needing help and friendship

[jacquelinemoles]

Hello Im new here I had a tbi back in 2009 which now i have been left with no smell or taste, noone understands this if they have their senses but to me life is so hard not beable to smell or taste and keep lying to people cos im ashamed of it, also my memory is not so good and i suffer with depression and anxiety panic attacks i feel so alone and isolated i want my life back !!! i have runaway and tried to cope but i just cant do it on my own anymore i dont know what help is out there for me when i had the tbi last time things jsut seemed like noone understood but i have been checking out sites and there seems alot more help i actually know the name now to smell and taste when you dont have it before the doctors never said anything to me. i am suffering at the moment with bad depression, it doesnt help i work in a tea room i have lied to everyone making out i can smell and taste but really i go by their reactions this is making me so depressed and really i dont think i can cope i have been off this week due to i jsut cry all the time and cant face anyone but where do i go from here?? someone told me bout esa but really i dont know how i go about it and if i feel strong enuff my life at the moment seems to be worthless and there is noone who can understand me thats why i joined here in hoping to make contact with people friends who are in the same situation as me

[cat3]

Hello Jacqueline and welcome. I hope you'll find the warmth and friendship that I've found here over the past 4 years.

I had a brain haemorrhage in Dec 2011 and one of the first things I noticed was a corruption of my smell and taste. My favourite perfume started to smell disgusting and most foods had a nasty chemical taste, once again, mainly my favourite foods. The condition is called Troposmia.

It's a common issue for people with brain injury ; all four of us in a 4bed neurological ward had smell/taste loss or issues after our haemorrhages.

Loss of smell/taste is called Anosmia and all olfactory disturbances after a brain injury are a result of damage to the olfactory area at the front of the brain.

I'm not sure that it's something we should be embarrassed about any more than loss of hearing or sight, and I'm wondering whether you've had any counselling to help you cope with it Jacqueline ?

It's possible that by keeping the issue a secret, you've isolated yourself, along with the problem, to a point where it's now taken over your life. I think you need to talk to your GP about it (he/she will be quite familiar with it) and start the process of bringing it out in the open and treating it as a medical condition to be coped with, but not to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

Many people learn to live with this and, with support, I'm sure you will too. It really does become easier once you learn techniques to overcome its intrusiveness.

See your GP and ask to be referred for cognitive therapy. Good luck my dear. xx

[ladybird777]

I lost my sense of smell during my brain injury ( and a brain hemorrhage after surgery) and it has effected my taste drastically too. I find I eat everything way to strong now like strong coffee, very shot curry etc. I would not lie about it tho. People often shove perfume bottles, food etc under my nose and I just politely point out I have no sense of smell and little taste so sorry I have no idea if it is tasty or smells nice etc. I think putting on front and pretending I know is harder. People are usually a bit embarrassed they asked me especially if they have known me a long time and forgot.

Benefits wise I am on ESA. You can ask someone to apply for it for you if you don't feel up to it as long as you are by the phone to confirm who you are. I had to see a doctor for an assessment but, maybe I was lucky, he was lovely. I got put in the support group straightaway. Please don't feel alone. I know how depressing the alone feeling is. Your life is not worthless. We are all here to support you.

[Candace8]

Oh Hun, what a hard time you having. We are all lovely here and will always try and comfort you. These people are my true friends now and could be yours. I put feeling on here that I would never tell anyone else. We all become true friends who in turn change from being supportive of others to crumbling and needing others. I had a Tbi in sept 2010. I hope we can help you xx

[sca2013]

Some days things taste or smell weird for me. Other days more normal. I'm sorry this has happened to you. The loss of taste and smell has got to be very difficult to deal with for you. Have you been in touch with the Headway organization about this? headway.org.uk/