Taste and smell and pfizer jab

[alpappy]

I have had problems since my encepahlitis with taste and smell I can only eat sweet saltly and bitter food Anything that is not a basic tongue flavour is the same mettalic awful taste This is worse since the Pfizer two covid jabs...any comments thanks alan

[GreenBamboo]

Hi Alpappy,

During my acute phase my sense of smell was changed drastically, as it was so heightened I couldn't bear any of the smells that were lovely to me before.

Taste was also heightened and I had to buy the mildest toothpaste I could find as even brushing my teeth was over bearing - fortunately within about a month all went back to normal.

I saw a program the other day where the film followed a few people experiencing the same problem following Covid. They had therapy that helped provided by a charity. I think it was fifthsense.org.uk/

Maybe it would be worth reaching out to them for some support on this.

I hope that this improves for you as I am sure it takes away enjoyment from your day.

[Gandalf2]

This seems to be a common after effect of Enc. Oddly enough when I was recovering on the Ward everything tasted OK, mainly breakfast cereals, salads and tea (Tetley's). Once home everything tasted vile, an unfamiliar taste - not recognisable, and the more complex the meal the worse it tasted. I was only able to eat snacks, fish fingers, potatoes and peas, salads. Three course meals were out. I just had to chew and swallow and get meals over with.

Eventually the vile taste subsided and there was little or no sense of taste at all. Even strong coffee had no taste or ginger biscuits. Lots of coffee can trigger seizures according to my researches, but one cup a day can help prevent them.

One has to feel one's way through what seems like a maze, blindfolded but with helpful guidance from the medics, the internet and Enc Soc.

Avoiding more seizures is my main goal, regaining fitness and pushing the new boundaries that surround me. A 30 minute walk along my street every night, hopefully leading up to a lightly loaded shopping trip to my local supermarket in the near future.

One positive is that my dreams are more vivid, possibly due to the morphine sulphate I have to take for pain relief caused by osteoporosis. In last night's dream I bought an MG sports car for £7,500 and set off towards the countryside waving to passers by! Great stuff.

PS I haven't taken the vaccine as I'm rarely in contact with anyone outside. I will wear a mask in the supermarket and GP's surgery/waiting room, the jab doesn't provide immunity anyway. It's the side effects that worry me.

G2