Ageusia - inability to taste anything

[IceSkate]

Hi,

For 2 and a half months, I could not taste anything. Also, my entire body was numb (I could feel somewhat, but it was like when novacane wears off at the dentist).

A doctor tested me for porphyria, a rare disease. The test was negative.

I just had an MRI, and there were no abnormalities.

My doctor thinks the ageusia (not being able to taste anything) was due to anxiety.

Has anyone experienced this?

[costaboy]

i havent no but this is very new and interesting to me i will deffo look this up x i take it you have done your reseach just message me anytime if you need to talk about it xx

[IceSkate]

Hi Costaboy,

In Summer 2010, I started getting bad stomach aches every time I ate. They were every day.

For three months, my eyes were really dry to the point I had a hard time opening them.

Then I was near-sighted for about 6 months, and it went away.

In October of 2010, I wound up in urgent care because I had a fever, and I was really lightheaded. They said I must have had a virus that was dehydrating me because I needed about 6 bags of fluid.

After that, I got really tired all the time.

I saw a doctor about all this... at first they thought it was ulcers... I went through all kinds of blood tests, and a CT. All they found was hypothyroidism.

Last summer, I got really dizzy and could barely stand. I eventually got a tilt table test that showed my heart rate went up 60 beats per minute (from 60 to 120 bpm) when I stood up, and then it went back down when I layed down. That sounded like Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) to me, but the doctor said it wasn't.

From September through mid November I could not taste anything and I was numb in my whole body. I woke up one day that way. Since mid-November I have been symptom free.

All along I have doctors telling me this is all from anxiety. I guess it could very well be.

For a couple of years, until this summer, I took a variety of anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills. The anxiety medication really did not work for me even though I had an open mind... I tried everything. I've been off everything since Summer and doing better than when I took medicine. I haven't had sleeping problems since last spring.

I'm finally willing to accept my symptoms might be from anxiety or depression... I don't know what I have or what is wrong with me or why I feel the way I feel.

Ageusia is rare and can be from MS, Parkinsons, Sjorgrens, Brain tumors, or anxiety. I guess mine was from anxiety, unless I really did have POTS and ageusia is a symptom of it.. I could never really find it out.

Today I got the call saying my MRI was negative. I should of course be happy, but I kind of feel bad... like now that means I'm totally crazy... I mean not being able to taste for 2 and a half months due to anxiety? I'm nuts and that makes me more worried than if I had something physical wrong with my brain. I'm sorry if that sounds horrible... I know it is... but I don't think they can treat my crazyness and it won't be going away and it has so much stigma... at least with something physical there is more chance of being comfortable/happier.

[costaboy]

i guess it is worse that you dont know 100% what it is just due to the point of not been able to directly treat it but dont ever think your crazy. just deal with your anxiety as it comes. my dad has MS and sometimes he gets extremely bad symptoms for like a month at a time like pralysis and blindness x

[IceSkate]

I'm sorry about your dad. I researched a lot about MS because it was a definite possibility and it sounds very difficult to deal with.

[costaboy]

dont worry about it just worry about getting yourself better my friend try different meds to beat your anxiety im currently on sertraline and it has taken me in the right direction x