[edawns74]

I was in a car accident when I was 16 and fractured my skull in 3 different places and had internal bleeding. I lost my sense of smell completely and was told I severed my olfactory nerves and would likely never gain my smell back. I am now 40 and am starting to smell again. Not everything, but I'm actually smelling things! I can smell the coffee brewing in the morning. It's strawberry season here and I have a large basket of fresh picked berries in the fridge. I can smell them when I open the fridge door. The odours are not strong, but they're there! It's giving me hope that my smell will return fully one day and I hope this gives others hope as well.

[tastenotwantnot]

Hi, I'm new to this. I recently fell while walking. I only hit my chin and front tooth which had to be replaced. A month later I've got very diminished taste. I can taste some things that are very sweet but not much else. Occasionally, I think it might be coming back but then it kind of reverses itself again. I can seem to smell things though. Does anyone know if this sounds like it was from head trauma. I never blacked out. I just landed face first.

[HED920]

Hi.  I also had a concussion/brain bleed from hitting my head during an ice skating accident.  I lost my taste and smell for a little over a year.  It did finally come back, but just yesterday I noticed that it seems to be fading again.  I'm also very fatigued and forget little words here and there or mix them up.  For instance, I say "just put it in the garage" when I mean the refrigerator.  

How have you been feeling?

Heather

[Debbie_dr]

I've had 2 different TBIs; the first was in 2005, I was on a bus at LAX and the bus driver freaked and suddenly stopped the bus and I went face first into the luggage rack. I told everyone I was fine and I just wanted to continue to fly home. Since I was on travel orders I had to be seen by a doctor to be released to go back to work. I went back to work but I struggled to do my daily functions (programming and other related tasks) and I started getting lost and had horrible headaches. I went my normal doctor in 2006 and she decided to do an MRI, I had had one in 2004 and when the radiologist compared the two. I was diagnosed with dementia and told to get my affairs in order!  I was referred to a neurologist for further testing.  He told me I had had major brain trauma from the bus accident.  He put me on medication and suggested brain exercises.  After a few years I was able to do some programming, but I was able to find other types of work.  My second one happened in 2009; I was riding on the back of my boyfriend’s motorcycle when an animal darted in front of the bike. Thank god we were in full gear and helmets; I don’t remember anything from the accident. My boyfriend said when he got to me I said I was okay and that I wanted to go to the hotel. The next morning he rode the bike home and came back in the truck to take me home. When we go home I took a shower and saw the blood in the shower from my head and I had major pain in my shoulder. I told him I should go to the ER; they immediately did a scan and sure enough I had a broken caller bone, a fractured skull and bleeding of the brain! They wanted to medevac me to another hospital but the helicopter wasn’t available. So I was taken by ambiance to southern California. I really don’t remember much until about a week or two later when I went home. My shoulder healed and all the cuts and bruises went away. But the trauma to my brain seemed different than the first; I was in a total fog. I knew things were happening around me but they didn’t make much since. I slept sitting up for the first month or two and I slept a lot!  Long story short among other things in the accident I had some hearing loss in my right ear, lost the sense of smell and taste.  My neurologist is great, he told me it may or may not come back; it’s now 2014 and I still can’t describe what I taste; it’s either sweet, sour or YUCK!  I think the thing I miss most is the small of rain, bacon and flowers.  One funny note; the type of hearing loss was to only certain types of frequencies (like crickets and alarms (high pitches), I hate crickets and if one gets in the bedroom at night I just have to lay on my left side and I can go to sleep. My doctor told me that if I have one more brain injury I will more than likely be a vegetable or die. He told me never to ride on a bike again, play sports and if I’m going to any sport event (like soccer) I needed to wear a helmet and no driving in convertibles.  Up until a year ago I did as he told me and then I began to miss riding with my boyfriend. So I decided since the Lord has a plan for me, I would continue to do what I love and go for rides on the bike.  Other things I’m still pretty cautious, but hey he has by back!  Like many of you I get depressed and angry; but what I think saves me am I known the Lord is always with me!