Losing sense of smell and taste after surgery

Can anyone share anything about this problem..... I had my annie surgery in Sept of 2011 and have had very limited sense of smell or taste . Neurosurgeon was a bit baffled when I told him...... help........!!!! :)

Hi Nancy,

I recall that when I had my aneurysm clipped, I couldn't smell out of my right nostril for a while. That it affected only one side of my nose still seems odd. I don't remember how long it lasted - probaby only a few months. What I do remember is that one day, I realized that it was no longer a problem.

Hopefully your loss will also be temporary.

Carole

I started to lose mine before my clipping, it still hasnt come back :(

I, too, lost my sense of smell after clipping surgery- for a good year, I’d say…along with smell comes taste, so that was diminished as well…Everything now back to the way it was (pretty much, smell is not as sharp as it was)

Hi Nancy...this didn't happen to me...but I have seen many here that found this happen to them, but in time did get better...

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

it comes back in a few weeks.

Nancy,

Check out cranial nerves...CN I is the olfactory nerve which relates to smell and taste...I know a number of us who have lost taste / smell; or much reduced.

Ask you neurosurgeon where that nerve is located near to your aneurysm and/or the access to it.

Cranial Nerves and their locations can be found on various websites.

Wishing you the best...

Hi, the Dr. did show me the pics of my surgery on his I-pad that he took and it showed surgerical tools holding back my brain where the smell and taste nerves are but he never said anything about how long or if I would ever regain these senses. Thanks for the info :)

WOW, the photos must have been amazing!

Nancy, we vary with that; some I know said they have literally no taste / smell; others have regained some and/or all.

Remember to ask your doctor, and/or call him...for his input; also suggest that he explain that to others when displaying the images...

Prayers to you that you regain as much as imaginable...

Pat

Wow that's good it came back! My mom had surgery in June and now, almost December still has not regained it, no change...hopefully hers will come in time.

My mom has the same thing!! She can't smell anything, even horrible smells! I hope you are ok too!! I've heard it takes a good year to come back at least..

Hi Nancy, I had an SAH back in 2011 and another surgery in April 2012, tastes that I found really pleasurable back before my SAH and surgery now are just plain nasty, I haven't noticed anything with my sense of smell but certainly my taste buds have changed dramatically, keep well and have a good day, Jill xx

My surgeon looked at me like I had 10 heads when I went back for my 6 week post op (clipping) Left Carotid/Optic nerve. He looked really surprised and said he had never had a patient complain of that...??? and thought it might be because of the anthesia? I didn't notice it right after surgery, but of course I was busy concentrating on other things, like healing! I noticed it when I was in the Yankee Candle store about 2 weeks after surgery and I couldn't differentiate between any of the smells!

I was wondering if you got your back yet? ANd how are you feeling?

:)

Hey Nancy, I had my surgery back in May 2010 and remember that once I got home from the ICU for ten days my taste was all but gone. I remember eating a some toast and thought it was pizza. Pretty strange things can happen and all of a sudden everything is fine. It didn't take too long for me to get the taste back. The fact your problem goes back to 2011 seems long but if that's the biggest problem count your blessings. Hopefully things will improve. Good luck.

Tom

Hi Nancy,

My aneurysm ruptured in August last year. Just before I left rehab 10 weeks later, my sense of smell and taste disappeared. My sense of smell was heightened at first but then they both just stopped working. My doctor has no idea why or when and if it will return. I have chatted with other people on other sites that had something similar and some of them said it did return after awhile. So here is hoping. I never realised how much I depended on them.