The "Are You Older Than Dirt?: Part II - Losing Your Senses" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just put my hearing aides in my ears and reached for my glasses on their usual place on the bathroom counter.  Then I remembered that I don't wear glasses anymore.  It's one of my five senses that have improved with age and the help of a recent surgery.  Doesn't happen too many times in life that your senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, become better rather than worse.  Seems that I have begun to notice a diminishing appetite which could be caused by my sense of smell.  

Taste buds on your tongue number approximately 9,000.

I guess I could blame my aging taste buds, of which I have approxi- mately 9,000, but it's probably my nose which is the real culprit.  When our bodies reach 40 to 50 years of age in women and 50 to 60 in men, our taste buds begin to diminish.  The taste sensation of salty and sweet begin to suffer first and then bitter and sour follow.  But, it is the change in the decrease of sensor cells in the nose that detect aromas that fuel the loss of taste.  The decline in nerves that carry the signals to the brain and the reduction of mucous that is produced that affects smell and taste are the culprits.  Food that I loved for years and years seems not as appetizing as it once was.  I used to love mashed potatoes with every meal, but find I don't care for them anymore.  Same goes for several vegetables I used to enjoy, but no longer care to eat.  I have found that items I never liked I now enjoy more such as lettuce.  But, my biggest problem is that I love sweets too much.  Now that hasn't been affected by age, since I always loved cookies, cakes, ice cream, donuts, etc.  Other things that can lead to a loss of appetite are dental issues, nasal polyps and neurologic diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.  I have tried to find an answer to my loss of appetite by reading and have found that smoking could be a big factor, but I don't smoke.  Certain medicines such as beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors can affect our senses.  I do have special meals my wife makes for me that certainly will not cause me to loose weight such as mac and cheese with spam and lots of tomato sauce on it as well as chicken pot pie which features large pieces of dough in it.  But, my biggest problem is what I already stated...sugar.  I could make dessert the main part of my meal every day.  Matter-of-fact I have done that numerous times in the past couple of years.  Cake or cookies dunked in hot chocolate or plain white milk is a great meal as well as apple dumplings with a thick dough and plenty of goo on it.  And then there is a big banana split or big bowl of pudding with whipped cream on it for supper.  But, you know...I have been eating all these desserts as a meal since I was a child and they never affected my appetite.  Thank goodness for that!  I guess I should be glad I don't have a big pouch to block my vision as I walk with my newly acquired eyesight.  At times I forget I'm getting older than dirt and I may suffer from some loss of senses in the process. But, at least I'm still here to tell you about it.  It was another extraordinay day in the life of an ordinary guy.