Covid Side Effects … One Year Later

Christmas 2020 was one for the books for my family, like most. My husband tested positive first and the girls had to miss the last day of school before the Christmas break and all the activities that come along with that. Ten days we were quarantined and climbing the walls. Thankfully we had friends and family dropping off goodies left and right.

Our first day of freedom, Christmas Day. We decided to keep it low-key at home since we had JUST finished with quarantine. My bonus son had to miss the holiday that he was supposed to share with us, but the girls were happy to be able to run around with the neighbors on the beautiful sunny day.

I ended up taking a nap during the day thinking I was just exhausted from staying up to play Santa. I was sweating… thought it was because we had a gumbo rolling and the heat was permeating through the house.

Cut to the next day.

It Begins Again

I was in the middle of brushing my teeth and I noticed it! There was no minty fresh taste! I ran to the kids’ room to smell a new toy that was supposed to have some sort of fragrance…. nothing! My husband had only had flu-like symptoms with his bout of this dreaded sickness. Why would I get the other symptoms he didn’t have??

I jumped in the car to go to the walk-in to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind. Driving out the neighborhood I yelled at my neighbors to send my kids back home since it looked like we’ll be doing the quarantine dance once again. Another ten days. The worst.

Will It Ever Come Back?

After I did my second stint in quarantine I was sure all of my symptoms would subside in no time. I was wrong. It’s been almost a year and I still DO NOT have my sense of taste and smell. I do have some taste, I guess. Everything tastes the same. It’s gone from rotten meat to plastic to dirt. I have no idea what the taste is these days.

Try living in South Louisiana. No taste. No smell. It’s torture. Especially, when your husband and family can throw down in the kitchen. Why get excited about new dishes or new restaurants when I know I won’t be able to thoroughly enjoy the experience?

I’ve tried just about everything out there, except the whole burnt orange thing. That just looked insane to me. I tried the “smell therapy” – nothing. I tried the flick on the back of the head – worked for a few hours (there’s a TikTok of this, thanks to my work buddies).

Now, I’m trying the most recent remedy I’ve seen online… Alpha Lipoic Acid tablets. There seem to be more positive results from this than any of the other options. We’re on day one and I’m optimistic about this option. I take a tablet a day and will hopefully see results beginning anywhere from days to weeks.

If you have had these symptoms for a while and are now back to your old self, let me know all of your secrets!

Patrice LaBauve
Patrice is a Baton Rouge native that moved to the area to attend UL Lafayette in 2002 and never looked back. Since graduating with a degree in Public Relations she has worked in the insurance business on both personal and commercial sides. Her love of her Cajun heritage made it an easy decision to marry her New Iberia born and raised husband, Matt. They now resides in Youngsville and have two daughters Jolie (9) and Amelie (5) and her bonus son, Eli (14). On most weekdays you will find her running the roads to the dance studio, soccer field or her favorite place, 220 Fitness. The weekends are her favorite family time and are usually spent cooking with her family, watching her daughter show off her goalie skills, checking out any festival around the area, and catching all Saints and Cajuns game. She and her husband are craft beer drinkers, but she also won’t turn down a good Pinot Noir or fancy cocktail. She loves a good philanthropic event, to-do lists, singing in front of people whenever she gets the chance, her gym family and live music. Lafayette has been the perfect place to raise her children and immerse them in the culture she loves.