Ageusia (Loss Of Taste)

Ageusia(Loss Of Taste)

 “mum, I trust my fiancée, she can’t do that and that’s period”! 

I watched as Joshua tried to defend me.

Being a bride-to-be to the family, I was supposed to cook every day for three days for my father-in-law alone. He was the only person to taste the food I cook for 3 days to identify if I can be able to feed his son properly.

“Such barbaric culture,” I thought.

The problem wasn’t the cooking because today is the last Day, but the problem is that Joshua’s father complains that I can’t cook, even though I’m a chef.

That’s ridiculous, even Joshua can’t believe that lie.

“Okay then, since the 3 days have elapsed, can she cook for us just for today, and let's confirm”

Joshua looked at me, with a plea in his eyes.

I stood at the door, with my hands folded across my chest and my head resting on the wall.

After like a minute, I went into the kitchen and in less than 45 minutes I served them the food.

Joshua’s mom was the first to eat, she widened her eyes in disbelief. she looked from Joshua to me and then to her husband in a way that says “are you sure of what you are saying”?

Then Joshua tasted the meal and gave me a nod, then his father did, but yet again, he says the food was tasteless, and he was serious about it.

Joshua being a medical student sensed something was wrong, he took his Dad to the hospital and the doctor says, he has ageusia.

 “He has Ageusia” The doctor said.

“Ageusia”? we all chorused.

“yes, ageusia, y’all should see me in the office”.

Joshua’s mother had begun to cry already. 

“you can sit,” the doctor said pointing towards the sit across his desk.

Joshua made his parents sit while we stood behind them. I’m his fiancée.

“As I said earlier, your husband has Ageusia, but madam stop crying, it’s not so serious,” the doctor said.

Mama sniffed and became a little bit calm.

“So Doctor, what’s Ageusia”? I asked with all curiosity hoping that it won’t be so Bad.

“well, Ageusia is simply the loss of sense of Taste, that’s why he can’t detect the taste of what he eats”

“What could be the cause of this”? Joshua asked.

“it could be caused by infection, nutritional deficiencies, certain medications, diabetes, pernicious anemia, Parkinson’s diseases, cancers of the neck and throat, and even covid-19” the doctor explained

“covid-19” we all chorused again.

“Not to worry, we’ve examined him, that’s not his case”

We exhaled and inhaled fresh air.

“it happens that the lingual and glossopharengeal nerves might be affected and a common symptom is the no sense of taste” the doctor continued.

“it could lead to loss of appetite and weight loss” 

At this point, Joshua’s dad began to nod because recently, he has been losing appetite easily.

“ageusia could be linked to obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, nutritional deficiencies especially zinc and vitamin B-12, and dry mouth(xerostomia).

There are other taste disorders though, like dysgeusia, which is a condition that causes an unpleasant perception of taste, there are hypogeusia and hypergeusia, which are decreased sensitivity to taste and increased sensitivity to taste respective”

The doctor paused to see if we understood, by now, Joshua and I were already seated.

“How common is this ageusia” Joshua’s dad asked.

“It's quite rare, out of 1000, it happens to only 1 or 2, and it can affect people of all ages, however, it’s most common in adults over the age of 50,” he said

“Okay then, what can we do, how is it diagnosed,” I asked.

“That's a good question,” the doctor said, I will refer you to an ENT(ear, nose, and throat) specialist, they will ask you some questions and review your health history to determine if any existing condition could be triggering your loss of taste. Also, you will be asked to compare the taste of several substances to determine the limits of your taste function” the doctor said standing up.

By now mama has stopped crying.

“I have other patients to attend to, but not to worry, after the underlying condition that led to it is treated, your taste will be restored” 

“one more thing, to help prevent this, please ensure you stay hydrated, brush your teeth daily, wash your hands often to prevent infection, and avoid smoke or the use of tobacco” the doctor concluded and left while we walked behind him.

Writer Details:Odiga Judith✍️

Location:University Of Nigeria,Enugu State,Nigeria🇳🇬.