My question is this I have had an open cranial surgery for an unruptured aneurysm my surgery was on June 12 of this year and now my speech seems to be impaired because it feels like my tongue is swollen, my sense of smell, diminished, and this sickeningly sweet smell is stuck in my nose or my sinuses or whatever. How long before all of this goes away?
Hi. I am 2 years post open cranial clipping and my sense of smell is not back. I get mystery scents stuck in my nose that last hours or days but they don’t smell like anything I recognize. I get about four or five different smells, one or two aren’t that pleasant. When someone is sautéing garlic, I smell “something,” but it’s not what I remember garlic smelling like. And coffee. I never liked the smell of coffee before so I’m not sure if this is why I recognize some odor, but it’s not coffee. I didn’t realize I lost my sense of smell till a few weeks after surgery when I went into a Yankee candle store and I couldn’t smell the candles! Not good for a candle lover 
How is your sense of taste? I can only taste the basics; sweet, sour, spices, bitter which I was told are on your tongue. “Flavors” come from your sense of smell apparently. Sometimes I think I remember what my favorite foods taste like.
When I went back for my 4 or 6 week check up with the surgeon and I told him, he looked at me like I had ten heads and said he had never had anyone with that problem after surgery. I went to a ENT and he said I probably got a virus during surgery that attacked the nerves in my nose. (Like the Bell’s palsy virus that attacks the nerves in your face) he said it could take months to come back. Then 6 months after surgery, still no smell, I went to another one and he thinks the nerves were damaged during surgery and he wanted me to have an MRI but I didn’t want to because I was planning on having my 1 year check up CAT scan in six months. I might go back, but at this point I’m used to it and quite frankly I don’t want to have an MRI and have them find something else. My Annie was found by accident when I went to an ENT doctor for ringing in my ear and she ordered the MRI which found the aneurysm. Found nothing wrong with the ear.
I suggest you go to an ENT and see what the say and let me know!!!
I am a 52 year old female from Massachusetts.
Good luck. I hope yours comes back. You can send me a private message if you like.
Let me know how you make out 
Mine was also found by accident I was passing out for no reason whenever I turn my head just right and come to find out that I have what’s called “Bow Hunters Syndrome” so my doctor ordered the CT and MRI. He ordered them to confirm his diagnosis and they found my aneurysm but they also found that my right vertebral artery does not connect to my brain (which my surgeon told me is fairly rare I think he said something like 5% of the population)and that is partially one of the reasons for me passing out I also have degenerative disc disease which doesn’t help that matter any because my disks are swollen and bulging and when I turn my head it puts pressure left vertebral artery cuts off blood flow to my brain and I stroke out because my right one is not there to take over for the left it’s there it’s just not connected I was born that way. I used to just drop now I can kind of feel the warning signs and correct myself and catch myself before I pass out. Before I forget to mention it I also have ringing in my ears that is unbelievably loud still even after surgery so loud sometimes that I cannot fall asleep did your ringing ever go away mine has not and as far as the smell goes it is exactly the same scenario except I only have one smell that is stuck in my sinuses not two or three but the one gets so bad sometimes that makes me not want to breathe. When I asked my surgeon about it he didn’t look at me like I had 10 heads but he did say it will go away in time. I’m 46 years old relatively young I think to have to look forward to the rest of my life and think I have to spend it with this smell in my nose lol. Well if that’s the worst it comes from this then I guess I can consider myself very fortunate but I am a food lover and my sense of taste is also diminished. I asked my aunt as someone who has had a number of surgeries in her life if that has ever happened to her and she said yes that she thought that it was probably the smell of the anesthetic that was stuck in my sinuses because it had happened to her even though she hadn’t had brain surgery but she has had quite a few surgeries she also said it could take a long time for it to go away. Well I guess all that’s left to do now is pray and I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts best of luck to you and thank you
PlaneJane, how are you doing now?
I still have not got my sense of smell back still have headaches but that’s to be expected I guess I’m only four months postop. Yesterday my daughter made coffee and the smell of it brewing almost made me vomit it is to the point where I have to go in my room and close my door because I can’t stand the smell of it brewing same with onions and I love onions and garlic it’s just odd and I hope that it corrects itself because smelling coffee brew onions garlic are some of my favorite food smells in the whole world not to mention that a lot of times when I’m cooking that’s my way of making sure it’s done is by how it smells I really really hope this goes away soon
I hope so too, PlaneJain. I gather that these things can take a while to straighten out. Meanwhile, stay strong!
Seenie