Thursday 1 October 2020

Common Scents

I hear singing and there's no one there [that's my tinnitus]

I smell blossom and the trees are bare [covid19 got up my nose]

Dear friends, I am delighted to report progress on the nasal front. I was washing my hands in Norfolk last month and realised I could definitely smell grapefruit. It was the Method Handwash - I was ridiculously excited by this discovery. I love grapefruit, but have to moderate my intake, as I'm on statins- but I don't think inhaling the scent will affect my heart meds. I was so pleased, that I've bought a bottle of the stuff for my bathroom. I sometimes go in and sniff it, just for the joy of it!
Since then I have been aware of the perfume of my coconut hair shampoo - and the lovely horse chestnut Badedas essence that the girls gave me for Christmas [I'd actually stopped using that, it seemed a waste not to be able to smell it - for most of the summer I was using cheap Lidl shower gel] This is all progress - I wonder if the hot water/steamy bathroom atmosphere is helping the fragrance to reach my nasal passages? 
Sadly I'm still unable to wake up and smell the coffee [with or without steam] unless I really hold the mug very close to my nose. I was walking with a friend who asked if I could smell 'that'. What? No ...

We were trudging through a carpet of pine needles - and Jenny said the air was full of their scent.

But I live in hope - each newly rediscovered smell is a delight. As yet the strange chemical odour remains in my nose most of the time. Fortunately I haven't smelled any really unpleasant smells. 

This is just something I must get used to. As Ethel sings to Donald in the film [Call Me Madam] "There is nothing you can take, to relieve that pleasant ache, you're not sick, you're just in love"


11 comments:

  1. Your smell has been gone such a long time! Very pleased to hear you can smell some things now.
    Whether or not I actually had Covid, I do remember how horrid it was, back in March, where I couldn't taste or smell ANYTHING! I felt so miserable and I didn't eat very much since it seemed such a waste since I couldn't actually derive any pleasure from it. Luckily I did start to get smell and taste back after a week or so. However, like you, I had to hold things really close to my nose to actually smell them and i would catch a whiff and then not be able to resniff and smell more- I just got that initial smell- like a ghost of a smell. That went on for quite a while.
    I like the smell of Grapefruit but not the taste.

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  2. Good news that your sense of smell is returning. I lost mine around the time of my menopause and it never came back so I can sympathise . Let us hope you will soon be able to enjoy the coffee aroma.

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  3. That is good news!
    I used to get a very expensive grapefruit scented liquid soap to put out when guests came over and people always loved it - yes, they even commented on it. Must treat myself to some!
    I also love red/pink grapefruit - but I'm now also restricted because of a BP med that I take.

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    1. I think a lot of us are on meds which restrict our grapefruit intake. I like red/pink grapefruits too

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  4. Can't eat grapefruit because of my blood pressure meds. Aldi and Lidl sell cheaper versions of the Method stuff and you also get them as refills. I love the Method floor cleaner which smells of almonds!I use the Badedas three-in-one shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. I love the clean smell of it. Ethel Merman was such a powerhouse, her presence filled the screen.

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    1. I shall check out Aldi/Lidl refills, thanks for that

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  5. Love your blog thank you Angela. Always, grounding, thought provoking and a great moral compass. Also, I've learnt loads from you. Heard your comments read on You and Yours today!

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    1. A brief moment of fame![even though Radio 4 put Ferndown in Devon not Dorset] I'm glad you enjoy the blog

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  6. Glad to hear that your sense of smell is returning. I can't smell certain things, which can, sometimes, be dangerous! Once, my daughter kept saying she could smell gas in the kitchen (kitchen stove runs on gas) and I couldn't smell anything! Finally, I called the gas company and very apologetically said my daughter claims she can smell gas, but, I can't. They sent someone out to check it, and, sure enough, there was a gas leak! Yikes!

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  7. So glad that they discovered the gas leak before you had a Big Bang!

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  8. That's been a long time for you. I haven't had much of a sense of smell since chemo over 20 years ago but nothing like that. Hopefully this will progress now

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