Long COVID
Mild → relapsed
Long COVID phantom smells, cleared for three months after reinfection then returned
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- a few years
- Last post
- Jul 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I developed phantosmia shortly after contracting Covid for the first time.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I also work from home so I spend most of my day here.
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
Then out of nowhere it came back. It's been hard dealing with it.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I developed phantosmia shortly after contracting Covid for the first time.
In context ↗
Summary
Developed phantom smells, of smoke or rotting garbage, shortly after a first COVID-19 infection a few years earlier; they grew worse over time and doctors dismissed them. A COVID reinfection in the past year cleared the smells for about three months before they returned. By July 2025 they came a couple of times a day for about 15 minutes and were tolerable.
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What they tried
Also tried
boomboom sticks· Helpedburning candles· No change
Their words about each treatment
- burning candles · No change
Burning candles doesn't help.
In context ↗ - boomboom sticks · Helped
They don't really fix it but it helps when the smell is unbearable.
In context ↗
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| onset | phantom smells began after first COVID-19 infectionI developed phantosmia shortly after contracting Covid for the first time.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| the past few years | phantom smells grew worse over years, smoke or rotting garbageIt's continued for the past few years getting worse. ... I've developed two scents, strong smoke or a terrible rotting garbage.In context ↗ | Mild |
| this past year (before April 2025) | COVID reinfection; smells cleared for about 3 monthsI had covid again this past year, the phantosmia went away for about 3 months.In context ↗ | Near normal |
| after those 3 months | phantom smells returnedThen out of nowhere it came back. It's been hard dealing with it.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2025-07-17 | milder spell, smells a couple of times a day, uses scented sticks to maskI'm in a lesser time right now so it's tolerable. A couple times a day for like 15 minutes I'll get the smell.In context ↗ | Mild |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Loss of smell or taste
I've developed two scents, strong smoke or a terrible rotting garbage.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
it can be extremely taxing on my mental health
In context ↗