Woman with long-term COVID says her meat tastes like garbage, diaper

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A simple stroll to the kitchen is no longer a walk in the park for Bailee Logan.

"I used to love food," she said.

The 28-year-old often finds herself frozen at the fridge, wanting to pick something to eat, but hardly anything’s appetizing anymore.

"I've spent many nights in my kitchen just staring at the pantry crying," recalled Logan.

It all started about four months after Logan came down with COVID-19. At first, her recovery went well, but then, "We cooked chicken in our kitchen and I was like I need to clean out our oven. It was about a week after that, that I was like, oh my gosh, I think that something is wrong," she said.

Logan developed parosmia.

It's a long-term, fairly common side effect that takes the flavors in foods you once enjoyed and replaces them with a repulsive taste and smell.

"I can't even go into a Mexican restaurant. It's it smells atrocious," she said.

Research shows about 12% of people who contract the virus suffer from it, but severity varies. For example, for the most part, Logan’s disorder only distorts meat.

Meat, it smells like trash or stinky feet or a diaper," she said.

While it may seem like a subtle inconvenience, it’s actually taking a serious toll on both her mental and physical health.

"I am on like six different vitamins now because I kept going back to the doctor for other things and he would notice that like my protein was low," she said.

One of the only things keeping her spirits high is the hope that healing will come with the help of smell therapy. Plus, she says stomaching some of her favorite foods is still a piece of cake.

"I can still eat sweets! Sweets are still wonderful," she said.