Well it's been some time since my last post so I thought I'd at least get on and give yet another update and some thoughts. As it is, I still am not able to smell or taste anything. I am still getting my allergy shots although I'm doing once a month now. How long does this last anyway??
I will say that my allergies are definitely better. I had a little episode the other day of some stuffiness and I was really shocked as I've had virtually no allergy symptoms for some time. I had a couple glass of wine the night before so it could have been due to that. The allergy shots have not helped my anosmia however which is unfortunate.
I had posted some time back about not smoking cigars for a while and seeing if that would help but it didn't but something dawned on me recently and I'm giving it a shot again.
Here's what I was thinking: For years I smoked cigars occasionally. Maybe on a Sunday afternoon while relaxing in the yard. In May of 2005 I started smoking a cigar every day. Or if not, close to it. I continued this pattern throughout the summer and into the fall of 2005. Those who have read my earlier posts know that I was on vacation in New York in October of 2005 when I lost my sense of smell.
Since that time, except for my experiment with giving up cigars, I've continued to smoke them to one degree or another. Sometimes only on the weekend but (being honest with myself here) for the most part, I have smoked a cigar a day for some time. And it just keeps nagging at me: Is this the main factor for my anosmia? Is it possible that the cigar smoke is enough of an irritant to cause inflammation which in turn blocks any aroma from getting up into my olfactory region?
So, I've once again stopped smoking cigars. When I first tried this I honestly can't remember if I truly stopped or if I cheated once in a while. It's been about 10 days and nothing has changed but my wife feels IF it's the reason, it might take some time for olfaction to resume. I will continue to post here occasionaly to let people know the results. If anyone has any input or info on smoking and anosmia please comment.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Allergies gone but 2 years of not smelling
I have been terrible at posting lately (an understatement) but as I passed a somewhat dubious milestone in October of this year I thought it would be a great way to announce it!
It was 2 years ago, October 5th 2005 to be precise, that after years of terrible
allergies, sinus congestion and sinus infections, I lost my sense of smell and taste. My wife and I had gone to New York for a vacation and it was there that I noticed my sense of smell had disappeared. Some of the best restaurants in the world and I can't taste the food?? At least we made it through the better part of the vacation before it happened.
Well, as past readers of my Anosmia blog have read, I had subsequent nasal polyp surgery which didn't help, I'm currently in a maintenance phase of allergy shots which haven't helped (although they have done wonders for my allergies), I tried abstaining from all alcohol and cigars, I've learned to actually love nasal irrigation, have been on a steady regimine of Nasonex, Flonase, Veramyst or some other sinus spray and yet, I still cannot smell anything nor taste anything.
A dose of prednisone does bring back my sense of smell and sense of taste of course that goes along with it, but as we know, you can't live on prednisone. So the doctors (primarily my allergist) feel that there IS olfaction. It's not like a virus killed off my olfactery nerve. But why I can't smell after all this time is a mystery.
I can say that my allergies and sinus congestion has all but disappeared thanks to the allergy shots and nasal irrigation I do and I'm thankful for that at least but
I truly feel for anyone who has just developed this condition and I always try to talk with anyone who wishes to discuss it. I've learned to live with it yet still hold out hope that one day I will be able to smell.
It was 2 years ago, October 5th 2005 to be precise, that after years of terrible
allergies, sinus congestion and sinus infections, I lost my sense of smell and taste. My wife and I had gone to New York for a vacation and it was there that I noticed my sense of smell had disappeared. Some of the best restaurants in the world and I can't taste the food?? At least we made it through the better part of the vacation before it happened.
Well, as past readers of my Anosmia blog have read, I had subsequent nasal polyp surgery which didn't help, I'm currently in a maintenance phase of allergy shots which haven't helped (although they have done wonders for my allergies), I tried abstaining from all alcohol and cigars, I've learned to actually love nasal irrigation, have been on a steady regimine of Nasonex, Flonase, Veramyst or some other sinus spray and yet, I still cannot smell anything nor taste anything.
A dose of prednisone does bring back my sense of smell and sense of taste of course that goes along with it, but as we know, you can't live on prednisone. So the doctors (primarily my allergist) feel that there IS olfaction. It's not like a virus killed off my olfactery nerve. But why I can't smell after all this time is a mystery.
I can say that my allergies and sinus congestion has all but disappeared thanks to the allergy shots and nasal irrigation I do and I'm thankful for that at least but
I truly feel for anyone who has just developed this condition and I always try to talk with anyone who wishes to discuss it. I've learned to live with it yet still hold out hope that one day I will be able to smell.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Update on being alcohol free
Well, I haven't had any liquor in my system at all for a month and while I was convinced that this would help me smell (even after my last experiment yielded no results), I still am anosmic.
I have however noticed a few things: For starters, even though I cannot smell anything, I do notice that I am much less congested in my sinuses.
Also, while I cannot taste. Or for those sticklers out there, while I cannot taste FLAVORS, my sense of taste of bitter, salty, sour, sweet etc is a little better. Olives for example do give off more of a tang than they did.
So even though I still suffer from anosmia, stopping drinking or even imbibing less, has had a benefit.
The only problem is that we are going on a wonderful motorcycle rally this weekend where there'll be about 75,000 other bikers. It's quite the party and anosmia or not, I'm going to enjoy some beers, some martinins and some cigars!
Upon return I think I'm going to give accupuncture a try.
I have however noticed a few things: For starters, even though I cannot smell anything, I do notice that I am much less congested in my sinuses.
Also, while I cannot taste. Or for those sticklers out there, while I cannot taste FLAVORS, my sense of taste of bitter, salty, sour, sweet etc is a little better. Olives for example do give off more of a tang than they did.
So even though I still suffer from anosmia, stopping drinking or even imbibing less, has had a benefit.
The only problem is that we are going on a wonderful motorcycle rally this weekend where there'll be about 75,000 other bikers. It's quite the party and anosmia or not, I'm going to enjoy some beers, some martinins and some cigars!
Upon return I think I'm going to give accupuncture a try.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Strange sense of smell
I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that I've discontinued all alcohol intake for some time but a few days ago I had a strange sense that I'm smelling something. It's not any kind of definable odor or aroma nor is it unpleasant. It just seems that I'm getting something.
Now, this could be all in my mind or it could be what is known as "phantosmia". If I'm not mistaken, some people who suffer from anosmia also have this condition where they seem to smell scents that aren't actually there. Although unless I'm mistaken, those "smells" are usually very unpleasant if not repugnant. Again, it's hard to say what's going on here and in fact it only lasted a few days but it was interesting to note.
I've run out of my prescription of Nasonex and haven't used it for about a week so I imagine it would be an opportune time for me to call my ENT and get my prescription refilled. Maybe it will help!
Now, this could be all in my mind or it could be what is known as "phantosmia". If I'm not mistaken, some people who suffer from anosmia also have this condition where they seem to smell scents that aren't actually there. Although unless I'm mistaken, those "smells" are usually very unpleasant if not repugnant. Again, it's hard to say what's going on here and in fact it only lasted a few days but it was interesting to note.
I've run out of my prescription of Nasonex and haven't used it for about a week so I imagine it would be an opportune time for me to call my ENT and get my prescription refilled. Maybe it will help!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Allergy Shots helped during the dry winter
Well, southern California has finally ended the driest winter in recent memory and my sinuses held up fairly well. I was figuring that with all the dry Santa Ana winds we had this year and very little rain, my sinuses and allergies would be at their worst but they actually held up.
I think the allergy shots are helping with reaction to allergens but I am somewhat disappointed that they have had no affect on my anosmia. I'm in a maintenance phase on the environmental part of my shots (dust mites, dander, etc) but am still working up with the grass and pollen shots.
I've also totally stopped drinking, mostly due to just getting lazy and happy sitting around watching tv but also because it really was having an effect on my sinuses. I tried stopping before to see if it would help my anosmia which it didn't but I can honestly say that my sinuses are much less congested in the morning. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the road my sense of smell will return. I still wake up every morning and get out of the shower thinking I might smell some coffee but it hasn't happened yet.
I think the allergy shots are helping with reaction to allergens but I am somewhat disappointed that they have had no affect on my anosmia. I'm in a maintenance phase on the environmental part of my shots (dust mites, dander, etc) but am still working up with the grass and pollen shots.
I've also totally stopped drinking, mostly due to just getting lazy and happy sitting around watching tv but also because it really was having an effect on my sinuses. I tried stopping before to see if it would help my anosmia which it didn't but I can honestly say that my sinuses are much less congested in the morning. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the road my sense of smell will return. I still wake up every morning and get out of the shower thinking I might smell some coffee but it hasn't happened yet.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
What's your favorite food?
If you can't really "taste" anything. What's your favorite food? I've found that there are some foods that I enjoy more now than before my anosmia. Some not so good for me!
Being involved in bodybuilding and fitness for about 25 years, my diet was always important. I always ate fairly bland food (turkey burgers, tuna, chicken breast) so I was surprised when I became anosmic that it actually bugged me that I couldn't taste anything. I mean, turkey burgers and skinless chicken breasts aren't the most exciting flavors. So now that texture and taste (sweet, sour, salty etc) are what I crave, I've found that my healthy eating isn't so healty anymore. I need to pick things up and try to get back on track.
I'll post on some food that I used to love but can't bear in my next post bBut for now, here's some favorites:
Celery
Potato chips (especially the super salty/vinegar type)
Almonds
Cheddar cheese (can't figure this one out, probably just the texture)
A GOOD hamburger
Seltzer water/club soda
Hot peppers
Granny Smith Apples
Olives
Hot Dogs
Pickled Herring
Sardines
I ate most all of these prior to being anosmic but they are favorites right now.
Being involved in bodybuilding and fitness for about 25 years, my diet was always important. I always ate fairly bland food (turkey burgers, tuna, chicken breast) so I was surprised when I became anosmic that it actually bugged me that I couldn't taste anything. I mean, turkey burgers and skinless chicken breasts aren't the most exciting flavors. So now that texture and taste (sweet, sour, salty etc) are what I crave, I've found that my healthy eating isn't so healty anymore. I need to pick things up and try to get back on track.
I'll post on some food that I used to love but can't bear in my next post bBut for now, here's some favorites:
Celery
Potato chips (especially the super salty/vinegar type)
Almonds
Cheddar cheese (can't figure this one out, probably just the texture)
A GOOD hamburger
Seltzer water/club soda
Hot peppers
Granny Smith Apples
Olives
Hot Dogs
Pickled Herring
Sardines
I ate most all of these prior to being anosmic but they are favorites right now.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Still Anosmia but some food is good
I've recently been taking a look at the types of foods that I enjoy now more than I used to since I've been suffering from anosmia. Nope..still can't smell anything.
For about 3 months I've noticed that it's definitely texture that appeals more than anything else. Crunch is good. I've always loved nuts, carrots, chips and anything crunchy but I have been eating celery like it's going out of style.
And even though I can't taste it, I always dip the celery in either hummus or sometimes peanut butter. With the peanut butter it's definitely the salty taste that is appealing to me and with the hummus I usually get the spicy type so I get some kind of heat/burn.
For a while, any type of pasta was disgusting to me. There was something about the texture that was completely unappealing. But lately, as long as I put some hot red pepper flakes on it, any type of pasta or italian dish is good.
And even though they're crunchy, apples have very little appeal. I still eat them and usually the sour Granny Smith type but it's not sour enough to make it something really enjoyable. Bananas that I used to love are now pretty much out of my mind. Again, it's something about the texture.
And that's what it's coming down to: Texture and the basic flavors of salty, sweet, sour, etc.
For about 3 months I've noticed that it's definitely texture that appeals more than anything else. Crunch is good. I've always loved nuts, carrots, chips and anything crunchy but I have been eating celery like it's going out of style.
And even though I can't taste it, I always dip the celery in either hummus or sometimes peanut butter. With the peanut butter it's definitely the salty taste that is appealing to me and with the hummus I usually get the spicy type so I get some kind of heat/burn.
For a while, any type of pasta was disgusting to me. There was something about the texture that was completely unappealing. But lately, as long as I put some hot red pepper flakes on it, any type of pasta or italian dish is good.
And even though they're crunchy, apples have very little appeal. I still eat them and usually the sour Granny Smith type but it's not sour enough to make it something really enjoyable. Bananas that I used to love are now pretty much out of my mind. Again, it's something about the texture.
And that's what it's coming down to: Texture and the basic flavors of salty, sweet, sour, etc.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
First liquor, now cigars
Well, the new year has brought no relief from my "condition". Not that I was expecting to wake up on January 1 and be able to smell the coffee or anything. My little experiment with not drinking brought no change but someone said something to me over the holidays that kind of made me think.
As I think I've mentioned, I love cigars. Up until this all started I loved the taste and aroma of a GOOD cigar. But even though I haven't been able to taste one in over a year, I've continued to smoke them. Sometimes one a week, sometimes 3 but I also go on binges where I'll smoke one every night.
My brother in law mentioned how irritating smoke is to sinuses, which of course I knew, but I never figured I'd give them up and see if there's a change in my "condition". I'd go days without smoking one and never noticed any change so I figured they didn't have anything to do with it.
But if I look back to when this started back in the fall of 2005, I was pretty much smoking them non stop. Is there a connection? Is the cigar smoke causing inflammation? Will it take weeks of not smoking them to see any improvement? I'll give it a try. Hopefully it will help.
As I think I've mentioned, I love cigars. Up until this all started I loved the taste and aroma of a GOOD cigar. But even though I haven't been able to taste one in over a year, I've continued to smoke them. Sometimes one a week, sometimes 3 but I also go on binges where I'll smoke one every night.
My brother in law mentioned how irritating smoke is to sinuses, which of course I knew, but I never figured I'd give them up and see if there's a change in my "condition". I'd go days without smoking one and never noticed any change so I figured they didn't have anything to do with it.
But if I look back to when this started back in the fall of 2005, I was pretty much smoking them non stop. Is there a connection? Is the cigar smoke causing inflammation? Will it take weeks of not smoking them to see any improvement? I'll give it a try. Hopefully it will help.
Friday, December 22, 2006
So much for laying off booze
Well, we're into full holiday mode: Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years celebrations. My little experiment with abstaining from alcohol lasted about 10 days with no effect whatsoever. In all fairness, it might not have been enough time but I honestly didn't feel any different in regards to olfaction.
So now that it's the holiday season and people have been cooking everywhere, it's a little depressing to say the least when you can't smell anything from hanukkah latkes to roast beef. So screw it, I'm going to drink if I want. Hell, even when I could smell, drinking always dulled it.
I'm now wondering if the cigars I smoke have an effect on all of this so I think after this is all over, I'll try laying off of those and see how it goes. I guess I'm still hoping that there is ONE THING I can do that will change all of this.
In the meantime, have a great holiday season. May 2007 bring full olfaction back to those who don't have it!!
So now that it's the holiday season and people have been cooking everywhere, it's a little depressing to say the least when you can't smell anything from hanukkah latkes to roast beef. So screw it, I'm going to drink if I want. Hell, even when I could smell, drinking always dulled it.
I'm now wondering if the cigars I smoke have an effect on all of this so I think after this is all over, I'll try laying off of those and see how it goes. I guess I'm still hoping that there is ONE THING I can do that will change all of this.
In the meantime, have a great holiday season. May 2007 bring full olfaction back to those who don't have it!!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Alcohol's effect on my sense of smell
For a few years prior to losing my olfaction, I noticed that anytime I drank alcohol there would be an immediate effect on my sense of smell (and therefore, my sense of taste). Sometimes it was dramatic, other times not so much. But it always annoyed me that if I wanted a cocktail before dinner or a glass of wine with dinner, there would be the subsequent reaction and it became impossible to do both at once.
I've never been a big wine drinker but as my palate matured over the years I did enjoy good wine with food. Frustratingly, it got to the point where I'd enjoy one or the other. And even if I did opt for wine or a pre-dinner cocktail, it wasn't long before I couldn't taste that either! Imagine enjoying a great cabernet and by the second glass you can barely taste it.
As I've just passed my one year anniversary of being anosmic (woo-hoo!), something got me thinking about all of this: Could the fact that have at least one and usually more drinks almost every night be contributing to at least some of my anosmia?
I recently did some searching online and found that one of the effects of alcohol can be inflammation of nasal/sinus passages. As I always noticed an effect and since I've become quite the martini drinker, I thought I'd stop drinking and see if it has even the slightest effect on my sense of smell.
So, as of Monday November 27 I'm laying off alcohol. I would hope that any benefit would happen almost immediately, i.e. within days. As of the 28'th I've noticed no benefit but we shall see.
I've never been a big wine drinker but as my palate matured over the years I did enjoy good wine with food. Frustratingly, it got to the point where I'd enjoy one or the other. And even if I did opt for wine or a pre-dinner cocktail, it wasn't long before I couldn't taste that either! Imagine enjoying a great cabernet and by the second glass you can barely taste it.
As I've just passed my one year anniversary of being anosmic (woo-hoo!), something got me thinking about all of this: Could the fact that have at least one and usually more drinks almost every night be contributing to at least some of my anosmia?
I recently did some searching online and found that one of the effects of alcohol can be inflammation of nasal/sinus passages. As I always noticed an effect and since I've become quite the martini drinker, I thought I'd stop drinking and see if it has even the slightest effect on my sense of smell.
So, as of Monday November 27 I'm laying off alcohol. I would hope that any benefit would happen almost immediately, i.e. within days. As of the 28'th I've noticed no benefit but we shall see.
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