Jaina, 56, from Bradford, suffered with severe asthma and its side effects for over a decade. Although she had lived with asthma for a while, she started to realise that something was more seriously wrong with her.
“I had lost a lot of weight and I was not myself. There was something drastically wrong with my health.” She was feeling so poorly she had to leave her dream job at BBC Radio Leeds.
Jaina had also completely lost her sense of smell, which nearly had disastrous effects. While working in her clothing boutique store, in her early 30s, she “started putting clothes on the counter, but the sleeves must have touched the halogen lamps as two of my outfits got burned – but I couldn’t smell it.”
Losing her sense of smell affected all areas of Jaina’s life. She was not able to smell burning curries or vegetables when cooking. “I felt bunged up all the time and I had no energy. It really affected my confidence.”
“It really spoiled family occasions. Celebrating Diwali was like a marathon. It became exhausting. The cooking and running around to see family left me tired and breathless.”
- Jaina
Jaina was given various medications, like antibiotics and antihistamines, and even had some small growths in her nose removed, but nothing seemed to help for long.
Doctors prescribed steroids, which came with significant side effects of their own, including weight gain. “I learned to live with it, but I was so desperate.”
When her doctor suggested a research trial looking at asthma medication, Jaina didn't hesitate. She knew she had to 'give this a shot' because it was her only hope. “I had only two choices: try my luck or live with this all my life.”
Only a few minutes after receiving the first injection on the trial, Jaina noticed something happening, and her heart started pounding with excitement. As she left the hospital, she realised she could smell the leaves, the roses - even some crisps in the taxi on the ride home. “I was in shock, and I was trying not to get too excited.”
As Jaina opened the door to her boutique, she was hit with a familiar, long-forgotten scent - the particular oil used in embroidery.
“I was going up the steps to the shop realising that I could smell the oil. Some people may not like the petrol smell, I don’t blame them. But I love it.”
She came home and drank tea, enjoying every sip. “I could taste the ginger after so long. The first tea was an experience in itself.” She also had a renewed vigour for activity and exercise.
“It used to take so much energy to breathe, and now I can use it to do other things. It was absolutely amazing to get back to doing what I wanted to do.”
- Jaina
Exercise that would have had her panting and out of breath was now possible. Now at 56, in addition to yoga and Zumba, she’s picked up a new sport, squash, with her husband. “I enjoy the two of us playing together, [something] I could never have thought. I still pant, but I’m not gasping for breath.” The photo shows Jaina playing squash with her husband.
The increased exercise and comfort have come with an optimistic outlook: “I’ve always been a positive person but this whole experience has enhanced that and I’ve become more energetic. I never thought I’d be able to do zumba for 45 minutes!”
“I feel like I’ve got my life back,” said Jaina. “Now my smelling sense is supreme, and I can do things which I couldn’t at 30. I’m back to my best and am back dancing to my online Zumba classes with a Bollywood twist.
“I never expected to regain her sense of smell. I had learned to live with it. It’s amazing how I can now smell and work happily. The drugs did wonders.”
“I feel like I’ve got my life back. I can do things I couldn’t at 30.”
- Jaina
After her first amazing experience, Jaina was so grateful for how research had helped her that she decided to take part in a second study. This was her way of 'giving back' and helping others who were struggling with asthma.
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