Videos of Mr Okechukwu Okonkwo
Mags Robinson is joined by Guest Speaker Mr. Okechukwu Okonkwo and Expert Patients Hannah Martin and Jenny Thomas. Mr Okonkwo is an ENT surgeon with a special interest in smell and taste disorders. He runs a specialist NHS Smell and Taste Disorders clinic at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. His NHS clinic accepts referrals from the wider Gloucestershire area only. Hannah lost her sense of smell in 2011 after contracting a cold, laryngitis and sinusitis. Unfortunately, it has never returned. Jenny has been living with very distressing distortions to her sense of smell since January 2021 when, following a period of smell loss, her sense of smell began to return. The cause of her smell changes has not been determined. Hannah and Jenny share their personal stories and talk about the impact of these ongoing smell changes on their quality of life. They also share their insight, tips and some of the coping strategies they have found helpful. Mr Okonkwo explains post-viral smell and taste changes, diagnosis and patient management options, including current and potential future treatments. He also suggests some self-help ideas for patients. The presentations are followed by a Q&A with Mr Okonkwo. If you gain value from this recording, please consider making a donation to help us develop our pioneering work and drive change for people affected by smell and taste disorders. You can donate safely here https://donate.justgiving.com. Fifth Sense is the charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders. Our vision is to transform society’s understanding of the importance of the senses of smell and taste, and through doing so, transform the lives of those affected by smell and taste disorders. If you are a patient who is experiencing smell and / or taste changes and are not already a member of Fifth Sense, you can join as a member for free here https://www.fifthsense.org.uk/join to become part of our community and to receive support, advice and to ensure you are kept up to date with our work and have priority booking to our future online events and support groups. If you are a professional you can join Fifth Sense as a supporter for free https://www.fifthsense.org.uk/join to receive news of the work we are doing, advance notice of future education events like this one, and information about research into smell and taste.