After a Cold Cough With Phelm is Continuing Into 2nd Wsek What to Do

Up to 90% of people who have had COVID-19 have lost part or all of their sense of smell. This can affect your sense of taste. Foods may taste different or have no taste at all.

Losing your sense of smell and taste can affect your appetite. It is important to keep eating and drinking even though you may not feel like it.

Most people's sense of smell comes back within 2 months. For some people, it may take longer.

Sometimes, changes in your senses of smell and taste can affect your mood. You may feel more sad or anxious.

Managing the loss of smell or taste

Try these strategies:

• Try new flavours, foods, and drinks. They may have a taste you enjoy.
• Try new recipes.
• Eat what tastes good, even if it is the same food every day.
• Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day.
• If your mouth is dry, it can affect how food and drinks taste. Good mouth care is important.
  • If your mouth feels dry, brush your teeth and rinse with water.
  • Do not use regular mouthwash. Only use mouthwash recommended for dry mouth.
• Drink lots of fluids, including with meals.
• If you have a bad taste in your mouth between meals, try sugar-free candy or mints, or chew sugar-free gum .
• Consider using smell training (also called olfactory training) to help regain your sense of smell. Smell training is the process of smelling four different odors, twice per day for 3 months. You can learn more about this in the following document:

• Olfactory Training

  Massachusetts Eye and Ear Sinus Center
  December 2019

If the smell of cooking food is affecting your appetite:

• Try cooking with a microwave or barbeque outside.
• Ask family or friends to help make your meals.
• Use a kitchen fan or open a window.
• Order take-out or buy pre-cooked meals.

If food has no taste:

• Sour and tart foods (like lemon, lime and vinegar) can help to stimulate (encourage) your taste buds. This may make it easier for you to taste the rest of your food.
• Eat foods with more flavour, or flavour them yourself (marinate meat, use condiments like barbeque sauce, salad dressing, ketchup, soy sauce, etc.).
• Try using herbs and spices like mint, thyme, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper when preparing food.
• Include foods with different colours and textures.

If food tastes metallic:

• Use glass cookware, if possible.
• Use plastic utensils (fork, spoon, knife) or chopsticks instead of metal utensils.
• Eat foods that are cold or room temperature. Heating food causes it to have a stronger flavour.
• Eat foods with mild flavours (like chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, tofu). Try drinks with mild flavours (like dairy products and dairy-free alternatives such as soy or coconut milk).
• Do not eat red meat.
• Eat fresh or frozen food instead of canned foods.

Use a Symptom Tracker to record how you are feeling over time.

Resources and supports

• HealthyNS.ca

  Nova Scotia Health offers free online wellness programs using Zoom for Healthcare. Topics include reducing your health risks, food, nutrition and weight management, physical activity, mental wellness, and parenting.

References

Addison, A. B., Wong, B., Ahmed, T., Macchi, A., Konstantinidis, I., Huart, C., Frasnelli, J., Fjaeldstad, A. W., Ramakrishnan, V. R., Rombaux, P., Whitcroft, K. L., Holbrook, E. H., Poletti, S. C., Hsieh, J. W., Landis, B. N., Boardman, J., Welge-Lüssen, A., Maru, D., Hummel, T., & Philpott, C. M. (2021). Clinical Olfactory Working Group consensus statement on the treatment of postinfectious olfactory dysfunction. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 147(5), 1704–1719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.12.641

Alberta Health Services. (2011, June). Eating well when you have taste and smell changes. Government of Alberta. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-eating-well-when-you-have-taste-and-smell-changes.pdf

BC Cancer. (2020). Food Ideas to Help with Taste and Smell Changes. http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/nutrition-site/Documents/Patient%20Education/Food-ideas-to-cope-with-taste-and-smell-changes.pdf

Greenhalgh, T., Sivan, M., Delaney, B., Evans, R., & Milne, R. (2022). Long covid - an update for primary care. BMJ;378:e072117 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-072117

Lechien, J., Chiesa-Estomba, C., Beckers, E., Mustin, V., Ducarme, M., Journe, F., Marchant, A., Jouffe, L., Barillari, M., Cammaroto, G., Circiu, M., Hans, S., Saussez, S. (2021). Prevalence and 6-month recovery of olfactory dysfunction: a multicentre study of 1363 COVID-19 patients. Journal of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13209

Speth, M.M., Singer-Cornelius, T., Oberle, M., Gengler, I., Brockmeier, S.J., & Sedaghat, A. (2020). Mood, anxiety and olfactory disfunction in COVID-19: Evidence of central nervous system involvement?The Laryngoscope, 130(11), 2520-2525. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.28964

Yaylacı, A., Azak, E., Önal, A., Aktürk, D. R., & Karadenizli, A. (2022). Effects of classical olfactory training in patients with COVID-19-related persistent loss of smell. European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 1-7. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-022-07570-w

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Source: https://library.nshealth.ca/CovidRecovery/symptoms

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