A correspondent asked for a Zicam update. Most of this is cribbed from the answer I sent him. I did get my sense of taste back about a day or two after stopping the Zicam, and the cold did seem to clear up faster than I expected, as well. I'd really miss being able to taste food. As I think about it, I guess there's not really any sense that I'd volunteer to give up. The new thinking is that balance is also a sense. For some reason (actually there were reasons, I just don't want to go into them) I used to dread losing my sense of balance and I guess I still do a little. So, okay, if senses were a Sophie's choice kind of thing, I'd definitely want balance, oh, and sight. But I'd miss hearing things, and feeling the wind where my hair used to be. I don't think about smelling things much, except I did plant a Mayday tree once.
Man, what a mistake that was. For about two weeks a year they smell great, but when you look up, they've insinuated themselves everywhere. It's like, "Can you at least prune those things so I can see the TV?" On the one hand, we do watch too much television, but still.
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My father lost his sense of smell almost entirely after brain surgery about 8 years ago. He occasionally gets weird phantom smells, and very occasionally can actually smell something, but 99% of it seems to be completely gone. He swears he doesn't mind, and my mother loves that she can wear as much perfume as she wants without him choking and gagging and making a fuss over the smell (which used to happen). And, really, if that's the only side effect of brain surgery, I kind of think that's okay. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious. Did that affect his sense of taste?
ReplyDeleteHe insists it didn't (affect his sense of taste)--it's hard to know whether that's psychological (he's a good-natured guy, and maybe he's just still enjoying eating, etc.) or what. . . .
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