Howdy everyone, I was told I should do a Ask Me Anything about my situation. A little backstory, when I was born I was handed a poor deck. I was sickly and had issues with my development. One of said issues was I didn’t have the ability to smell or taste. My family and doctors I would see through my life simply thought it was just one of those things you just were born with. Through my life I didn’t eat much cause everything was bland, didn’t drink anything other than water mostly and been under weight my entire life because of that.
But recently I under went nasal surgery that enabled those senses and I’m experiencing literally taste and smells for the first time at thirty years old.
Apparently that’s interesting so if you have questions, have at it and I’ll try to get to them as best and honesty as I can!
Comments
What are some things that you didn’t like eating before the surgery that you now love?
And how about things you liked eating before but don’t enjoy now?
What are the most surprising tastes you’ve experienced so far? Anything taste completely different from how you’ve imagined it?
I currently don’t have any sense of smell due to covid or something else flu like.
Did you struggle with maintaining your hygiene because you couldn’t tell if your clothes or body smelled? I guess family could’ve told you, but..
Did you have favorite foods before and if so what made you like them? Do you still like them
After?
what’s your favorite food from before and what’s your favorite food now?
What’s one of the most surprising things you’ve experienced since regaining your sense of smell and taste back ?
What’s your favorite food?
Would you still use expired foods to some extent if you couldn’t do the smell/taste test?
What is the name of the surgery you had? How does this work?
What have been your favorite things to smell? Anything you were surprised by the smell of?
Is there anything you possibly didn’t like before (because of looks or texture) that now you do because of gaining smell and taste?
Can you please explain a little more about the surgery and how it enabled your missing senses. What did the surgeons change?
What scents and flavors are the most surprising for you to encounter/experience? Do you find yourself being overstimulated by these new acquired abilities?
Are these senses 100% enabled? (as in : as much as anyone)
What taste / smell do you like / hate?
What were you eating while not being able to taste anything?
Was being unable to taste anything making you save a lot of money, eat very healthy? Were you even eating anything unhealthy? If yes : why?
What’s your favorite food?
Did you enjoy any food more simply based on texture?
What’s the first thing you ate?
Any foods that taste worse/better than what you expected?
What was the first food you “loved” after the procedure? And, I’m sure before your procedure you saw other people react positively to things like the smell of baking cookies, or negatively to a stinky fart or something, did any smells surprise you based on how you’d seen others react to them?
Omg I am so happy for you and looking forward to your AMA . What kind of procedure did you have?
It must feel amazing to experience these things right? Whats it like?
Any hygiene problems because of this? Any other disadvantages or situations that didn’t go well because of it? What was the name of the surgery?
First impression of your own farts?
I was going to ask if you had problems eating through out the 30 years but you included it.. but also Does this effect you? Idk how i’d feel about this if it were me ..
Woah! I’m curious! I have taste but anosmia since birth, I almost don’t want to have it now since I don’t miss it, and honestly the thought scares me. Like when my partner said it smells like rain is coming or almost throwing up by the scent of someone in a store. It seems like a power I don’t really want. Sure I’m missing out on the smell of roses, but I’ve never known it so don’t long for it. Are you scared at all?
How did you go about getting the surgery? My ex was also born without a sense of smell and I had no idea that surgery was an option! I would’ve encouraged him to get it
Of all of the smells you’ve encountered since your surgery, which did you enjoy the most? Which the least?
Given a Time Machine, would you do it all over again? If so, would you do so sooner?
What has been your favorite smell and/or taste since gaining these senses? What has been your least favorite?
Do you find it overwhelming? I dated a guy who had a TBI and his sense of smell and sometimes taste were usually completely absent, but he said there would be moments where they would be slight and he would become nauseated with the different smells. It was interesting because I figured he’d hope for it to come back but he said he’d rather it be fully absent than have to have that overwhelming feeling.
Need to know what happened the first time someone farted around you post surgery and/or when you farted sorry if this sounds weird
My 2-year-old family member has been exhibiting all the symptoms you describe since birth. After many inconclusive tests, a recent endoscopy revealed enlarged adenoids, which they reduced, and an undersized pyloric sphincter. That’s the last I heard, so I don’t know how it’s going or what future treatment there might be.
Are there any insights you can offer?
What was the first food you ate after the surgery that surprised you the most?
remindme! 24 hours
What did you grow up eating – was it different to those around you in your family etc? When you got your smell and taste, did your food preferences change? (Did you stop liking anything you’d previously liked?). Have you discovered any new favourite foods?
How did they know you couldn’t taste or smell?
Do your parents smell like you think they would?
Also things to try
What was the surgery name that you underwent?
Are you trying all sorts of different new foods and stuff now? You’ve GOT to try kimchi, don’t let the smell put you off lol
Before the surgery, what food did you WANT to taste based on how it looked to you? And after the surgery, did that food live up to your expectations?
What are some things that would like to smell that you haven’t already?
Now that you can taste food, are you planning on trying everything?! And do you have plans to gain weight/get big?
Did you have to rely entirely on texture for things? Like, i don’t like this food because the texture is just horrible/i like this food because the texture is nice?
Bullshit
What is now your favorite smell and food?
RemindMe! 1 day
Hey bud, fellow anosmiac here. You’ve done what I was really anxious about doing, respect. I don’t know if it’d be possible for me but I’m curious, do you regret it? Are the senses too powerful to handle at the start?
I seriously think this is awesome and I really wish you the best in your new life of discovering every good/bad smelling thing.
That first dump must of been something eh?
Omg please start answering things it’s killing me! LOL
Well, isnt this one of the worst AMA of all time…
Looks like he also has no common sense either or sense of timing or sense of decency..
Holly shit. Please hit me up! I lost mine in Covid!!!
Please what, how, where?!?!
How has it been dealing with smell all of a sudden? I lost my sense of smell when I was 6. I can still taste things though
Does water have a flavor to you now?!?!
Being serous! This is fascinating!!
When you started noticing your sense of smell, did it overwhelm you? Like, the world seems like an abundance of smells all around you all the time, most of us don’t notice so much but I’d imagine the world seemed like a super smelly place all of a sudden!
What was the first taste of food you can Remeber experiencing?
And how has your journey been from bad taste to good taste?
I have congenital anosmia and I absolutely would not want one at this point bc I feel like at my age (41) it would be so overwhelming. I do have a sense of taste but it’s very muted (I don’t get herbs or “notes” of anything, things like garlic and ginger taste the same to me, which is just a burning sensation, etc., but enjoy tomato based dishes), and again I feel like to have that switched on so to speak would be incredible but really, really overwhelming.
I’m just very curious what your experience has been and how you’re feeling. and maybe what has boggled your mind the most now that you have those senses, that those who don’t would be amused to know?
My only question:
Bacon?
Wow! Congratulations.
My best friend doesn’t have smell, he lost it after getting hit in the face. He’s had several surgeries and none have fixed it.
Did you have a super clean diet? I mean you could just eat a perfect food balance and not give a crap, or did the sugary unhealthy crap still give you that brain rush and you drank like coca cola and stuff for it haha
So this AMA does not include any answers ?
What were some of your favorite foods before the surgery? I’m assuming you enjoyed foods mainly based on their texture. Is there a texture you crave?
Have you tried sushi yet?
If so, do you like it? Did you like it before?
How was this picked up? How did the family realize you had no sense of smell or taste?
What surgery did you have that fixed this? This seems very, very odd.
Which surgery bro? Atleast give us the name of surgery and where in the world was it done?
what was the first food you tried after the surgery?
What did you expect to have a smell but didn’t? And what were you surprised about that had a smell when you thought it didn’t?
How do you perceive when a smell is barely there vs when it’s really strong? Like, is that easy for you to tell?
What’s your favorite flavor so far?
I smell a rat
Have you smelled a skunk yet? Is it anything like you imagined?
What was the most surprising taste/smell since you got surgery?
80% of taste is from smell.
Did you record your first experience of taste/smell. What did you have?
Was it difficult to eat?
remindme! 20 hours
What does fresh cilantro taste like to you?
I like it in moderation, but too much or cooked in some soups, it tastes soapy.
Apparently, many people say it tastes soapy.
Omg just here to say I saw your post about being able to taste your seasoning and improve your skills. I’m so glad you’re doing the AMA!!!
I’ve had no sense of smell for about 18 months due to chronic sinusitis. My taste is diminished but not gone. Hopefully getting surgery in the next 10 weeks or so. If my senses return fully it will at least feel life changing for me. I can’t imagine how it feels to go from no taste to suddenly experiencing it all for the first time.
Before your surgery, could you sense something was something was sour or extremely spicy?
Are you able to enjoy foods you don’t like the taste of?
Were you able to eat all foods before since there was no taste?
Will you ever try a durian?
Did you have any other sinus issues such as sinusitis, post nasal drip, etc?
Do you prefer kiddie flavors like orange crush to adult ones like blue cheese?
Do you like black coffee or does it need to be sweetened?
Is it overwhelming to all of a sudden be smelling everything?
Did you have a mental image of taste and smell before you had the actual senses, and if so how was it different?