Reagan Springer, 13, can now eat her favorite food, pasta. This is something the Nebraska teen hasn’t had for the last nine months. “It was so relieving to just be able to taste food,” Reagan said. Back in May of 2021, Reagan got COVID-19. Through that, she developed Parosmia, where the foods she normally loved smelled disgusting. Doctors could not figure out the solution. “They were like, ‘This is going to last forever. You’re never going to be fixed,’ so I got in the car and was crying,” Reagan said. Then Reagan’s mom, Heather Springer, found a post on Facebook where a pain specialist administered shots that helped her condition. “I called that night,” Springer said. Before Reagan knew it, they were off to Texas where she met David Gaskin. “It’s changing people’s lives,” Gaskin said. Gaskin gave Reagan a stellate ganglion block which required two shots in her neck. The stellate ganglion is a collection of nerves found in the neck. The shots helped reboot that system and gives relief for people with Parosmia. “From the time they injected her to the time she was able to eat food and smell food and see a difference was such a short amount of time,” Springer said. Gaskin said the procedure is not new and only recently began being used to treat Parosmia. Gaskin said he has a 90% success rate. Once people started to hear about the shots on social media, he said his schedule quickly filled. “I just treated a gentleman yesterday from Israel. He flew 19 hours to come from Israel to have the injection,” Gaskin told sister station KETV. Gaskin said he’s happy to help people get back to normal. “Watching patient after patient come in and cry with joy, my whole staff is crying, I’m crying. It’s a tough day but a great day,” Gaskin said. Even though the shots helped Reagan’s smell, it is still not back to 100%. “I had chicken wings the other night and it was fine but then like grilled chicken is pretty bad,” Reagan said. Springer said Reagan’s Parosmia is now manageable. She credits those shots Gaskin gave Reagan. “If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything. We would definitely go back and maybe get it a little bit sooner,” Springer said. After nine months, Reagan can finally go back to being a teenager. “I feel a lot better and I’m a lot happier and I’m able to do a lot more with my friends and stuff like that,” Reagan said.
Reagan Springer, 13, can now eat her favorite food, pasta. This is something the Nebraska teen hasn’t had for the last nine months.
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“It was so relieving to just be able to taste food,” Reagan said.
Back in May of 2021, Reagan got COVID-19. Through that, she developed Parosmia, where the foods she normally loved smelled disgusting.
Doctors could not figure out the solution.
“They were like, ‘This is going to last forever. You’re never going to be fixed,’ so I got in the car and was crying,” Reagan said.
Then Reagan’s mom, Heather Springer, found a post on Facebook where a pain specialist administered shots that helped her condition.
“I called that night,” Springer said.
Before Reagan knew it, they were off to Texas where she met David Gaskin.
“It’s changing people’s lives,” Gaskin said.
Gaskin gave Reagan a stellate ganglion block which required two shots in her neck. The stellate ganglion is a collection of nerves found in the neck. The shots helped reboot that system and gives relief for people with Parosmia.
“From the time they injected her to the time she was able to eat food and smell food and see a difference was such a short amount of time,” Springer said.
Gaskin said the procedure is not new and only recently began being used to treat Parosmia. Gaskin said he has a 90% success rate. Once people started to hear about the shots on social media, he said his schedule quickly filled.
“I just treated a gentleman yesterday from Israel. He flew 19 hours to come from Israel to have the injection,” Gaskin told sister station KETV.
Gaskin said he’s happy to help people get back to normal.
“Watching patient after patient come in and cry with joy, my whole staff is crying, I’m crying. It’s a tough day but a great day,” Gaskin said.
Even though the shots helped Reagan’s smell, it is still not back to 100%.
“I had chicken wings the other night and it was fine but then like grilled chicken is pretty bad,” Reagan said.
Springer said Reagan’s Parosmia is now manageable. She credits those shots Gaskin gave Reagan.
“If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything. We would definitely go back and maybe get it a little bit sooner,” Springer said.
After nine months, Reagan can finally go back to being a teenager.
“I feel a lot better and I’m a lot happier and I’m able to do a lot more with my friends and stuff like that,” Reagan said.
