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[martinuzz]

There's progress in regenerating damaged nerve tissue using stemcell and / or gene therapy but I'm not sure if there's anything approved past test animal stages yet.

[ChairmanPoo]

There are stem cell and gene therapies being tried in humans both in clinical trial and commercial stages. At least for other pathologies, for sure. I don't know if there's anything for "this"* in particular, I doubt it's widely avaiable in any case, so I refrain to make recommendations in that regard because


*Whatever "this" actually is. I suspect it's just mucus clogging. I doubt it's nerve damage because of anatomical and biological reasons, but damage to the mucosa might well be just as bad.

Wake Forest Institute for (regrowing entire human organs in a lab) Regenerative Medicine. They are in the experimental stages now, but a woman used one of their artificial uteruses to carry a child to term.

Anthony Atala is one of my personal idols (alongside Shinya Yamanaka, Maria Blasco, Carl June, and some few other pioneers in cutting edge biomedical science). But that the WFIRM does some very interesting stuff does not actually mean that they'll have a wonder cure for Nenjin's condition in particular (particularily when Nenjin's condition might well heal on it's own).

I'm curious about the artificial uterus thing though. Do you have a link?

[BorkBorkGoesTheCode]

The gist of it is that Wake Forest is making artificial organs using stem cells and artificial cellular matrix. Nenjin, if your nose is damaged you should start looking for a replacement there.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Hmm.... The link to the story from the 2000s has become very obscure. When I find it, I'll post it in the science thread. The artificial vaginas and noses were easier to find:


http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2014/Laboratory-Grown_Vaginas_Implanted_in_Patients,_Scientists_Report.htm
Since the experiments started in ~2006 I may have heard a heavily corrupted version of the early experiments with artificial vaginas.
Possibly a confabulation with the Swedish woman's uterus transplant.

[nenjin]

Smell and taste coming and going in fits and spurts. Like I'll smell something for an instant, weak and distant, before it's gone. Even though the source is still right there in front of me. Progress of a sorts.

replacement nose

Hah. Yeah, don't think that's in the cards any time soon, for me or them.

[BorkBorkGoesTheCode]

Smell and taste coming and going in fits and spurts. Like I'll smell something for an instant, weak and distant, before it's gone. Even though the source is still right there in front of me. Progress of a sorts.

Good!

Anyone had any experience with it?

I had nasal polypectomy surgery done, and had my deviated septum fixed. Must have been pretty bad, surgery took like 3 hours.

Anyways, it's been 2 days since the surgery when it dawned on me....I can't smell a thing. Nothing. Nada. Taste has been blunted by like 80%. I can breathe great, but zero smell.

I get I just had surgery on the interior of my nose, there's blood and mucus, I'm rising it with salt water periodically so.....smell being messed up or gone for a time is to be expected.

But I've been doing reading and people's long-term experiences are all over the place. People say smell comes back better, about the same, less or never between 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, a year or 13 years.

I consider myself a sensualist. (I guess I'd also accept hedonist.) I like my food and my smoke and my beverages. Flavors and taste are super important to me. My sense of smell, even before the surgery when I was all blocked up, was very keen. Sometimes even too keen. Were my sense of smell (and therefore taste) not to come back is there anything to be done to encourage the nose to regain the sense of smell?

If your nose is permanently damaged I would suggest keeping track of the things being done at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

This was the original suggestion.

[martinuzz]

Hah, it's starting to look like you work at that company's marketing department.

[Djohaal]

A few days later, but did satan's snot+blood clot come out yet? smell improves a lot once it is gone (also reduces that weird pus smell you get sometimes)

[nenjin]

I suppose "the big one" was days and days ago. I'm still generally bleeding and getting clots out every day though, was told this may go on for weeks yet.

But generally yes, all my symptoms improve once I rinse my nose out and hack up clots. Smell and taste get a little bit better, the ever present mild-sinus headache abates.

Smell still isn't great though, very in and out. And when I think I'm actually smelling something, turns out what I'm really smelling is....blood.