The smell of success (almost)

Wow. I don't even know where to begin with this one. Today I finally had my consultation with Carl Philpott at Spire Hospital. I purposefully made an effort not to get my hopes up for anything to happen, or have any expectations really. In my mind, I had decided that I would turn up, agree that I was anosmic and then plans would be made for me to come back in a few weeks time for some more in depth tests to establish a course of action.

Instead, within an hour of me being there, I was told the cause of my anosmia and also what could be done to treat it.

I'm still struggling to absorb this information. 

Carl Philpott is a beacon of hope for all of those without a sense of smell. So many doctors have no idea about anosmia or the effects that it has on those suffering from it. Within minutes of me turning up for my appointment I was given a questionnaire that didn't just ask the basic questions like how long I had been unable to smell, but also how I felt I was coping with it and did I ever feel ostracized for it. I immediately felt such a sense of relief that here was a medical professional who completely understood what my life was and how serious this disability is.

I had the most intense blind smell test I think is possible to create; over 60 different smells were placed under my nose. By the about the 40th time I had said 'nothing' I have to admit that I began to give up hope. My anosmia was so blindingly apparent surely there was nothing that could be done about it. Next followed another nasal endoscopy (basically a camera stuck up my nose) which revealed that my left nasal cavity was considerably smaller and narrower than it should be, although this alone was not enough to explain why I don't have a sense of smell. After these tests, Mr Philpott recommended that I should be put forward for an MRI, bloodwork and possibly a CT scan. At this point I explain that I've already had a CT scan from Salisbury District Hospital. 

Within 30 seconds of looking at this image, he finds the cause of my anosmia.

It's literally just the way my nose has grown. The inner cartilage has expanded to cut off the air from my nasal cavities reaching my brain; meaning that my olfactory nerve is getting no signals of smell to process. This also explains why I never really realised becoming anosmic, as it just sort of happened as I grew. And it can easily be solved by surgery to widen the gap, meaning that the air from my nose reaches my brain so it can recognise smells.

So now I'm just waiting to get a date for this surgery and that's hopefully it. Blimey.

Ben Cohen

I know I haven't posted anything here in a while, but I didn't want this to be a blog where I just moan about how rubbish being anosmic is, but a blog which actually has some useful information on not having a sense of smell, which was actually interesting to read. So here is a fun fact: Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben and Jerry's ice cream is also an anosmic. This is why their ice cream is known for being chunky, as in order to compensate for his lack of taste, he would add big pieces of fruit or chocolate to satisfy his need for texture in food.

I've already mentioned on here before how my sense of taste is heavily compromised from being ansomic and that texture is one thing I largely rely on in order to gather a sense of how food should taste. So this ice cream suddenly makes a lot of sense and I'm not just saying that to try and justify how much of it I eat. I've just gotten over a cold, which made me aware of the best description I could possibly try to give about how having anosmia effects your sense of taste; it's like eating with a blocked nose. Except you can actually breathe.

Still haven't heard anything regarding my referral, but I am going to chase them up about this week, if even to try and get some idea of where I am on the waiting list. I think the thing that still frustrates me the most is that I have no idea of the cause of my anosmia. I think knowing that would give me a lot of closure on the subject, rather than this endless frustration. Phantom smells are still playing a large part in my life, this time with the ghost of burning, which is the most common form phantosmia takes.