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SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby DRHAIR on Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:29 pm

HI,
MY NAME IS CARLA AND I HAD A ACCIDENT ON JUNE 12TH, 2007.. I WAS ON MY GOLF CART AND PASSED OUT .. I DONT REMMEBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE ACCIDENT BY THE WAY... AND HIT MY HEAD ON ASHPHALT AND WAS SENT BY ABULANCE TO A NEURO HOSPITAL AND WAS THERE FOR 9 DAYS.. I SUFFERED A BROKEN ANKLE ASWELL. WHEN I WOKE UP IN THE HOSPITAL I DISCOVERED I HAD NO SCENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE!!! THE DR'S SAID IT TAKES TIME TO RETURN..BUT SO FAR ALMOST 4 MONTHS LATER I STILL HAVE NO SCENSES.. HAS ANYONE OUT THERE HAD THESE ISSUES AND CAN YOU SHARE WITH ME HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR THE SENSES TO RETURN?? I AM SO FRUSTRATED AND DEPRESSED OVER THIS IT IS BECOMMING OVERWHELMING TO ME. I SURE WOULD APPRICIATE ANY INFO YOU MAY HAVE ON THIS.. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!
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Posts: 8 | Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:11 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby Perseus on Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:17 pm

My sympathies. Have you had any return yet? My head injury is showing sign sof improvement and it ocurred shortly after yours. The hallucinations have died down and the Doctor says I am no longer agitated.
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Perseus
 
Posts: 6 | Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:55 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby DRHAIR on Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:47 pm

HI, MY SYMPATHIES TO YOU TOO FRIEND. DID YOU LOOSE YOUR SMELL AND TASTE AT ALL WITH YOUR INJURY? IF SO.. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE? I AM SO COURIOUS TO KNOW AND TO GET SOME ANSWERS..
PLEASE EMAIL ME BACK... IM DESPERATE!
THANK U:>)
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Posts: 8 | Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:11 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby xcccyk on Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:35 pm

Hello. I had a Subdural Hematoma after a severe head injury about 6 years ago when I was 28 years old. It took over two years before I started noticing scents/tastes. Actually, your sense of smell is what you used to perceive as your sense of taste. (My opinion). Your brain remembers what foods used to taste like, but you are not getting the sensation.
Turn a negative into a positive...eat healthy foods. If everything tastes like cardboard, you might as well use that to your advantage.
I miss the way certain foods used to taste...and how certain drinks tasted, but I am just glad to be alive. Oddly enough, the first three things I could really smell were: gasoline, freshly cut grass and the odor from stool/flatulence.
Best of luck to you, but don't let this "temporary" change rob you of your daily joy.
Fight the good fight and focus on what is important. Give thanks to God that he has saved you from worse things.
God bless you!
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xcccyk
 
Posts: 4 | Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:27 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby Perseus on Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:39 am

Hello,

Caviar tastes without a smell.

Someone in the pub has the same problem as you.

I am beginning to think that my brain injury has caused permanent damage. More heightened sensory.

Cheers

Andy
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Perseus
 
Posts: 6 | Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:55 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby DRHAIR on Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:39 pm

HI,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REPLYING TO MY POST AND GIVING ME SOME HOPEFUL ADVISE! I AM HANGING IN THERE WITH THE SCENCES ISSUES AND I TOO AM DOING THE SAME AS YOU DID WITH EATING HEALTHY FOODS AND TAKING ALOT OF SUPPLEMENTS ALSO. I JUST HOPE TO GOD THAT THIS ISNT PERMANENT! I AM BLESSED TO BE ALIVE ASLO! ALL THE DR'S I HAVE SEEN SAID A YEAR OR 2... I HAVE TO BULID UP MY PATIENCE AND KEEP ON GOING...
I AM SO PLEASE TO HEAR THAT YOU GOT YOURS BACK!!!! BLESS U MY FRIEND!
HUGGS
DRHAIR
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Posts: 8 | Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:11 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby xcccyk on Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:15 pm

Good to hear your spirits are high. I was very focused on getting back to "normal" after my head injury. This included taking gymnastics lessons to stabilize my sense of balance. My head injury was a result of a sporting accident where my head fell to the concrete floor from a 8 foot drop. I hit the back of my head. My eyesight has some slight issues, mostly due to damaging my occipital lobe.
Remember, your sense of "taste" took years to form during your childhood...I think your brain is just learning from scratch again. You will get your sense of taste/smell back...it will take time...and it will probably never be exactly the same as before.
Embrace the New You and focus on maintaining a healthy diet and working out. Your physical activity will allow you to build muscle tissue to protect your head from future injuries.
One more accident and you could have a useless brain if you are not careful. Life is short, so pack your bags and move on up the hill to a better spot and relax.
Take care!
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Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby DRHAIR on Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:38 pm

HI XCC,
THANK U SO MUCH FOR WRITING ME BACK AGAIN AND BEING SO WONDERFUL WITH YOUR KIND WORDS. I AM A FEMALE 51 FROM ARIZONA. MY ACCIDENT HAPPENED JUNE 07 WHEN I PASSED OUT AND FLEW OFF MY GOLF CART! I HAVE NO IDEA TO THIS DAY HOW IT HAPPENED OR WHY. THE DR'S DIDNT FIND ANYTHING ON ALL THE CT'S/MRI'S,ETC THAT SHOWED SEIZURE.... I HAD A BROKEN ANKLE ASWELL. THE TASTE/SMELL NIGHTMAREIS STILL ONGOING... BUT IHAVE HOPE AND FAITH! YOU ARE SO RIGHT WHEN YOU SAID THE BRAIN HAS TO LEARN ALL OVER AGAIN... I NEVER LOOKED AT IT THAT WAY... THANK U FOR THAT INSPIRING STATEMENT!
I WORK OUT 3 DAYS A WEEK AND WORK A PARTIME JOB. MY BRAIN WAS NOT AFFECTED IN MEMORY AT ALL AMEN TO GOD! SO I AM DOING WHAT I USE TO DO BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. I AM ENJOPYING MY LIFE WITHOUT MY SCENCES AS BEST AS I CAN... I USE TO GET VERY DEPRESSED ABOUT IT .. AND I AM ON MEDS TO HELP ME COPE . I STILL PRAY DAILY FOR MY SCENCES TO RETURN.. BUT I KNOW IT ISNT MY CALL ON WHEN IT WILL RETURN... I JUST PRAY I DONT HAVE PERMENANT DAMAGE... ONLY GOD KNOWS RIGHT? I IWLL HANG IN THERE THE BEST THAT I CAN AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT U ARE GETTING STRONGER AND HEALITHER WITH UR LIFE POST INJURY.. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH OK? IT GIVES ME SO MUCH HOPE READING THE POSTS ON THIS ISSUE.. IT MAKES ME FEEL THAT I AM NOT ALONE WITH THESE ISSUES.
THANK YOU AGAIN AND HAVE A BLESSED HOLIDAY MY FRIEND!
DRHAIR:>)
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Posts: 8 | Joined: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:11 pm

Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby xcccyk on Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:52 pm

Don't take this the wrong way, but get over the loss of your sense of smell & taste. It will come back...on it's own timeframe. If you are not able to control it...let it go! Stop taking the meds to cope with depression. The quicker you "wean" yourself off the meds, the quicker your natural strength will return. Your body (like mine) was designed very carefully by our Maker. He doesn't make mistakes. Remember: Obstacles are opportunities for improvement.
Look at your problem through the spectacles of a disabled person...or a person with AIDS...or a homeless person...or a person who just lost a limb... SEE MY POINT?
Tough love is my rule of thumb. You are a big girl and you can handle a little tough love.
Prayer is better than any medicine for depression. In the last few years I have lost my father to a heart attack, lost two businesses I started from scratch, been sued 3 times in court and put on 40 pounds of weight over the stress...There is a lot more that I couldn't list.
My point: Your sense of smell and taste is about 1% of your functional capacity...focus on the 99% that matters and works like normal.
I hope the best for you, but I am not a fan of medicating NORMAL feelings of depression. Find support groups online and locally...find an accountability partner...PRAY...pray some more, but get off the meds...they only keep your feelings at bay.
Your emotions are like a 2-liter of cola. OPTION 1: Shake it up...over and over...and never let any air sift out...and BOOM...when you open the 2-liter. OPTION 2: Shake it up...let some air out slowly...open the 2-liter and WHALLAH!!! No explosion. Emotions are meant/designed to be expressed in some fashion. Paint a picture...workout...wash something...surf Ebay... Do something to fill the negative time.
Don't sleep it off (again)...or moap to friends (they are tired of hearing it...they don't understand)...don't have feelings of hopelessness.
Just my honest/caring (tough love) feelings.
God bless ! (Don't get mad at me...I have a lot of things to do right now, but I am giving you FREE advice) - You get what you pay for sometimes...but other times you get more.
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Re: SMELL AND TASTE GONE SINCE BRAIN INJURY

Post a new topicby Zhang-Smith on Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:38 am

I was attacked on September 28, 2005, and lost my sense of smell and taste as well, and they have still not returned. I was told that two go hand in hand so when one comes back or if it does so will the other one.
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Posts: 4 | Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:16 am
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