Woman says COVID-19 side effect caused food to smell so bad she can't eat it
An Oklahoma woman who beat COVID-19 now struggles with a different, lesser-known side effect that she says has to do with smell.
Not the loss of smell, which is a common symptom of COVID-19. Instead, the side effect causes food to smell so bad that she can't eat it.
Chocolate chip cookies and vanilla used to be Alicia Cleveland's favorite smell in the world. But now, she says it smells like mold.
Cleveland was diagnosed with COVID-19 in November, and she fought it hard.
"I was close to not being able to breathe so great," she said. "I was worried if I went into the hospital, I wouldn't come out. And I have kids, and the idea of not coming out was really scary."
Cleveland eventually recovered only to be plagued with parosmia, a distorted sense of smell that has changed her life.
"It's a constant awful odor," she said. "This could be my forever."
Cleveland told sister station KOCO the condition almost makes things backward.
"I can tell if you've just gotten out of the shower or sprayed cologne because it smells like mold. It's so unpleasant," she said.
Dr. Dale Bratzler, chief COVID-19 officer at Oklahoma University Health, said several people who have had COVID-19 have reported having parosmia.
"I have also seen a couple of people who lost their taste and smell only to have their sense of smell return but with an unpleasant odor," Bratzler said.
"Unfortunately, the cleaner you are, the worse you smell to me. It's very mold-like," Cleveland said.
She's now in an online group with other sufferers, saying there are 14,000 members.
"We want more research and more real-world treatments," Cleveland said.
There aren't many options when it comes to treatment.
Bratzler told KOCO that weight loss is common with parosmia. Cleveland has lost 30 pounds because she can't eat.
Bratzler also said some sufferers are reporting depression.
