Question:
If your smell/taste were altered post-op, did they return to normal, and when?

I know it's extremely common to have altered smell/taste for 1-3 weeks post-op, but mine has gone on for 11 weeks now, with no end in sight. Everything smells WAY different than pre-op, and many old favorites such as wood smoke, Noxema face cream, etc., smell urecognizable. (Noxema smells like creosote!) Most foods with sulphur in them--such as onions and chicken--stink, and car exhaust is enough to make me queasy. (It smells a lot like the chicken, actually.) So I am wondering, if any of you experienced this for longer than the standard few weeks, did it go away, and if so, when? This is getting to be depressing, and I could use some hope. Or if it may never get better, some clues as to why. I've heard "vagal irritation", but can't find anything about it in medical journals.---Thanks, Jesse    — Jesse M. (posted on April 10, 2001)

April 10, 2001
Well, that's very intersting....the "vagal irritation" part. I am almost 6 months postop, and many of the foods I used to enjoy no longer taste the same....some are down right yucky. I never knew why....I'm almost to the point where nothing tastes good, so I eat a bite of this, a bite of that, and a bite of anything in my fridge, and end up throwing a lot of food away because it spoils before I finish it....and I'm sure I probably eat to much, because I basically graze looking for soemthing that tastes good. But, as I said the "vagal" part is intersting....I've never heard that connection before, however, when I was about 4 months postop, I passed out...first time in my life....both the dr in the ER, and my surgeon's office said it was probably due to overstimulation of the vagal nerve....I wonder if this could all be related??
   — tlg6056

April 10, 2001
A very interesting question, Jesse. A check of the Library using the word "taste" as a search word got a lot of hits. I tried using a search engine but there's just too much about vagus nerve stimulation, etc. etc. etc. I'm hoping something in the Library will help answer your question.
   — Lynn E.

April 10, 2001
I am almost 1 year post op and still some things smell terrible to me (deep fried stuff) and have a weird taste, but it isn't as bad as it was before. I'd say the last three months or so, it has gradually lessened. But it was like when I was pregnant, I could barely stand strong smells at all, everything made me nauseous. Good luck!
   — Beth B.

April 12, 2001
Just posting to get my question about post-op smell/taste distortion back on the board. It REALLY bothers me--I can't tell if food is spoiled, because it already smells spoiled, for example. And I wouldn't now if DSers have body odor, because even sweet soap and deodorant reek of a sulphur-like smell to me, so I already think I stink! How long will this go on. If anyone's going to the MD soon, please ask the likely cause and e-mail me. My MD doesn't know!--Thanks, Jesse, 11 weeks post-op
   — Jesse M.

October 30, 2001
I am 13 months post-op and I still have altered taste/smell. I am super-sensitive to smells now, even more so than before, and some things just don't taste the same and some things that I used to love just taste awful now. I just assume it's part of 'the new me' and I'm getting used to it, along with all of the other many changes! B/T/W I have lost 124#s and have gone from a size 28-30/5XL to a size 18/Lg or XL.
   — Brenda H.