MY ANOSMATIC LIFE

Last November I visited my Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor who I’ve been seeing for 17 years now. You read that right…17 whole years. It’s also crazy that it’s almost been a year since my last visit. So last year, I had been having headaches that felt like sinus headaches for a while. I also had an urgent care and ER visit where I had a CT scan that showed my sinuses were horrible. Coincidentally, my ENT doctor said my nasal polyps weren’t as bad as they used to be. I went into the appointment wanting to have surgery as soon as possible to get my polyps removed but was told it was not the best option at this time. Before going down a spiral of hopelessness, I was given another option. My ENT doctor mentioned that he had a couple of patients using DUPIXENT, a self-administered shot that could shrink my nasal polyps and bring my sense of smell back. I needed to get approval from my health insurance. I was asked if I was interested and immediately said “yes.” What do I have to lose? Of course, there are possible side effects that my doctor shared (e.g. joint pain) and so appreciated my doctor discussing that beforehand. Before my doctor walked out at the end of the appointment, I asked him, “Will we ever know the cause of my nasal polyps?” His answer was “no.” My doctor said that he “hated to be flippant” about it but I appreciated the truth. Guess it will just go down as a mystery.

It took about two to three months for the insurance approval and prior authorization process. By the end of January, I was approved for the copay program. By mid-February, my insurance approved the Dupixent. I scheduled an appointment for mid-March after I returned from travels and got my first shot at the office. The shots have since been self-administered every two weeks. I give them to myself in my stomach. It’s great to have the convenience to give them myself and not have to drive to an office. My doctor had told me to give it a month with the DUPIXENT shot to see any results. I was already smelling and tasting a little after two weeks.

The moment I started smelling was a little overwhelming but I knew when I could fully smell the lemons I cut up for a cup of water. I could smell and taste a Tabbouleh salad from Trader Joe’s. I could smell my new Peppermint Dr. Bonner’s lotion. My new deodorant spray smells amazing. I’m fully tasting water which is my favorite drink and see how nice Alkaline water tastes. I can smell the grass, especially when it’s getting mowed. I have not smelled grass in 17 years. I had brought some garlic and onion potato chips and they were overpowering and I did not like them.

Being able to smell and taste again has been like a new experience all over again because the majority of the foods I eat were not consumed before I acquired anosmia. Plus, having a ball with fragrances as I have an obsession with them I basically collect and always purchase perfume oil named like “Rihanna,” “Michelle Obama,” and “Halle Berry, ” along with a lot of free Marc Jacobs perfume my friend gifts me from work. Not only do they sound good but my family and friends have told me how good it smells when I wear it. But this time the return of my sense of smell and taste is different. It’s not like when I took steroids in the past and could smell. I’m currently experiencing hyper smell, like my smell is super heightened. I smell things that no one else can smell sometimes or barely smell. There’s nothing like being able to ask “You smell that?” It’s taking some getting used to but I’m grateful and happy to be able to now say “Yes, I can smell that!” No one can leave me out now.