Although I haven't read all the comments (only the ones with solutions), I may be a candidate for commenter with longest anosmia affliction: nearly 40 years.

I'm now 65 and the loss of smell developed in my late teenage years. My last recollection of smell is that of burning leaves at the curb in Chicago, and of course, that's been banned for a long time.

Now, I'm up in the woods of Wisconsin, love gardening, but can't smell either the flowers or the trees. With a new granddaughter with toxic diapers, or with farmers applying manure to their fields, it's not always a disadvantage.

However, as others have commented, there are disadvantages: I no longer attach natural gas hook-ups since I can't small natural gas (and could today be in orbit today had not second wife come home while I was installing a new gas range rather poorly).

Miss lots of food smells and flavors. wine aromatics, and typically only enjoy highly spiced foods that I can taste. Wife, who is a good cook, is frustrated, and like some other posters, I've eaten some very questionable foods and suffered as a result.

Now I like the Barbados swim cure, as opposed to the polyp removal or colloidal gold drink. Neutral on homeopathy or zinc. and Omega 3 hasn't done anything for me.

I am 52 years old and don't remember ever having a sense of smell. I didn't realize I was any different until as a very young child someone mentioned they smelled something burning which was news to me. My mother swears I must have had one at birth because I use to complain about my baby sister's diapers and she is 1 1/2 years younger. I am jealous of you folks that get your sense of smell back, even temporarily!