No pleasure in eating. .. with anosmia ?

I bet you do have Covid! The LFT tests are not 100% accurate.
Hope you feel much better soon and able to enjoy food.???????

I agree with Aveline. I would book a PCR test because that really does sound like Covid - possibly some other symptoms have been masked by your cold. If you do have Covid and the symptoms you’re showing are connected, then a LFT isn’t appropriate anyway - they should only be used where there are no symptoms. I don’t trust the LFT’s one hundred percent because we’ve had some pretty significant false positives, so I think a PCR is the way to go. Hopefully, your sense of smell will come back once your symptoms subside. Whatever the cause, I hope you feel better soon.

I had those very same symptoms and I definitely had Covid. I went for the PCR test. I still have no sense of taste or smell two weeks later.

Sorry you’re feeling rough Urmstongran. Once you’re experiencing a possible covid symptom such as a new cough or loss of taste/smell it’s a PCR test that’s recommended. Once the virus is beyond the incubation period and producing symptoms an LFT is unlikely to pick it up. They are just for routine testing in folk with no symptoms.

Hope you feel better soon.

Urmstongran
Welcome to my world. I’ve had this since December 2019 when I was quite poorly and coughing for the Olympics.
Can’t think what it was because we didn’t have Covid then, did we. Mmmm ?

I'm sorry you are poorly, and cannot think of any other reason apart from Covid to lose your sense of smell, unless you've recently had a head injury. My Dad was hit on the head with an iron jemmy by a burgular at our house and had a fractured skull, he lost his sense of taste and smell but it did return.

But ...

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-07-14-lateral-flow-tests-are-95-effective-detecting-covid-19-when-used-onset-symptoms

I lost my sense of taste after a severe reaction to my first AZ vaccination. It has barely returned. I have to keep asking DH to taste things that I'm cooking.

Urms, perhaps betetr to get a test, just to be on the safe side.

Don’t panic Urmstongran, it’s very common for people to lose their sense of smell as a result of a respiratory virus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have Covid, it’s because your nasal passage is inflamed, and should disappear as you get better. I know three families in different parts of the UK who have the evil non Covid respiratory virus at the moment, including my own children, both of whom have been quite poorly with it, my daughter for over a week so far. They have had negative LF and PCR tests, and were told there are lots of respiratory viruses around at the moment.

Good job I’ve not (wanted to) left the house in 7 days. I’ve been double vaccinated and had my booster 3 weeks ago.

I would still do a PCR test ( even they are not 100% accurate), total loss of smell and taste are considered one of the most accurate diagnostic symptoms of covid (according to Tim Spector amongst others) and although you may get reduced sense of smell in other infections total loss is almost unheard of.

Thanks Casdon.
Our 4y old granddaughter had this for 2 weeks. She just said her food tasted ‘spicy’ bless.
Mum took her for a PCR test - mandatory I think so she could return to school in time. It was negative.
I looked after her for a few days so I assume I have the same virus.
Not Covid.

It does take about 3 weeks for the booster to become totally effective too.

No test is 100% accurate.

Actually, not being facetious, but what good would being driven to a test centre for a PCR achieve now anyway other than confirmation? I’m on day 8 of quarantining myself anyway and don’t intend leaving home any time soon.

I do have health anxiety. Perhaps ‘ignorance is bliss’ for me and I don’t leave the house.

Probably no good whatsoever.?Just assume you’ve had Covid and tick it off your bucket list. ?It does mean that, combined with all the vaccinations, your immunity should be top notch. I’m almost quite pleased I got it over with last year in an odd sort of way.

LtEve ? thank you! And you did make me smile too so double ??

Many years ago my father lost his sense of smell and taste after an attack of flu. He never did get it back and lost most of his interest in food (not that he ever had been that interested) He also got food poisoning once because he couldn't tell the sausages he was eating had gone off - long before the date stamping of food.

When you go for a PCR test you have to do it yourself in the car.
IMO it is much easier to do the swabbing whilst looking into the mirror, taking your time and with good lighting. Less risk of spoiling the sample. After reading your link I’m even more convinced that the LFT is pretty accurate.
If you presume you have Covid, keep yourself to yourself and phone for help if you take a turn for the worse. Sounds like you are doing the right thing.

Thank you Pamela. I’m such a scaredy-cat I’d rather just carry on as I am and be in (partial) denial of it. Albeit very sensible.

I honestly haven’t given a thought to a PCR test as (a) I trusted two LFTs and (b) assumed it was what our granddaughter had had. youngest daughter (aged 41y) had Covid last year and was very poorly, followed by breathlessness and long-Covid.

I only really posted to enquire about the anosmia!

THank you Deedaa it’s reassuring to know this happens when it’s not Covid.

Oh sorry, that sounded selfish of me Deedaa! Obviously it must have been horrid for him living with the anosmia.

Just like MerylStreep, I also coughed for England in December 2019 and lost all sense of taste and smell.
I struggled through Christmas with family staying. I clearly remember trying to make my mince pies and Christmas cake and I couldn't smell any of those wonderful cooking smells, grated lemons, oranges, spices etc. I was so miserable. Everything tasted bland, cooking for everyone was an ordeal.

My sense of smell and taste sort-of returned over time but has never been as good as it was. I believe you can 'smell train'. I regularly 'sniff' foodstuffs and pick herbs in the garden, scrunch them up then bury my nose in them! There is real joy when I can enjoy crushed lavender leaves.

I hope things get better for Urmstongran and others suffering anosmia, it is depressing and debilitating.