I lost taste in the front half of my tongue.

I got my tongue pierced a week ago at a tattoo and piercing shop. They did my helix and septum a while back and it went great, so I trusted them with this one too. They used sterile technique and a large vertical barbell. A day or two later, I realized that along with the pain and swelling, I had the sensation like I burned the front half of my tongue with hot food. I was taking 800mg ibuprofen on a schedule, rinsing my mouth with alcohol free antiseptic mouthwash, sipping on cold water, and besides just getting used to it in my mouth, I wasn’t playing with it. I didn’t eat anything with yeast and I didn’t use a straw. The “burn” feeling went away quickly but now I can’t taste! I tried salt and sugar, but both taste like plain granules. I put sriracha on the tip of my tongue and tasted some of it and it was spicy still. The back half of my tongue is still okay and I don’t have speech issues, nor is my tongue numb. I work in an ER and multiple doctors think it could be some sort of nerve damage but it’s just speculation. Nobody seems to have had this issue before or knows whether or not it will be permanent, including the piercer when I reached out to them. I finally decided to take it out today. The piercing site is still slightly tender, but definitely not infected. Has anybody dealt with this before or heard about this?? I’m scared and frustrated. I don’t plan to ever get it redone, I just want to be able to taste my food! Thanks for reading 🫶🏻

TL;DR: got my tongue pierced a week ago and I barely have any taste in the front half of my tongue now.