Date: April 16, 2022 (Saturday)

Who would have thought that I will be able to experience losing my sense of smell and taste for weeks?

It all started on the last week of July 2021. It kept on raining in our place that time and a lot of people are getting sick. I admit, during those times I tend to get so lazy drinking my vitamins and even eating healthy food. I can't even drink enough liquids for a day. Like I was in a total mess during those days. But even if I wasn't taking care of my body those times, my days still went smoothly. Until one day, I realized that something was different with my sense of smell.

There was one time when I sprayed perfume around my body, but instead of smelling so good, I can't seem to smell my perfume that much. I even sprayed more of it, but I still can't appreciate my perfume. I just let it passed though. The same day, I also have eaten my favorite pasta, but I can't seem to love what I was eating as I can't taste the flavor of the pasta like what it used to. From that, I realized that something was different. Not to mention, I have no colds, cough, or even fever. I was feeling just fine that time, but I don't know why I have experienced something.

The night during that day, I tried smelling the stuffs in my room such as perfume, lotion, powder, make up and name a few. I even tasted some food and even seasoning just to check if I was still fine. However, all the things that I smelled and even the food I tasted, I can't seem to grasp their authentic smell and taste. With that, I started to get alarmed. Like how come I wasn't able to smell and taste anything when I'm feeling good in the first place. I feel like crying because maybe I got COVID-19 in someway. I don't know what to do.

Since I'm concerned with my health and also to the people around me, I went to the testing center for COVID and got tested just to check if I have COVID-19 or not. The people in the center told me to get isolated while the result was not yet release. I then agree to what they told me and got quarantined.

After 4 days, I got a text from the center and told me that I was tested NEGATIVE for Covid-19. Of course I was so happy because in my mind, I thought the virus got in me already. But then, I still continued my quarantine days for 14 days and just went out after that.

Not to mention, I also searched in the internet why I lost my smell and taste even if I was negative in COVID-19 and some of the articles there stated that if it's not COVID it may be a common cold, sinus infection, flu, and even congestion that may just go away once the illness will be gone as well. According to my research, when the sense of smell was lost, the sense of taste will then follow. It's being said that the two are connected in someway.

How My Days Went

I admit, even after I knew that I was COVID-19 negative, living my days without a sense of smell and taste was way too hard. Here are some of my struggles:

I Can't Enjoy Anything in Terms of Smelling or Eating

It's hard when you can't smell anything. I can testify that as I have been there. Living the day without a sense of smell was so weird and I can't help but pray that my senses will be back to normal. I can't seem to enjoy everything that I smell as something's like blocking my nose to avoid smelling.

Just so you know, whenever I drink my coffee, I usually love to smell it first before drinking. It's my one way of enjoying coffee and it gives me peace of mind everytime. Howbeit, that time, I can't enjoy my coffee that much as I can't even smell anything.

Anyway, the moment I lost my sense of smell, the lost of sense of taste followed. Who loves to eat without tasting anything? No one, right? It was like a punishment to me not being able to taste anything. I can't enjoy anything that I eat. Even if I was so hungry, I got full, but not enjoying my food. That's how challenging those weeks were for me.

A Lot of What If's

One of my struggles as well during those times was the thought that my sense of smell and taste might never go back to normal. I was too afraid that I will lost them forever, I will surely miss everything that I smelled or tasted so far if that happens. I was too paranoid that time that each day that I noticed that things were still not fine, I got sad and down.

What Did I Do to Feel Better

Since I was alarmed on my situation, I started to take care of myself that time. I started to drink vitamins again, drink 8 glasses of water everyday, had some exercise, and even ate a lot of fruits and vegetables. I did all of those things to feel better. I even sleep early and I had long hours of sleep those times. I did all the necessary things to be healthy in hopes that I will feel better and my sense of smell and taste will be back to normal.

When the quarantine ended, I noticed that my sense of smell and taste was started to be back to its normal state, but not really. I can just see a difference. Until the 20th day, I could say that I finally regained my senses. I was so happy that time that I even jumped out of joy.

Closing Thoughts

That experience of mine has taught me that it's indeed important to take care of ourselves than wait for us to feel any illness before taking an action. It's important to do the things that are good for our body as much as possible. As what they say, prevention is better than cure. You see, I'm just glad that what I have experienced before was not COVID.

Anyway, let's all take care of ourselves. Let's not take our health for granted especially amidst pandemic. May this experience of mine become a lesson to you as well.

Recent Posts:

• Scientists' Plea: Let the Earth Breathe

• The Shocking Revelation: The Guy Who Got Trish Pregnant

• She's 13 and Pregnant

Lead Image Source (GIF): Credits from Unsplash