My sense of smell has gone

I used to have a keen sense of smell - I could smell gas, burning, scents - I had confidence knowing that I could detect a clean smell from a dangerous or dirty one.

Since last spring I have a very little sense of smell. I can't smell burning, gas or bleach. I can't smell most herbs, or any flower scents, not even strong ones.I really miss the scents of toiletries: shampoo, body lotion, perfume. I used to love that.

I can't smell baking or bread or doughnuts, none of those things. Luckily I can still taste food from my taste buds.

My doctor referred me to a specialist. ENT. But she wanted to put a camera up my nose and into my sinuses and down the back of my throat. I said no. I was terrified by the look of the tube - it hardly looked flexible.I guess there is nothing to be done now. I just have to get used to life as it will be. I have still many sources of pleasure. Sad face.

My daughter told her friends about my sense of smell, and she was surprised to find that a few of them said - "My mother's sense of smell has gone too." I said to her "Do they do their own cleaning?" "Why?" she asked. I told her that the GP had asked me if I used strong chemicals for my work. Well, cleaning uses strong chemicals in that hardly a week goes by when I don't use bleach for something. But I don't use these chemicals all day every day. Frances reported a mixed result. Some friends mums clean, some employ a cleaner. But it is likely that they all use some bleach-based cleaning spray.

I can still smell onions (a chemical smell) celery (very strongly) and garlic (ugh!) and all these smells have lost their scent and only have their chemical underlay. My own smell is strongly of celery.

Recently I thought my sense of smell was coming back. I could smell bleach and coffee. A couple of days later it had gone again.

What happened next