I have not received a phone call yet from the ENT doctor to make an appointment. However, I received the results from the sinus X-ray I had recently. The results are: "Three views of the sinuses shows no evidence of acute or chronic sinusitis. The frontal sinuses are hypoplastic. Bony bridging is noted in the root of the sella turcica." Does any of this sound like it could contribute to a loss of taste and fullness feeling in the left side of my nose and a fullness in my neck? I can breath fine through both nostrils, but I can't taste anything. Sometimes when I eat and breathe at the same time, I can taste foods for brief periods. But everytime I catch a scent, it goes away immediately. This has been going on for 5 months now, and has progressively gotten worse. I have been evaluated in my brain to determine whether I had any neuro issues since I have other things happening as well, but everything came back normal. No MS so that was good. For now, I have been focusing on my loss of taste and partial loss of smell because it's starting to get annoying. Any information anyone might offer regarding this issue will be greatly appreciated. On an unrelated yet related matter, yesterday my thyroid doctor said there's a chance my loss of taste could be from the 5 mg now 2.5 mg methimazole (suppression of thyroid for hyperthyroidism), so that is something I will address with the ENT as well. What things should I keep in mind if they tell me everything's normal off the bat? I don't like taking time off for appointments, so when I do, I like to accomplish as much as possible. On a final note, I'm 25, reasonably healthy while dealing with unresolved medical issues, I was a premature baby by 3 months, I use to smoke but have been smoke-free for 2 months and 6 days now. Thank you anyone in advance.
Here is one of my posts to answer someone else's question, but it kinda applies to you.
It sounds like your doc screwed up like mine and you only have a statute of limitations of 2 years from the date of surgery to file a medical malpractice case, you will need an expert in taste and there are a few, don't use the ones out of chicago. All taste specialists are costly and dont accept insurance, you will need 2 experts. in case of one getting bribed by the defense! trust me! it is a 3 year process from the 2 year statute mark unless you doc settles sooner than a jury trial is ordered. I was 23 and went thru this alone. you are not alone! Not being able to taste from this IS permanent, with me it has been 8 years now and still cannot decipher flavors or enjoy desserts or even my own birthday cake! I eat based off of my past history of preferences and by smell. Its hard to explain to others. I lost 50 lbs right off the bat just by not eating sugar since i cant taste it anyways. thats the ONLY plus. i am so sorry for you as i do not wish this upon anyone to have to go through.
I had my tonsils out in 2002. I was 23 years old at the time. I thought I would be back to work the moment I could "talk" again, but I was very wrong! First off, you can talk right away but not very loudly and kind of in a baby voice way. The Dr. told me I would be very MISERABLE and he was right! The moment waking up from surgery, it felt like someone put a blow torch down my throat!! Once home, the only relief from pain was the liquid vicodin versus hard to swallow pills. Also the nice soothing liquid pink amoxicillin was the only thing I wanted to put in my mouth! Soup broth is probably the most recommended post-op in my opinion. You literally feel like sleeping it off for about a good week since your ears are usually in ALOT of pain too. Overall, after a week of not eating and drinking enough, I had to be hospitalized for 3 days. Which is where ALL tonsillectomy patients need to be anyway. This should NOT be an outpatient procedure, but it is and someone should change that. You also may want to set it up so that someone can take care of you for a good 2 weeks. Driving was not an option at all for a couple of weeks due to ear pain which can cause improper balance and perception of things. On top of that, my Dr. clamped my tongue too tight with the mouth gag they use and permanently damaged my taste altogether. I wound up with hypogeusia, dysgeusia and ageusia, which is the damage to, distorted, and complete lacking of taste. I will never again be able to taste chocolate and things like that. It only takes a split second to forever damage nerves, and if your surgeon is not aware or careful, it very well can happen to anyone. My situation wound up in med mal court! Be very careful about your decision. If I could go back and choose to live with my awful tonsils. I WOULD! You can and will still get sore throats from time to time, even though its not as common.. strep throat still can get you, with the tonsils gone, losing your voice altogether seems to happen more than before. Good luck to anyone who opts for the tonsillectomy! This is pretty much what to expect. Not many, but there are also slightly more pleasant stories are out there too.
I researched your question online and came up with a lot of things that could be the problem. The thing for you to keep in mind is if they tell you everything looks normal on your xrays doesn't mean there is nothing wrong and you are there to tell them that yes there is something wrong.
Thank you for replying. It's funny you should mention I'm there to tell them something's wrong when they're telling me everything's normal because I have let them push me out the door numerous times and I'm left with nothing getting resolved. It was only through my repeated requests for additional testing that they found out about the Vitamin D thing. With taking the Vitamin D, things have gotten slightly better, but not my taste. It's really weird but I can smell things sometimes but when I do, I still can't taste. Then, once in a while, I'll taste something briefly, but I cannot smell it. I really hope the ENT will find the problem. So far, they haven't even called to set up an appointment, and that always compounds the anxiety I get from worrying there's something really wrong for this to have been happening for so long now. I've been to the dentist for 2 root canals, and actually this Friday I'm going to get the second temporary crown put in, so my hygiene has been stellar for a year now. Dental problems were one consideration I had with this loss of taste, but my dentist found no problems, and I've had a few dental exams to confirm this. It's just disconcerting, and when things keep coming up normal, I fear that I must be going crazy. Thank you for listening.
First of all, I can tell you that "tasteless1" has given you some very questionable advice above. In spite of what you're thinking, the issue you're dealing with has nothing to do with taste, it has to do with your sense of smell.
Your taste buds are really only responsible for allowing you to experience the following: salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and savory. The rest of what we call taste is actually comes from the olfactory nerve which discerns flavor.
There are a number of different causes of anosmia (loss of the sense of smell), one of which is hyperthyroidism, so it's possible that your inability to smell is a direct side effect of your thyroid problems.
As for your CT scan results, a hypoplastic (underdeveloped) frontal sinus could play a small part in your symptoms because it may impact the airflow in your nose (and there's nothing that can be done surgically to correct a hypoplastic frontal sinus). The sella turcica is a bony structure in the sphenoid sinus area and it sounds like you've got some additional bony growths in that area, which could also disrupt airflow through your sinuses.
Anosmia is a serious concern, so you should definitely find an ENT who has experience treating anosmia and share your symptoms with the doctor. There may not be much they can do (sometimes anosmia is temporary), but the doctor should listen and take you seriously or you should find someone else. You might try looking for a major teaching hospital or university hospital - they are much more likely to have expertise in dealing with anosmia than an office-based ENT is.
I was told I lost my sense of smell and taste (along with my hearing and all my teeth at the age of 48) due to having acid reflux so bad that it went way above my esophgus and into my throat, vocal cords, sinus and even my ears. I also lose my voice for months at a time and have developed vocal nodes on my vocal cords. It is most dangerous to lose your sense of smell as I've caught the kitchen on fire several times and being unable to hear has caused me numerious problems.
Loss of Taste - Just received X-Ray results 
