I tested positive for COVID19 on the 15th, lost my sense of smell completely the day after, and haven't been able to smell or taste anything since then. With my nose directly in it I can smell the menthol in vick's vapo-rub just barely, the almond oil in my candle, and the yeast in my girlfriend's bread starter. And all of these faint ghosts of smells come and go hour by hour.

I don't know how to cope with this! I love smelling and tasting and when I bring up this symptom to people who haven't experienced it I get extremely frustrated. I seem okay, I'm not feverish, so what am I complaining about?

I've figured out foods that I can tolerate based on tastebud flavors and textures, but I feel so depressed thinking about when I'll be able to taste a cup of coffee again. The waiting is agony and I just want to know how others who've experienced this are coping emotionally. I'm not interested in smell training, I believe this would just make me more obsessive than I already am.

Update: I had a cup of coffee today and I couldn't smell it but it tasted a little like coffee! Faintly, but at least it wasn't like drinking hot water. :)