Anosmia and clutching at straws

[little-anne]

My husband was run over just over two years ago, with myriad injuries including brain injury. His recovery has been excellent and is living a normal life with only a few problems.

He lost his sense of smell and taste about three or four weeks after the accident and we have always been led to believe it was one of those thing we could do nothing about and no help or investigation has been offered.

Yesterday, a a local event, we got chatting to some who had had a similar experience. He too had been led to believe there was nothing anyone could do to help. Yet later when being looked at for something else it was discovered he had nasal polyps, and probably had them for some time. He received treatment and his taste and smell have been near restored.

My husband has a long history of nasal and sinus symptoms, headaches, congestion, balance issues that long precede his accident. With this in mind we would like to speak to our Gp to see if there is any chance of him being investigated or even a trial course of steroids.

Has anyone else had any similar experience, where possibly a preexisting problem has been responsible for symptoms and head trauma has just been the accepted cause.

I may be clutching at straws here but don't want to ignore something that may explain so many symptoms that pre-dated any injury.

Many thanks

little-anne

[razyheath43]

Go for it no harm in asking

[cat3]

It's a horrid condition Anne as you'll have gleaned. My type is Troposmia, where the taste/smell is corrupted with a constant overpowering overtone, mine was burning plastic.

Mine has improved over the last 5 & 1/2 years I believe, in part, from working at tolerating nasty tastes with stubborn visualisation of the remembered, actual taste so some foods are quite palatable now, though others aren't. (lamb and mint sauce is still vile ----damn it !)

I just hope your husband doesn't get his hopes up only to be disappointed. I was tested at an ENT clinic 2 months before my brain haemorrhage and all was clear. But once in hosital, after the bleed, I learned that it is extremely common after any type of brain injury, and often before one with an organic cause.

Having said all this, as Razy has said, there's nothing lost in having it further investigated, and I really hope your husband will be one of the luckier ones .

Best wishes, Cat x

[little-anne in reply to cat3]

Many thanks Cat and Razy, as I mentioned ,no investigations have been offered and I have been pressing for him to revisit the gp regarding his headaches which have been going on for years. Long before the accident. At the last visit, the gp suggested eyesight despite him only just having an eye test.

I just feel with the history of headaches and sinus issues, if we could just cover all bases instead of assuming the head injury is to blame.

[cat3 in reply to little-anne]

You have every right to a referral to an ENT clinic, especially as you husband's symptoms haven't been investigated.

And though his condition is common after brain trauma, he has a right to have other conditions eliminated.

See your GP Anne and ask for a referral. x