The damndest thing has happened- my tastebuds are gone.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

I had a nice throat infection, and I had to gargle like 20 times a day. So my tongue gave up yesterday and there they went. When I sat down to a yummy grilled salmon at my fave restaurant this evening the entire meal tasted like burnt charcoal. It even SMELLED bad- but my sister said it tasted fine to her!

Oddly, the iced tea was okay. :shrug:

How long will this last?

[murielm99]

1. I knew someone who lost her ability to taste.

It was after a routine cold. No doctor could help her. Eventually, she had acupuncture. It worked. Who knows why, but it did.

[JCMach1]

2. Hope it isn't the start of Bell's Palsy... :(

[Roon]

6. I have had bell's palsy three times in my life

each time was worse than the last,this last time I was actually SCARING people because of how my face looked.

[JCMach1]

10. My wife has had it and it looks and acts like a stroke

[Roon]

13. The first time I had it I thought it was a stroke

but I know all about bell's palsy now! artificial tears, eye patch, tape to close your eye at night, and patience. They think it's linked to the chicken pox virus some way, so a doctore will prescribe acyclovir along with steriods. I think it's a waste of time, but it couldn't hurt!

[AngryAmish]

3. Not taste buds -sense of smell

Most of what we taste is really the sense of smell. Get thee to the doctor.

[Bossy Monkey]

4. Hemingway said about a week

not that he's a primo medical authority, but still: http://books.google.com/books?id=xUS0yBgcv7wC&pg=PA125&lpg=PA125&dq=hemingway+lye+taste+buds&source=bl&ots=Ay7hH4rbjO&sig=3tLroYqMOOdTq2dN-uwQT8ZNiw0&hl=en&ei=V41iTN2UDIP58AaZloC7Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
If after a week you're still having the problem, as mentioned above, see a doctor. Or see one anyway.

[Brickbat]

5. I get a killer sinus infection once every few years, and when I do my sense of smell is gone for

about a week or 10 days. It's horrible because can't smell or taste anything. It comes back very slowly. I always tell myself I'll give it two weeks and if it doesn't come back by then, I'll go back to the doctor. But it always has, so far. Good luck to you.

[ccinamon]

7. I had an ear infection 18 months ago....

I'm still waiting for a full recovery! I can smell and taste a few things and it is getting better,,,,,but VERY, VERY,VERY slowly....I'm guessing I have about 40-50% of my smell/taste back. The first 6 months I couldn't smell or taste much of anything!

No money for a doctor, no money for insurance....just suffering thru it.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Not to worry. Mine were zapped by 33 radiation treatments and have gradually returned

over the last 15 months. At first, all food tasted like somebody's dirty socks. Lived on Ensure for several months. First to come back was salty stuff. Could eat potato chips, but not mashed potatoes. Now, I'm only lacking sweet tastes. Ice cream and chocolate taste really bad.

[SwampG8r]

9. go now to a doctor please

my only brother lost his taste and did nothing
if was the first symptom of cancer he had
sadly we lost him
i hope i am wrong about this but please take no chances

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Definitely see a doctor. It may be something as simple as a zinc shortage.

If so, it's easily treated -- zinc supplements. But it *might* be merely a symptom of something more serious, so get it checked out.

[pitohui]

12. only a few days (if that long) -- ya'll realize this is a worldwide throat infection don't you?

it is not cancer, half the planet has this bug at the moment

you can make it pass more quickly but you won't like my idea

chew a garlic clove, yes, a fresh garlic clove

i rarely have to do this twice, mostly i do it once and in a few hours even if i'm not 100 percent my sense of taste is back

this current throat bug is worldwide, the frog in your throat may last for some days but it won't slow you down much otherwise

everyone i've met from asia w.in the last week or so has been coughing and/or blowing nose, but it isn't the flu and won't cause body aches, etc., it's just a pain

almost gone for me now...