[Dottore]

Curiously a very good friend of ours had the same issue. She was hit in a crosswalk by a taxi. The taxi was going fairly slowly - but she was knocked down and smacked her head on the pavement.

She had a few bruises but was completely OK except that her sense of smell and taste was gone - or rather it was gone almost all of the time. Occasionally, sometimes for a few hours or even a day it would return.

She's been like this for three years now. Doctors say it may come back completely - but then again it may not.

The medical evidence of this impairment led to a quick and generous settlement with the Taxi company's insurers. But still its a real bugger - not being able to taste food in particular.