Anosmia

    Anosmia is when you lose your sense of smell. Large polyps form in the sinuses and the turbinates become swollen. Anosmia is difficult to treat and most people go uncured. This can also lead to food being less enjoyable, given that 80% of the flavor comes from the smell. Karl Wuensch decided that he needed to compensate for his lack of smell by adding propane detectors in his home and taking extra care to watch any food he was cooking so that he did not burn down his house. He also experimented with spices to enhance his food, falling in love with hot peppers and spicy food, something his family is not very fond of. His form of anosmia often responds to treatments for some time so he has regained and lost his small over four times. Wuensch says that he misses the smell of people the most because it feels like there is something missing when he interacts with other people.

    This reminds me of when I temporarily lost my sense of smell due to sinus issues. This was around the time when COVID was at an all-time high so I was terrified that it was due to me having COVID. I was in my room with my sister eating a piece of beef jerky. Beef jerky has a strong smell and I realized I could not smell it. I kept smelling the wrapper but could not smell anything. I was also terrified because I did not want to lose my sense of smell, I love smelling things and actually have a really good sense of smell. After a bit, I regained my sense of smell. This is all to say that I have a snippet of understanding for people with anosmia. I could never imagine both losing my sense of smell and then my food tasting less enjoyable because of it.