Complete Loss of Smell and Taste After Sinus Surgery-SUPER WORRIED!
Posted , 18 users are following.
Hi everyone,
Three days ago, I had sinus surgery, specifically, a septoplasty and a sinus cleaning. Pain has been minimal, but I have completely lost my ability to smell and taste. Many medical articles I've read have reassured me that this is common after surgery, but I have no sense of smell and taste, LITERALLY 0%, I probably couldn't even smell gasoline. What's really strange though is that hours after the surgery, I could taste just fine. A nurse brought me a orange popsicle and I could taste it just fine. After getting home, I ate some chocolate ice cream and I couldn't finish eating it becasue of how rich in flavor it was. So I could taste hours after the surgery, but by the evening, as I was eating dinner with my family, I couldn't taste at all. What could this mean?
Three days have passed and I have no sense of smell or taste. It's gotten worse actually becasue yesterday I could still smell my perfume and a few other scents and now I really can't smell anything. I can't taste anything, not even raw sugar or potent spices. I have no desire to eat, the inability to taste freaks me out so much. Another thing I would like to mention is that while I have no sense of taste or smell, I have this constant yucky taste lingering in my mouth. It tastes like disgusting medicine and metal. What does this mean? I think it may be related to the antibiotics, since in the past, antibiotics have given me a metallic taste in my mouth and I've also experienced a temporary 50% decrease in smell from antibiotics about a year ago. Is it really necessary to take antibiotics after surgery? They just give me such bad side effects...
I know I'm probably overreacting, but it's all just really scary. I know the reason why I can't smell is probably related to swelling, inflammation, the antibiotics, and congestion, but is it really normal to have a COMPLETE loss of smell and taste after surgery? I just turned 16 recently and I can't imagine living several decades without being able to taste a single bite of food.....I'd rather not live. Pathetic, I know, but I'm so sad about this, I've been crying nonstop, I want to be able to smell, I want to be able to taste chocolate and smell coffee. I wouldn't be so worried if I still had a partial ability to smell, but I have no sense of smell at all. I wouldn't be as worried if it improved after being able to breathe through my nose, I was so congested, I thought that was the reason I couldn't smell, but after using decongestant spray, I can breathe through my nose, but I still have zero sense of smell.
What could have gone wrong? Why could I smell and taste right after surgery, but not several hours later? Could there have been any sort of nerve damage?? I remember waking up and having intense burning in my nose, did something happen? I'm doing everything my doctor told me to do, I'm rinsing my nose with saline water 3 times a day and applying an antibiotic ointment. My doctor has been performing this surgery every week for nearly 20 years, so he has lots of experience. I just don't understand what's happening...I didn't know that the last meal I ate the night before the surgery could have been the last meal I'd ever taste...
For anyone who's bothered to read this to this point, thank you so much. If you have had sinus surgery before, did you lose your sense of smell and taste? How long did it take for it to come back? How did you cope in the meantime? According to my research, it can take several weeks for smell and taste to come back, sometimes months, and post-surgical swelling can exist up to a year after surgery....What are the chances that this complete loss of smell and taste is permanent??? Is it really normal to have NO sense of smell after sinus surgery?
I'm sorry this turned into one long rant, I have given more details that I probably needed to give. I'm just so worried, I don't wanna live my life without the ability to smell the roses or taste.....any information or sharing of personal experiences would be appreciated, thank you so much <3
1 like, 24 replies
Maione72 emma15009
Posted
Did your taste and smell ever come back? I had a Tonsillectomy and Septoplasty and it has been 10 weeks for me and I still taste or smell nothing. I feel like I can taste salt sometimes. I was never warned that this could happen. The doctor is telling me that nothing he did would have caused this, but I don't believe him. This is crazy and I'm not sure what I should do!
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millie_brennan emma15009
Posted
Hi, i had a septoplasty about 4 months ago, for about 2 weeks i couldnt taste smell, i thought the smell would come back but it hasnt at all, but my surgion said it could take up to 6 months for it too get better!
Luckotheirish emma15009
Edited
i had surgery almost 3 weeks ago bc of no sense of smell or taste, a deviated septum, shrinking my turbinates, bone spur and taking the bones out of my ethmoid sinuses because they were completely blocked.
im still in pain, my smell and taste is still gone and my nose isnt completely clear. they said it can take months to get smell back. my nose is very inflamed inside.....thats the problem. ugh.....
Eliza90695 Luckotheirish
Edited
Hi everyone, I had FESS surgery two weeks ago after suffering nasal problems for many years which was being managed conservatively, which did not improve my symptoms. I've had no sense of smell for years and this has been difficult, particularly as breathing became more difficult. I insisted on surgery as my nose was so inflamed, steroid sprays/drops made little difference and I was unable to sleep as I literally couldn't breath. Since surgery there has been much improvement in my breathing but there is still swelling inside my nose. I had hoped that my sense of smell would return as soon as the procedure was over but realistically I believe it will be months given that its been so long since I was able to smell anything. I use a nasal rinse 3/4 times a day to clear all the debris and a spray twice a day. There has been some sign of sense of smell which disappears just as quickly. I am thankful my surgery went well but I guess I just need to be patient in the hope my sense of smell will return in the coming weeks.
angela27278 emma15009
Posted
HI Emma
I know exactly where you are coming from.. our sense of smell and taste is so important to our quality of life!!
However I think because you are young you will regain it in time.. to smell the roses 😊
I am deciding whether or not to have sinus surgery.Have had three prior surgeries for polyps.Smell and taste returned.. slowly.. 12 weeks or so.
Haven't been able to smell or taste for a year.. so wondering whether to even risk having another sinus operation. It will be similar you yours..
steven50258 emma15009
Posted
Hi guys!!
Im a 37 year old guy from Australia and have also just has sinus surgery. For the last year or so my smell and taste gradually decreased and would come and go. I went to my GP and we spent months trying different sprays etc but nothing worked until i was reffered to a specialist who checked me out and said to try some different steroid sprays which had a very short term positive effect but stopped working pretty quick. He then prescribed some presidone in the hope it may just stop the swelling and reset my sinus.....which it did but he said once i stop taking it if the same problem comes back to see him....the same problem came back, no smell or taste. Thats when i got an MRI scan done and he found massive swelling in my sinus cavities. He then said that i could have an operation as a last resort as nothing was working. So i also got a CAT scan and got booked in for surgery but he did outline in no uncertain terms that there was a chance it may not work. He was very realistic with his approach and said that this either may not work and if it doesn't that theres kinda nothing else he can do, or tgat the problem coukd come back..EG if its nasal polyps. I went with surgery just to see if it'd work and its been two weeks to the day, and this morning my smell and taste came back!! its been off and on through the day so far and to be honest ive resigned myself to the fact that this might be as good as it gets!! My doc said that the sinuses are very complicated and it can be so very hard to get things working again if ever but i just keep irigating my nose 2-3 times a day and also eat lots of icey cold stuff to help with swelling samd as healthier diet as possible!! I feel your pain guys and it sucks and hopefully you get your smell and taste back soon!!
JessGettinRight emma15009
Posted
Hi Emma!
Did you ever regain your sense of smell? How long did it take?
Im currently going through the same thing 😦
Vampsoul emma15009
Posted
Emma, I've been dealing with the same exact issue. I had the same procedures. Immediately after the surgery I was able to taste and smell better than I could prior to the surgery. I went home and could taste tea and smell and it was amazing. Now, a month later, I have zero sense of smell and although I can taste sweet, sour, bitter.. I can't taste flavor of any sort. I can breathe better but I cannot smell anything. I doubt I would be able to smell a fire if it started under my own nose. Like your Dr, my doctor also has loads of experience. I mentioned this issue too him, and he has prescribed a steroid powder to mix in with the Neil Med nasal rinse. It requires insurance approval, but I'm hoping it works once I receive it. I will certainly keep you posted. I googled this very issue and I keep seeing a "1-2 month " recovery period...smell and taste should come back. I'm freaking out though because one of my specific skills is blind tasting in wine. It would be brutal to go down like this. Listen, I wish you a speedy recovery. One last thing. Although my Dr has said I can go back to normal activities, I find that alcohol is aggravating the issue even more. I'm going to try sobriety for a week and see if that changes anything.
samuelkur00344 Vampsoul
Posted
Hi VampSoul! i had 2 x endo nasal endoscopic procedures 2 weeks apart. after the first one, a fibroma was resected in my erhmoid sinus and the next one was to seal a csf leak. i woke up feelimg nasally as if i had a cold. its been a month of feeling nasally as if i have a flu but i can't smell or taste anything. my nose feels congested and i sometimes tend to breathe through my mouth. The drs arent giving me clear answers and i have been googling. i can read that it takes 1 - 2 months for smell and taste to stabalize but can also see on another platform that it takes 3 months post op with 1 month post op being the worse. Did your smell and taste return? how long did it take?