A YORK woman is undergoing "smell training" in a bid to regain her sense of smell which she lost after suffering from Covid.
The woman in her early 60s, who asked not to be named, lost her sense of smell after suffering a mild dose of Covid last March.
Since recovering from the virus, her sense of smell has all but gone and certain foods taste strange.
She is one of the thousands of people in the UK suffering from the myriad of symptoms that make up the post-viral condition long Covid.
"I can't smell smoke or gas, which is worrying because of the danger side of that. I can't distinguish what people are cooking - I can't even smell fish.
"Annoyingly, I can't smell perfume or the flowers in the garden. I wear Chanel no 5 - it was a gift and I wear it everyday - which is nice for the other people around me."
About five weeks ago, she began "smell training" after reading online how other people with loss of smell following Covid have used the method in a bid to reboot their olfactory system.
She practices three times a day - inhaling brief "bunny sniffs" of four essential oils: lemon, rose, orange and mint. Other people use clove and eucalyptus essential oils too, she adds.
"I do quick sniffs for about ten or 20 seconds of each oil before moving on the the next. I do it three times a day.
"I've been doing it for five or six week but it has not made any difference."
Despite this, she plans to continue as she has read it can take a long time to have an effect, if at all.
She said she didn't want to bother her GP with the problem. "They are probably very busy with the physical cases and I don't consider this an urgent issue.
"I know many people have suffered long Covid that involves fatigue and are a lot more seriously affected.
"It is more of an inconvenience to me rather than impacting on my life.
"It is annoying not being able to smell nice things and distinguish my food. I can't eat dairy - things like cheese, yoghurts and chocolate taste musty. But I can live with that."
Knowing that so many people have it worse, she believes now that the vaccine programme is well underway, the Government should turn its attention to this emerging issue.
She said: "The government really needs to look at the long term effects of Covid for people - this is going to go on for some time."
Getting help
The NHS lists loss of smell and taste as just some of the many symptoms of long Covid.
Others include: extreme tiredness (fatigue); shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness; problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog"); difficulty sleeping (insomnia); heart palpitations; dizziness; pins and needles; joint pain; depression and anxiety; tinnitus, earaches; feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite; a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat and changes to sense of smell or taste as well as rashes.
The advice is to contact your GP if you are worried about symptoms four weeks or more after having coronavirus.
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Are you suffering from long Covid?
People can struggle for weeks and months after catching Covid - with everything from aches and pains, to fatigue and brain fog and stomach upsets. If you have long Covid, or have had long Covid, we would like to hear about your experience - and what help, if any, you have received.
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