Never heard any follow ups on the taste thing, so I need answers
4 years since 2020. Time really flies when a catastrophic global event hits you in the face
Didn’t lose my smell or taste but after the initial flu-like stage of my infection was over I didn’t really get any better. And my doctor made it worse by telling me to power through and start working again. Nowadays I can only leave the bed to go to the toilet.
I’m about to participate in a study with some experimental treatments. Stupid thing is that I have to do an exercise test at the beginning so that they can measure the effectiveness. I took a shower last week and that’s left me in pain that will persist over the next few weeks. I shudder to think about what that exercise test will do.
But Portal taught me to do everything for science.
Christing shitbiscuits, that fucking sucks buddy. Hope they give you some sort of captain America serum.
And an assisted shower!
Wish I could give you a bonus upvote for that last line 😂
Congrats on keeping a sense of humor mate, and positive vibes coming your way for the sciency bit 💙
Just a reminder that not only is covid not over, but in many places infections are on the rise again and people are still dying, while vaccines become less and less accessible, no other official measures taken (like recommending masks on public transport), and more and more long term effects of infection come to light.
As a vulnerable person, the fact that people talk about it like it’s in the past scares the shit out of me.
It also seems like most people think that if they are vaccinated they can ignore it entirely.
Vaccinated individuals still experience the first stages of infection and still develope a high enough viral load to be contagious. The vaccines are effective at decreasing the duration and severity of infection, but they can’t prevent it entirely.
People who know they were exposed should still isolate for a few days even if they are vaccinated.
Thanks for reminding me I need to start wearing masks again.
Yup, covid really did ramp up the ableism in society to a whole new level…
It’s not only that people think that because they didn’t feel that bad or have long term side-effects, covid simply isn’t that bad or have serious long term side effects, so in their own minds they not only don’t need to make any effort to protect themselves, never mind others (mostly already marginalised people they prefer to ignore in everyday life, so why not now), they also have a new (and constantly growing) group of people to scapegoat and gaslight and tell it isn’t really that bad because it wasn’t that bad for them, and that they should just “suck it up”.
I won’t even start on the part capitalism and the governments and media who uphold and serve it have played in making it this way, and how a desperate and divided population benefits them, which is why they’re never going to do anything about it…
The more you look the worse it gets…
Same. I don’t even know how to respond to questions like this. It’s such a failure of our governments that people think loss of taste and smell from an infection years ago is the only lasting impact they’re experiencing. It’s a vascular disease that can damage every organ in the body and we’re being forced to experience repeat infections. Unfortunately most won’t realize what is happening until after it does, and there’s very few treatments and even little care for prevention.
I’m a disabled organizer focused on covid issues, and every day I hear constantly from people about the barriers covid has to their lives. Some are new barriers like new health conditions, increased precarity, and rising debt. Others are finding existing issues that were already hard to navigate become near insurmountable. Many of us haven’t had regular healthcare in years due to lack of covid safety or the system’s complete overwhelm. So many of us are fighting to just see a dentist without getting covid, and it’s nearly impossible.
And this is just from the folks who are aware of why covid should be avoided and what the current situation is, every day I talk to people who have long therm health issues from covid that now have to navigate a world they thought wouldn’t affect the. Covid has and will continue to impact every aspect of everyone’s life and it sucks seeing so many ignore it.
Edit to add- and yea, at least 7 million people died worldwide with over a million of that just in the US. The amount of people forever missing loved ones is hard to grapple with. A quarter of a million kids lost one or both parents, it’s had profound impact to their life trajectories that we’ll see for decades, and that’s not even accounting for the health implications they’ll endure along with the rest of society as we have continued repeat infections.
Others are finding existing issues that were already hard to navigate become near insurmountable. Many of us haven’t had regular healthcare in years due to lack of covid safety or the system’s complete overwhelm
I am part of this group, I was already struggling to get the kind of in-home care I actually need (because social services are direly and deliberately underfunded), now I won’t even risk it because I know people won’t/can’t avoid bringing that shit in to my space. And that’s just to name one of so many impacts it has had…
Otherwise I agree with everything else you’ve said, except that the government is failing, but only because I think they’re doing exactly as they want and expect to do, we’re (we being not only those already most vulnerable in society and to covid, but by extension the rest of the working class) just an after thought and acceptable collateral damage.
I’ve been meaning to share this on its own, but it definitely belongs here too:
https://donotpanic.substack.com/p/its-all-out-war-on-the-vulnerable
Thanks for the link, it’s a good piece. And I definitely agree on it being an intentional path by our government not a failing per se. It’s not just the disabled that are and always have been afterthoughts, it’s everyone. Covid’s lasting damage is well-known, but that’s your problem not theirs, they have mitigations in place for themselves and the best care available if needed.
It’s very little but if you’re US based and want to remind your state officials that they’re killing people with their negligence, a group I organize with has a letter to send them about masking in healthcare. I really hope that this year we see actual progress on addressing covid instead of just ignoring it. We’re in the second highest ever surge currently, a lot of people are going to be sicker by November.
It’s not just the disabled that are and always have been afterthoughts, it’s everyone. Covid’s lasting damage is well-known, but that’s your problem not theirs, they have mitigations in place for themselves and the best care available if needed.
Well said. Accessibility and inclusion of disabled and vulnerable people has always benefitted society at large, but people are put under such pressure to “win”, never mind just survive, that they’ve completely lost sight of that (like you say - to their own detriment).
Thank you too for the link, the fact that wearing masks in the healthcare sector is even up for debate, never mind something that needs to essentially be begged for, is enraging, though you’d be relieved? to know that here in the UK they aren’t mandatory either… And the infection and deaths numbers show it. We’re also expecting potentially the largest wave yet
https://donotpanic.substack.com/p/four-years-later-two-million-infections?publication.There honestly are no words to express the frustration…
In the US Covid vaccines are available at any pharmacy for free. Accessibility isn’t the problem. People have just stopped getting revaccinated. The ant vac propaganda has been effective.
Accessibility isn’t the problem
Of course it is if people don’t know about it being available. or about the importance of having it (never mind the time and mental energy to get another task done when you’re working 3 jobs and have kids to feed). Accessibility isn’t just ramps. And the US isn’t the only country in the world.
Yes, ant-vaxx propaganda is partly to blame, but this is a much bigger problem that is being deliberately neglected if not actively made worse by those in power for their own benefit.
And also, no they aren’t available at any pharmacy for free. They’re available at some pharmacies, if covered by insurance or you’ve applied through the bridge program, but still unlikely to be administered in a covid safe setting. If the vaccine is nearby and covered but I’ll get covid while there, that is not accessible. The existence of the vaccines is barely anything towards actually controlling covid and reducing its impact on society and the ability of people who don’t want to get it to access society.
And let’s remember, the vaccines help prevent the worst case scenario of hospitalization and death. They do not prevent infection, stop you from spreading the virus, or nullify the damage covid does to your body.
no they aren’t available at any pharmacy for free. They’re available at some pharmacies, if covered by insurance
“available at any pharmacy for free” definitely sounded too good to be true, especially considering it’s the US we’re talking about, thanks for confirming.
What do you mean by a Covid safe setting? Just wear a mask, you’re in and out in minutes. All the pharmacists wear masks too so just keep your distance from anyone else, or go when they aren’t busy, etc.
Thanks for asking. A covid safe setting is one where mitigations are in place to contain the spread of covid. This includes but is not limited to: universal masking in n95/kn95 masks, sufficient ventilation and filtration of the air to reduce the virus floating around, limited time indoors to reduce exposure, workers staying home when ill. So, pretty simple things that have together reduce ones chances of getting covid.
Most places have not achieved this, or stopped doing so if they did. I’m glad you and you’re pharmacists mask, but that is bare minimum and sadly not a universal experience. Many people live in places where there is no masking from others and any requests for it are denied, even though that’s illegal under ADA. Masks are also just one tool that can be used to stop spread and should not be the primary method used.
I feel you. I’m a vulnerable person but in expected to just show up at work…
No pb with taste and smell. However, I experience difficulties staying focused when I talk, finding words, finishing sentences, especially at work
Personal best? Peanut butter?
“problem”
I had never fully lost smell or taste just kind of dulled it. However the brain fog is what killed me. It’s been 3 years and I’m just starting to feel a little better. lol or maybe I’m just more used to it.
I read something saying that it takes 6-12 months for the neural pathways for taste and smell recognition to reform in a permanent way.
I briefly lost my sense of taste and smell 2 years ago. I ‘got it back’ after a week, but everything is still less intense… maybe 20-30% muted. Some things came back with very distinct differences. Alcohol taste like rotten garbage, dairy tastes off, things I didn’t like aren’t as powerful and things I used to love don’t hit like they used to.
I tried retraining smell with different scented oils over the course of a few months, but didn’t really see any difference. Hell, maybe it worked on some things, but the things that it didn’t work for stand out in my mind… maybe that’s cognitive bias.
Other than that, I don’t have any lasting side effects. I don’t even know for sure that it was from Covid. By the time I realized I had a taste change, I tested a few times and never came up positive. I am assuming I had a case and was asymptomatic until the sense change and stopped shedding by the time I tested, but you can develop anosmia/parosmia from other viruses, like the flu, too.
Hola. For me, I started getting a cough and feeling under the weather. I came home from work on that Friday and I hadn’t eaten at all that day, was super hungry. It was Friday! I’m going to treat myself to some Mediterranean from this delish local place. Got my food, took a bite, bland af. Couldn’t taste anything. Finished eating and fell asleep watching the simpsons on the couch like I tend to do when I’m not feeling well.
Woke up the next day and couldn’t smell or taste anything. Immediately took a home test which came back positive. Made a appointment for a test through my doc on Monday which of course came back positive.
Things got worse, brutal cough for at least a month. Complete brain fog for over a week, couldn’t put thoughts together, which made it so i struggled to complete regular day to day things. Super fatigue for a could of weeks. After maybe 10 days my sense of smell and taste came back.
I never lost taste/smell. But, I lost everything else. I can’t work anymore because of covid. It fucked me in the worst way. I’m an American and our disability system is fucked too. So I’ve been without pay for 2 years. I’m out of money. I don’t know what to do tbh.
I can’t work anymore because of covid
Why can’t you work anymore because of covid? Do you have a weakened immune system so you can’t risk being exposed to covid, or did you get covid and now have long covid symptoms? If it’s the second one, what long covid symptoms are preventing you from working? I believe you, but it’s just so vague that I’m not sure what you’re referencing
Thanks for asking.
It’s actually both. I have some other health issues, so it’s not just the long covid, but covid was the last straw. From covid alone, I have heart issues, lung issues, GI issues, brain fog, extreme fatigue. And because of the heart issues, i currently cannot take any adhd meds, so my concentration is shit. I also experienced medical trauma during this time, so i have a bunch of mental health issues now too.
Basically, there is no part of my body that hasn’t been affected by covid. It is a terrible disease that i wouldn’t wish on anyone.
And yes, i am vaccinated and boosted, which i think is the only reason i didn’t die.
My sense of smell still sucks, and it’s been almost two years since I had COVID. It’s marginally better than it was, but is still substantially worse than it was pre-infection.
EDIT: Okay, this is a bit of an exaggeration. My sense of smell has mostly returned, but for example, nuances in the taste of food seem to have become permanently dulled, and it sucks tbh. Something, as subtle as it is, has changed.
Had it in 2021, taste was gone for only three days. Afterwards some things tasted off for a few weeks, chocolate tasted like ammonium. That’s gone now. Endurance was mostly gone afterwards, and I stil have trouble remembering names, even of people I’ve known a long time.
I had the name thing before covid was even a thing (sorry not belittling your pain just had to be a smart alek. really though I have always been so bad with names and faces im not sure I would notice if covid made it worse.)
Don’t worry, I get that reaction a lot. Also the “that’s just aging” reaction regarding both the forgetting and the endurance (stamina?). But if you can’t remember the names of people you speak every week, and who don’t have forgettable face and demeanor, that’s not normal for me. Also, if you suddenly are exhausted after walking a stair where this was no problem before, that’s also not normal.
yeah I get its ot the same thing and if your memory was sharp as tack before its going to be massive. One thing I am thankful for being born in the modern world is that my coworkers names always appears in teams. I get into trouble when im speaking with my screens are covering teams as suddenly I can’t get names quite right or tell who is speaking.
Lots of people do this. My work place displays last name - first name in Teams. My last name can also be a first name, and it happens more than once a week that somebody calls me by my last name.
I had it 4 times that I’m sure of. Long term effects saw me bed ridden for the larger part of a year with my stamina and immune system still heavily affected to this day.
Smell and taste are back to 75% I’d say, could all be in my head but I swear stuff had a stronger taste/smell 2 years ago.
When I had COVID, certain food or sauces were tasteless or even awful. For example, beef burger and mayonaise - they became awful in taste for me.
Took almost A year to get the taste back.
My father had COVID when there was no vaccinates yet and he still hasn’t got his taste back on certain things like coffee.
ETA: Forgot to say his smell is 50/50 as well. He sometimes does smell things and sometimes not.
I got it at the end of 2020, before any vaccinations. It fcked me up good, made me struggle to cycle 2 minutes to the supermarket in the following weeks. At some point I mostly recovered, but not totally. My nose was almost completely closed, which also caused ear problems and a sore throat. I had a surgery done, which did open it up somewhat but didn’t fully solve the issue. I’m still having issues now. My nose is almost always very dry, sometimes painful, and also quite often not as open as I’d like. This also still causes ear and throat issues regularly, especially with cold dry air. Luckily my second run-in with covid (after vaccination) was only a temporary pain in the ass and went away without any issues after suffering for a week.
I had OG covid just after Xmas 2020. Didn’t eat for 3-4 days, and was so excited for the first time I felt up to eating. That’s when I discovered I had no sense of smell. The basic tastes were there, salty, sweet, etc, but no nuance to it. With just the texture to go off, my basic white-bread-and-ham sandwich was like eating a wet sponge. It stayed that way for about 2 weeks, I think (the brain fog was real, too, don’t remember much of January 2021).
Started to come back slowly, and was normal by the end of March. Nothing much long term to report. Smell might be a little more sensitive now, if anything. We have cats, and I’m always the first to know when the box needs cleaning.
My sense of taste was dulled and my sense of smell was totally 100% gone(I’m certain I could’ve been sprayed directly by a skunk and still smelt nothing at all) for about a month, with them slowly going back to normal over the course of another month or so. I also developed minor brain fog, which still hasn’t fully left over 3 years later.
The brain fog was the worst. I had horrible insomnia too. I had to start on sedatives and anti-anxiety meds after I recovered. They initially put me on some poison shit like Xanax. I quickly switched that out for trazodone and medical marijuana. I could sleep but things were still way off.
I eventually got put on sertraline and adderall during the day, a 10 mg edible in the evening and I take a trazodone a hour before bed. I sleep better now than I have at any time in my life and I feel great. I don’t feel like I have the same raw cognitive capacity that I used to, but I’m attentive, productive and don’t struggle to perform basic tasks like I did after I got sick. Overall, I feel more capable than ever even if my mental processing speed is lower than before.
My wife and I had very different experiences. I had one bad day in bed and was fine after. She was sick for at least a week and lost her since of smell (and much of taste) for about 6 months with another 6 months recovering.
I had COVID at the beginning of 2021, I’ve lost smell, even when I got out of it for a few months soft drinks like Coke, sprite or tonic tested like paint thinner, raw onion and my own sweat smelled like rotten eggs, fortunately after some time it stopped, drinks sooner than onion though
