– I have had a hope that it would come back completely, but I do not think that has happened, Thorvald Hillestad says to Dagbladet.
In March 2020, he and his wife Astrid were among the first to have covid-19 detected in Norway. He lost his sense of taste, and she lost her sense of smell. Beyond that, they had no symptoms.
While the wife regained her sense of smell two to three weeks later, the former Center Party mayor in the old Re municipality, who has previously spoken to Tønsbergs Blad, still significantly reduced sense of taste.
He can not remember when the flavors gradually began to return, but has recently noticed a pattern.
– Early in the day, for example for breakfast, the food does not taste like I know it actually does. Thus, breakfast, and the coffee that I usually think is great, is a downturn. During the day it picks up. For dinner, the taste is in place, but not as good as before.
HAVE NOTIFIED A CHANGE: While breakfast and morning coffee are still no higher, dinner is a little more tasty. Hillestad experiences that the sense of taste picks up throughout the day. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet
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May have solved the mystery
Among infected people who get symptoms, but who are not admitted to hospital, have a reduced or altered sense of taste or smell according to FHI among the most commonly reported symptoms six months after the disease.
According to Johan Lundström, lecturer in clinical neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, the only way out is to train again.
– You can do it at home, but in certain cases you may need help from the health service. It is extremely important to get started with odor training quickly. The faster you get started, the better effect you get, Lundstöm said Aftonbladet.
Shortly after the Hillestad couple underwent covid-19, their experience with loss of sense of taste and smell as the only symptom, respectively, was described in an article published in Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association.
He has not subsequently sought help for the persistent problem.
– I do not know if there is any help to get for this? It has not bothered me that I have gone to the doctor with it. I have found that this is the case, and I think it will probably get better over time. I have to threaten it, says Hillestad.
Assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad visits Dagbladet TV’s studio to answer corona questions. Video: Dagbladet TV
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– Do not get help
Associate Professor Preet Bano Singh at the Department of Clinical Dentistry has a doctorate in taste, and is in a number of media referred to as «Norway only expert on smell and taste ».
Two days a week, she receives patients who struggle with oral side effects of covid-19 at the Faculty of Dentistry in Oslo.
While Hillestad lives well with reduced taste, according to Singh, this is not the situation for everyone.
– I have said it so many times that I start to get bored; this patient group does not receive help. They can come to me, but we do not have enough resources to take care of everyone, and I have to say no to many. The patients are desperate, she tells Dagbladet.
The most common symptom among her patients is odor problems, followed by taste problems, dry mouth and burning in the oral cavity.
– It’s very serious. We know that many people have problems with food intake and social life. It affects work, school and mental health.
Corona disease Peter has barely seen his daughter
Believes patients need to be evaluated
The associate professor agrees that the training can take place at home, but she believes it is crucial that patients are examined to ensure that they follow a plan that works.
– 80 percent of what we think is taste, it is smell. Many patients misunderstand the symptoms. Therefore, they need to get a survey so that they can get a tailored treatment plan and instructions from a professional, Singh says.
She has several times called for a specialist center for smell and taste in Norway, who can offer treatment for this patient group, but experiences that she speaks for deaf ears.
– I miss being taken seriously by the health authorities. I am actually a dentist and have a job to teach students, but feel that the responsibility for this patient group lies with me alone, she says.
– There are good training offers
The Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Norwegian Directorate of Health have been presented with the criticism from Singh. In a written response, division director Johan Torgersen in the Norwegian Directorate of Health says that he thinks it is “good that Singh raises the issue”.
– On the other hand, it should not be the case that she experiences having sole responsibility for this patient group, says Torgersen.
The division director emphasizes that the government has set up follow-up clinics in all health trusts. In addition, there are ordinary rehabilitation services, both in the specialist and municipal health services.
However, the Norwegian Directorate of Health does not have an overview of which services are available specifically for this patient group. It is up to the health trusts themselves to decide whether such offers should be created.
– Our knowledge is that there are few people who need specialist services over a long period of time, but that there are good training services for those who still struggle with late sequelae after six months, says Torgersen.
In its professional advice, the Norwegian Directorate of Health does not describe treatment methods for various functional challenges. He assures that this will come for those who struggle with smell and taste.
– We see that many people are wondering about this, and will give advice on training in Health Norway – when the method is quality assured by the professional communities.
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