i never knew how important smell was until i lost it, life feels so bland now

I will never take taste and smell for granted again. 😔

I lost my sense of taste a week a go and it's not a good experience, it's like eating water again and again. But now thanks GOD ❤️ i got it back 😇. To those whose experiencing this now I'll pray for all of you, just be patient and don't panic 😊

I was not able to smell or taste anything for 2 weeks after I was tested positive for covid. During those two weeks, I did steaming daily and also took Vitamin C and Zinc tablets which were really effective. During the third week, I was able to smell strong smelling substances like deo, nail polish, camphor, etc and I got my smell and taste back gradually. It's been a month now and both my senses have been restored back to normal. I can smell and taste 100% now 😊 . Wishing everybody a speedy recovery 😁

I'm gonna smell this whole world after I'll get my smell back! Aug 2021 - I'm healthy now and living fullest of my life.

Smell and taste are super underrated.....after COVID I’m gonna be happy to smell a cow farm when I drive by it

I too thought I will lose my sense of smell and taste forever, but it came back all of a sudden after one week. I know a lot of you are worried like I was. All I can say is don't lose hope guys, it should come back soon.

I had covid in early August 2021 and was one of the unlucky long-haulers suffering months of anosmia. Literally couldn’t smell or taste anything for the first 4-6 weeks. And then it has been a slow recovery with ups and downs. But I want to give everyone some hope your smell WILL come back eventually. In my case 4 months. It was a SLOW recovery but it does come back. Today I feel like My smell is about 90% recovered from where it was before covid

If anyone wants to hear anything positive I lost mine a week ago and it’s almost completely back

I ve been through this situation for 12 days and it was so scary. I could not smell any thing, from perfumes to farts lol even food tasted like mud but I could tell between the sweet and salt. I had no other symptoms. But actually and since 4 days I can smell again. No worries I think and pray that this virus would end soon. I had a mild case and know I see the value of nutrition and eating clean and exercising these habits are my only addiction in life. If you are reading this and feeling scared, know that you will be fine soon :))

I can't believe I've found my way to this video 😩 I experienced other symptoms before I lost my taste and smell. I feel so depressed and lost 😞 I pray whoever has lost their sense of taste and smell regains it back!!! Xoxo

It’s been a week and few days since I lost mine. I’m devastated. I’ll never take being able to smell for granted ever again.

I just wanna taste and smell again lord please take this virus away

Best way I could describe eating without my sense of taste is like eating in black and white 😭😭

I have dealt with my loss of smell in two batches...one for six months and the other for five months. I know how depressing it can be to endure the loss of one of your senses. My best advice is to remain patient. My loss of smell was tied to allergies and inflammation as well so although my nerves were repairing, the odorant molecules could not make it to where they needed to go due to being blocked on the way. I have since recovered my sense of smell and I can honestly say I will never take it for granted again. Don't let your mind bring you down when you go day after day being let down that you can't smell the things you once enjoyed. Just like working out, your sense doesn't come back or improve immediately. Everything is a gradual process. Follow the instructions from your doctor and eventually you will start to notice a small scent, then those moments will become more frequent until one day you wake up and realize you can smell coffee and the world around you. Keep focused on healing and healing will come.

Second time around that I lose my sense of smell due to a covid infection. Last time it took 6-8 weeks to recover some decent level of taste and smell. Not sure how long it will take this time. 3 vaccines and still got this crap. I normally have a very very good sense of smell, and I got it back to my sense of normal after the first time, which took 3-4 months (subjective perception and memory of what very subtle scents I could pick up during my lifetime before the loss). Still, I'm glad there are videos like this that give some decent understandable facts that leave me feeling hopeful.

This is the worst part of covid is not being able to smell or taste.

Anyone that completely regained smell and taste in a week is so lucky.

This guy is a really good educator. Not over the top but gives a sense of excitement at the topic at hand and therefore keeps you riveted. 👍🏼

I lost my sense of smell completely on April 30th while battling Covid. Basically I couldn't smell anything. Zero Scent. No matter how hard I breathe in or put something close to my nose.. nothing. This obviously made everything I tasted become bland or horrible. I decided to pick 4 things to smell for the week - 2 scents I hate, and 2 I love. Every day I would smell these 4 things multiple times throughout the day. Finally today on May 5th, I am starting to smell again. One of the scents I hate was the one I smelled first. And shortly after, started to smell the rest of the scents. In case anyone is wondering - the 4 scents were: Rubbing Alcohol - I hate An anti-fungal cream I used in the past for ringworm - I hate (I smelled this first) Strawberry Jam - I love Eucalyptus Spearmint - I love. Food tastes normal already even though my smell is weak, but I expect it to get back to full strength eventually. Hope this helps. I will check in periodically to update everyone.

I’m never taking my senses for granted again! This sucks so much, I don’t even wanna eat anymore... 😕

Just wanted to spread some encouragement and hope. I totally lost my sense of smell and taste and it was terrifying, I was so scared I'd never get it back. On day 4 my smell started coming back (faintly) and today on day 8 my taste has come back. Neither are at 100% yet but literally every day gets better. Hang in there guys it will be okay!

Thanks for sharing on this important topic! One way to try to get smell back is through Olfactory training! You can buy 4 essential oils: eucalyptus, cloves, rose, and lemon. Put 5-6 drops of each oil on water color paper and put the paper inside a brown or amber colored jar. Take short bursts of smell 2x/day for 20 seconds each time, for at least 4 months, and track the progress of your sense of smell. Hope this is helpful for people!

I am a General practitioner and i can truly say this is one of the most illuminating lecture i have seen!! Thanks sir!! Greeting from Iraq

I love this comment section. I lost my sense of smell and taste last week and it’s been real depressing not having any motivation to eat. The thought of not retaining my sense of smell and taste back gives me anxiety but after reading all of your comments, I’m gonna hope for the best. We all got this! :)

I never thought I would want to smell or taste so bad. I can’t wait to be able to again

Thanks for that Doc. You've just given me some much needed hope that my sense of smell and taste will return.

I am missing my sense of smell so much that I can do anything to regain it... But when I read these comments I realized it's not just me and this gave me hope and strength to cope with it.

I was having an anxiety since the day I lost my sense of smell. I distanced myself to everyone, afraid that I contracted COVID 19😭. December 3, that was when I completely lost my smell. It was lost completely that I couldn't even smell strong perfumes, including alcohols. It's my sixth day, I was reviewing for my midterm when I suddenly smelled a weird smell. I first tried to smell an alcohol, then I CAN smell it finally. I couldn't believe it so I tried with a lotion, tooth paste, soap, even feminine wash and ketchup😭 And I can smell all of that. I am so happy. I hope that I can fully regain my sense of smeeeeell. It was a long week of anxiety attacks😭 I hope it wouldn't happen to anyone, it was really hard. Thank God😇

It is really depressing to not being able to smell anything for the past 3 days.. I just realise how important it is to feel the smell... without smell even if I'm hungry I don't feel like eating any food.. feeling very low

I lost it on Saturday and got it back yesterday. I used a nasal saline rinse and that really helped out a lot. Prayers to everyone out there that’s going through it

Just got Covid for the first time this week and have lost my sense of smell and taste. And it is truly depressing, but I could be in a hospital on a ventilator so it’s not the worst that can happen to me. And I will get it back. Hopefully by thanksgiving.

This is so uplifting. Gives me hope. I'm a trained chef and can do nothing without my sense of smell. Thank you for this and all the commentary.

Just letting everyone know I got my smell back after 5 days. Thank God. I hope everyone get their senses back too

I was watching--scrap/ reading comments here yesterday night, It was my 5th day of losing my sense of smell and feeling hopeful after reading comments. Then this morning when I wake up, I got my sense of smell back, about 20%. Praise God.

I lost my smell in feburary due to covid. Still i can't smell 🥺... It's been almost 2months please pray for everyone suffering from covid.🙏😔

Don’t worry y’all, I lost my smell and taste. It comes back gradually. Be patient!

I thought losing my vision or hearing would be the scariest things to happen, but losing my taste is now a part of the list.

I pray that Jesus heals and restores peoples ability to smell and taste

I'm on day 14 of being diagnosed with Covid (12-28-21) I'm going to give you all a little summary of what I went through, to hopefully help you out. week 1-Day 1: Sore throat develops week 2: Sore throat more severe, my lymph nodes on my neck are swollen, more than they've ever been! week 3, --Day 15: Sore throat subsiding, now cold symptoms take over; runny nose, congestion, Day 16: More nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose...I have COMPLETELY lost my sense of taste and smell! I mean, its completely gone!! (Don't Panic) Day 17:--Body aches, my bones feel tired, i feel weak, have fever, and cold symptoms still Day 18; Same as Day 17 Day 19: Same as day 18 Day 20: Extremely tired! Feel exhausted, i cant even go shopping at Wal mart, I fell asleep in my car in the parking lot at Walmart for an hour! Just drove home, feel really tired Day 21: Have slightly more energy, still have fever, cold symptoms--I Test Positive for Covid !!! Day 22: Feel like the cold symptoms are subsiding, I no longer have a fever! Day 23: The end of the cold symptoms are near, feel much better, still have raspy throat, slight cough, partial sense of smell returning Day 24: Same as day 23 Day 25-29: Getting back to normal, no more cold symptoms, smell and taste are getting better! Day 30:--Almost completely back to normal, I have about 70% of my smell and taste senses back. Very slight cough, I have a small spot in the back of my throat that still "irritates" when i drink something hot, but definitely 90% better, and also glad I came through this now! I should be immune to Covid now :) Ya'll hang in there! Its basically a bad cold/flu. It will pass! Praise the Lord, I'm very thankful that my taste and smell have mostly returned, I just love food! For the last 3 weeks, I drank hot tea with lemon and honey daily, ate citrus fruits, took Vitamins with high Vitamin C potency. Hope this helps, God Bless you all!

Day 5 and i thought i might lost weight but its the opposite. i keep eating because i can never feel satisfied.

You said WEEKS! It’s been 3 days and I’m going insane 😳😭😭😭

It's 9 weeks now, I can't smell, there had been about a 20 percent improvement since I was first diagnosed covid positive, I would like to hear from people who gained their sense of smell in long term and how was the progress during this period, the only comfort is to hear from people who is or has been through this experience. Thanks in advance ☺

Had Covid in January. Taste and smell has never returned to normal since 😔 Nothing tastes as good anymore and things I used to love make me nauseous. It sucks but fingers crossed it may return to pre-Covid norms someday soon 🤞🏻

My sense of smell (and taste) returned after one week of symptoms. Trust me, get your zinc! The first day of zinc dosing I could smell better.

This is first time in my life I’m enjoying salads! Well... textures of them

I remember when I got the virus, I took the test on Saturday and lost my smell and taste on Tuesday. I lost my taste for a couple of hours due to stress(when I found out I couldn’t smell) but I got my smell back on my 10th day. I would start to smell the pasta my mom would cook and then my smell got back 100% the next day.

This makes so much sense now!! I recently had covid and I was unable to smel, however I was able to recognise the sense the smel. So the receptors were working but the actual smell was gone. It was a weird sensation and it only worked when I had a strong memory with the smell.

MY TASTE & SMELL HAS FULLY RECOVERED AFTER 2weeks OF WORRY AND ANXIETY TO NEVER BE NORMAL- DONT WORRY STAY POSITIVE YOU WILL ALL RECOVER 🙏🏽 (Side note I did develop an outer ear infection that’s causing a weird ringing in my right ear & I just left the dr with good news about that as week) DONT PANIC GUYS PRAYER & PATIENCE

i never could’ve predicted just how detrimental not having taste/smell is. i haven’t had taste/smell for over three weeks now, and at this point i’d be grateful to taste even 1% of the things i eat

The first comment section I have ever read on YT that made me feel better! I have been soooo depressed for the last 4 days with losing senses of smell/taste, today I tasted my vape for the first time, maybe 3% but it's SOMETHING! I pray for anyone in this same situation

This is fascinating, thank you. It's interesting, having currently lost my sense of smell, how much what I thought was smell or taste is actually touch. I'm trying to appreciate how things feel

I feel like a movie sound that is muted 😩

This feels strange I’m already blind in one eye so losing 2 more senses is really messing with me I hope it come backs soon everyone be strong we’ll all get through this together don’t let this virus defeat us

This doctor spends a lot of time in the gym. He looks amazing. Nice to hear medical information from a doctor who appears healthy.

I got covid in april and its december and i still cannot smell or taste 😢😢 no one understands how upset I am to have lost these senses, they are super underrated

I just want to smell the top of my sons head 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Yes I lost mine last week.. Now I am almost 90% back to tasting and smelling. Each day i practice smelling my favorite scents and imagine the smell. That has helped a lot! Hang in there. Each day it gets better :)

It took quite a while into the infection for me to lose my sense of smell. I had a negative test early on when I first started feeling fatigue/body aches/headache. But when my smell went 5 days later I knew I needed to get another test! I'm on day 8 now and it sucks. I'm not really sick besides a very minor sniffle - the headache & fatigue were only on that first day. Very strange. I've been out 2-3 times a day running the dog, because there's nothing else to do but watch tv. Not being able to smell or taste just leaves you feeling WEIRD.

Watching Dr Mike l just realized Kenny Sebastian was right ,all buffed up guys wear size 11.... Thank you Dr for yet another great video.

Just want to give everyone some hope. Because I was freaking out not being able to smell until a few days ago. IT WILL come back, trust me. For me it came back on the third week. It randomly came back and it was very faint at first. And every day it improves about 5%. Im probably at 20% atm, which isn't much but it's DEFINITELY better than 0. Atleast I know it's coming back and getting better. Please hang in there! I used to cry and have panick attacks not being able to smell. It gets better folks!

4 days without smell and I’m going crazy !!!

I looked this up because I got a bit freaked. I totally lost all taste and smell function today, four days in and after all my other symptoms have already subsided. Even all my whiskies smell and taste like nothing. This explains a lot. Thank you so much for the explanation to help understand this better. Fingers crossed it all returns soon.

Not being able to smell and taste has been hard for me. Im getting my smell back. Maybe a 10% it’s a process . Y’all got this don’t give up.

I took Zinc which was recommended vitamin D and C as well. I regained my sense of taste and smell after 5 days. I took hot showers and jumped rope regularly during this time to work up a good sweat since I wasn't able to go to the gym. Idk if this works or not but this was my routine during this period and I was able to fully recover. Hope this helps and I wish you all well in your recovery process.

They say you never know the true value of something you've got till it's gone :''))

I have not had mine for like 5 months or so. 2 months ago it went away and was slowly coming back. I lost it a bit again 😔 it sucks. I cannot wait for the day it get my senses back to normal.

Great explanation Dr. Mike! Also you are yoked my guy 💪🏽

I'm gonna eat like a dog after I get my taste back. Edit- Got my senses back after a month

I have lost my sense of smell and taste too, I'm covid-19 positive, I hope it will return soon. To anyone who's going through this just know that you are not alone.

Excellent video. I got infected with the covid virus in October 2022, was sick for 3 days and lost my sense of smell. It came back partially but still are having issues. For example, I cannot smell bleach and certainly other things. Occasionally I smell something out of the blue that I can't even explain. It has been 10 months now and still hope my sense of smell will return to normal. I know other people who are experiencing the same symptoms.

I've been finding it difficult to locate information to the underlying systems that cause these things, this is exactly what I've been looking for. Have you also made a video detailing the loss of taste? If not I should request it.

Why do I feel like I am in class and the teacher has confused me????But I lost my sense of smell and taste but after a week and a half both returned I THANK GOD.

I Just lost my sense of smell yesterday its a bizarre experience. I was like "this can't be happening no way" hopefully this is temporary I'm at age of 21

Omg is there a video on youtube that is direct to the point with no intro/sub-like-comment? Thanks, man!

Thank you for this handsome doc, it really helps me.

All my covid symptoms are gone after day 7 except loss of smell and taste. I'd rather put up with all the other symptoms I had then not be able to taste my food. 😵😝

My sense of smell and taste is coming back after 3 days of testing positive for covid! Don’t panic like I did just know that it will come back I promise!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Thanks Dr Mike - I am going through this sense of smell and taste right now..was tested positive for Covid yesterday. Cheers

I know what you’re feeling. On my day 3, I lost my sense of smell and taste. It’s frustrating but I helped my brain in identifying different smells that I used to know. Before I smell it, i keep on repeating to myself what it is called and how it used to smell and taste. Chances are, you might not be able to smell or taste it at the beginning but you just have to repeat the process in the day for several days. On day 14, I finally git my sense of taste and smell back. All these things, I’ve done with prayers. And He helped me :). I’m pretty sure, you’ll regain yours. Just be patient :)

Going to washroom has been really easy because of anosmia

I use my imagination of what the food supposed to taste like. I’ve learned to deal with it

Where have you been all my pharmaceutical life? This is awsome!

I first felt sick 8 days ago and only took a test yesterday because I completely lost my senses of taste and smell. At home test confirmed that it was covid and I've been really worried since. I've heard about so many people not getting their sense of taste back, or it taking a long time to return, or it being permanently changed for the worse. I just hope mine comes back within a week or two and will be back to normal.

Thank you to everyone in this comment section this is obviously been really hard on all of us who have lost our sense of smell and taste. I lost mine on Christmas Eve and it’s been really hard for me but your kind words and uplifting spirits really helped me and now i have some sense of hope ♥️

Had Covid and symptoms began 15 days ago. I went through a period where I couldn’t taste or smell at all. Today’s my first day where it feels like my taste and smell have been restored to 100%. There’s hope y’all! My personal regiment was a fish oil, vitamin D, and zinc pill every morning. Praying for everyone recovery

How I panicked when some people said they lost their sense of smell and taste for months up to a year! But luckily I have people around who have taught me steam inhalation could help. I regained my sense of smell in 2 days (mildly), on the third day I was perfectly back to normal. So what I did was boil water in a big pot to prepare for steaming. Once its done boiling, I took out the pot and added a lot of eucalyptus oil in the water. Then I placed the pot on the ground covered myself in a blanket with it and SLOWLY open the lid of the pot, letting the steam rise up to my face (it will be extremely hot but you will feel good after, even unclogged my stuffy nose). I did this for 20-25 mins each day until I regained my sense of smell and taste back (some people I know said they do this 2-3 times a day, but I actually did it only once each day). Planning to continue steaming from now on until my covid subsides.

Finally just got my smell back after 2 weeks!! Train yourself it works

I instantly knew I had COVID when I couldn’t taste or smell. Never in my life have I experienced something like this! Awful not being able to taste or smell FOOD! 👎

I loss my sense of smell and taste last week, I was so down and afraid. But now after a week I got it back 100%. ❤️ I just followed my doctor advice, double dose the vitamin C (2000mg/day), drink 3L of water a day (measure it) and I add the steam inhalation, after 3 days of doing that I regained my taste and smell a bit and I just continued doing that and now it’s all back to normal. I’m just so happy 😇. To those who experienced the same you’ll be okay soon just eat healthy foods, take those advices and rest as many as you can. 😇🤍 cheer up!

I have covid and it's been 4 days now without smell or taste.. It's so frustrating when u can't enjoy the little things in life.. Like the smell of ur shower gel or shampoo.. U can't even feel fresh after taking a shower.. Or feel satisfied after having a meal.. I barely eat now. For God's sake I want to smell my morning coffee ☕ 😭😭😭😭 Update : I got my smell n taste back! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Life is good again! Oh yeah! I got them back after 27 days!

I had covid back in April . April 23rd to be exact! I lost my sense of smell and also my taste I was so sick and fever was 103! I couldn’t even walk I had bad headaches , migraines I was throwing up and lost so much weight because I couldn’t eat! I had a few nights where I felt like I wasn’t going to make it. Some days where I felt like I wasn’t gonna get my smell back either 💯 I was scared the whole two weeks while being sick! But I can say after the two weeks I was back to normal smell is back at 100% and I’m back to myself with 0 side effects thank god! Your smell will come back I had essential oils I was smelling everyday and it came back slowly took about 2 wks after covid but came back strong ! Everything taste the same for me also. My dr said by me being pescatarian don’t drink and don’t smoke is the reason I have 0 side effects! I say everyone should change their eating habits become pescatarian or vegetarian and don’t smoke or drink good luck to you all I am praying for speedy recovery for everybody 😘🙏🏽

Thank you for helping me understand my situation and that there's hope my body is gonna fix itself!

Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. I thought I had gone mad! It really helps to know you aren't alone, and that my smell / taste will return again.

I had a scary couple of day without taste or smell, but I did that essential oil treatment for it and it worked! Another video said to smell rose, lemon, clove and eucalyptus twice a day for a month to help your olfactory and it worked for me! My smell and taste are back about 60% now.

I lost my smell and taste during infection at the start of Nov 2020. I still don't have full smell (taste is fine as far as I can tell), and have a very weird mouldy-gone-off-meat smell for many things. It isn't improving, but isn't getting any worse either, so if it's down to regeneration of these epithelial cells in the nasal cavity, this should have cleared up much before now. I think it may be more that localised neurological damage that has occurred, and just simply hasn't repaired sufficiently (as it takes much longer of course) Now, whether that is due to sustained inflammation of the area I don't know, but it sucks.

Thank you for this information! I haven’t been able to smell for 4 days and it’s miserable! I feel hopeful again that it will go away!

i have been in this situation for 7 days i am 20 years old...it was so scary...i cant small anything nor taste any food...i had my sense gradually on the 8th day and i was able to taste some food...dont worry God is in control ... just have a positive mindset that you will be ok...try to take ginger tea or lemon juice frequently...

I will never eve take my ability to taste and smell for granted ever again. I have Covid, have had it for about a week now and not being able to taste or smell is the most frustrating and strangest shit I've ever experienced. I'm ready to start breaking shit.

This comment board tho 🙌🏻 I thought I was overreacting but I’ll never take my smell for granted let alone my taste.