Anosmia

 

    Anosmia is the loss of the sense of smell through a head injury, infection or a blockage of the nose. Anosmia can be partial or it can be a total loss of smell. In our book, we read about Karl Wuensch who lost his sense of smell. He realized when he was eating a casserole which had gone bad and his family realized how bad it had gone but he had no idea. And later on, he had already lost his sense of smell where he couldn't even smell propane outside until his wife and son had noticed. He worked through a lot of research to find a cure or find some help for anosmia. 

    I had COVID-19 in the winter of 2021. It was a whole new experience of me getting sick because I had never lost my sense of smell before and this freaked me out. I realized I couldn't smell anything or taste anything while I was showering and I couldn't smell my favorite body wash. I was trying my hardest to inhale it and nothing. I was so freaked out, I had no idea what to do. That week that I couldn't smell anything was when I realized how much I take smelling for granted. I couldn't eat any food because I had no taste either and I did not want to eat without having taste. 

    After losing my sense of smell, there are a lot of smells and tastes that don't taste the same as before. It feels like some things are bitter now which I used to enjoy before or some smells make me nauseous. Anosmia is such a scary thing for me because I had no idea it was a problem that affected so many people and there isn't an exact cure for it. I remember looking up everything possible to get my sense of smell back.