I Lost My Sense of Smell Four Years Ago. the Doctors Told Me That It Is Natural and That

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I lost my sense of smell four years ago. The doctors told me that it is natural and that it is not a sickness.

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As far back as I can remember I never had a sense of smell. It may have been caused by a head injury that I received as an infant. Up until I was about 8 or 9 I would lie about my disability, since what kid wants to be different? Smelling seemed to me like religion, you just had to have enough faith to make it true. I have never had any tests or received any treatment. I am still a decent smell liar. "Darling, what is that perfume you are wearing? It smells intoxicating!" I read an article recently about somebody with no sense of smell who could not taste the difference between mint, peanut butter, or cherry ice cream. I can easily taste the differences between these foods, but I would have no sensation if each were placed in front of my face. I have always assumed that my taste buds became more acute to make up for my faulty sniffer. So obviously texture also plays a major role for me. I have never been able to receive any sensation from smelling things. I do notice gasoline if it were nearby. The vapors feel differently when I breathe.

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The following facts should be of great interest to you as I have discovered ways of regaining a lost sense of smell and taste. I lost my sense of smell 25 years ago. A few years later I was diagnosed with nasal polyps. The polyps were surgically removed, however, the sense of smell did not return. Ten years ago I had a second surgery for polyps and this time my sense of smell returned within hours of the surgery. Since then my sense of smell came and went several times.During a time when my senses had disappeared I developed polymyalgia rheumatica and was treated with Prednisolone. The strange thing was that my senses re-appeared and have been fairly reliable since.Earlier this year they disappeared again, but immediately came back again following a game of tennis — I have been convinced that lack of circulation could be part of the problem. Just over a week ago my senses disappeared again and coincidentally my polymyalgia rheumatica flared up — I took 15 mg of prednisolone at 9.30 am and my senses returned at 4.00 pm the same day.I hope that this information will help you to shed some light on this dreadful infliction.

case 0004

At one point my asthma was particularly troubling me, so my allergist put me on a course of systemic steroids for about a week. On the second or third day as I picked up my baby son, I realized that I could smell him and this in turn made me realized that this was the first time I ever smelled him; I must have had no sense of smell for at least several months and the steroid brought it back.After the systemic steroids were discontinued, I lost my sense of smell again. The ear nose throat doctor found conspicuous polyps in my nose. I spent ridiculous amounts of time every day with my nose to my son's little head, just inhaling his smell. I don't know if anyone can comprehend what it's like missing that primal connection to your child. There is something profound and powerful about a mother smelling her baby that I cannot explain, but it is viscerally important.So I don't know when I ceased to smell, but it was gradual enough that I didn't notice. That said, the absence of smell is unspeakably painful. I am not a tearful person, but thinking about how I was unable to smell my second and third children I feel something I can only describe as mourning. It is equivalent to missing out on important stages of their development, like first steps.I have always loved to cook, but since I cannot taste food... can you even comprehend what this does to a cook? One of the things that gave me greatest joy in life was cooking for my extended family, and now it's nearly impossible to do so. Perhaps this sounds strange, but I ended up gaining almost twenty pounds before realizing I was consuming more of every food in an effort to taste it. I now gravitate toward salty or sweet foods. A salad is no longer appetizing because the subtle flavor of the greens is gone, as is the complexity of any dressing, so it is like eating paper with glue. Creamy textures are more satisfying somehow. I treat the rare occasions on which I have to take systemic steroids to control my asthma as holidays during which I try to schedule nothing else but interesting meals and time to smell my children.The other thing I've noticed during my anosmia vacations is just how rich the world becomes when you can smell. The rich smell of the earth after a rain, the offensive smells of cow manure or diapers, the smell of exhaust from other cars. Another embarrassing thing I've run into was when my last two children were babies — I wouldn't notice that they had a dirty diaper, of course. I had to set an alarm to check my third child's diaper every 30 minutes because I never knew when she was going to be dirty, and she was very susceptible to rashes. I remember two different mothers who treated me with great disgust, as if I didn't care about my child or hygiene, almost as if I were abusive. I had another horrible experience when I apparently left a load of laundry in the washing machine for too long. The head of the day camp where I was sending my daughter took me aside on the third day of the week and asked why I was sending my daughter to camp in clothing that smelled of mildew, and if there was some problem at home, etc. It was absolutely mortifying. My daughter was too young to say anything about it, so there I was. It's a source of enormous anxiety for me. People simply don't believe you when you say you have no sense of smell! Speaking of hygiene, I also cannot tell when I smell and need to take precautions to make sure I'm not offending others. I've realized that it's much easier for me to forget to put on deodorant now, and also to brush my teeth. I know this is difficult to believe for others, but I don't think people realize how closely tied hygiene and smell really are in terms of actual self-care.I don't care as much ultimately about what the public awareness of this condition is; I'm resigned to anosmia being a joke for those who don't have it. I do wish that doctors took it more seriously. I have talked to too many doctors who did not believe that I cannot smell. Some want to blame me, saying I'm simply not taking my nasal steroid properly or often enough. (I have gotten quite religious about it, but it works only intermittently and never to the extent of the systemic prednisone.) One especially ignorant fellow just didn't believe that I'm unable to smell anything at all and treated me as if I were some hysterical female, telling me it was entirely psychosomatic. This needs to change, and this is why I've just spent the last 45 minutes pouring all this out for you.

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For at least 20 years, I have had seasonal allergies. When affected by the allergies, I often suffered from a diminished sense of smell — but only temporarily. The sense would return, much like many people encounter when hit with a common cold. Then about six years ago, I noticed my sense of smell wasn't bouncing back as quickly or as completely when my allergies subsided. At first, the difference was barely perceptible. Eventually, the bounce back never really happened. My sense of smell just kind of faded away. Other than very minor hints of smell/taste that on rare occasion occur first thing in the morning, my sense of smell has yet to return after six years. Years ago, I went to an ear nose throat doctor. I then went to a neurologist. He was utterly unprepared to deal with the issue. He started searching the web for information on anosmia while I was in the office.It's a huge loss. I fully understand the risk of depression from this condition. Besides the loss of smell, I've suffered a complete loss of flavor-tasting ability. That is an immense loss as well. Even more so is the loss of memories that smell used to so vividly unlock. I so miss the fragrance of a pine forest to take me back to my childhood camping in the mountains. I want to smell the turkey cooking on Thanksgiving. I want to smell the chocolate when I walk into a candy store!It's a weird affliction. People don't really get it. They think it's not as big a deal as it is. After all, they figure anosmics aren't disabled. We don't need seeing-eye dogs or sign language to interact with our environment. And they are right -- partly. We can function without drawing attention to our plight. We can do virtually everything we could before we lost our sense of smell, except enjoy the immensely important aspects of human life that most people take for granted.

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About ten years ago I started to strongly react to different smells. I particularly react to chemical odors, but also to spearmint.One odor, I don't know what is, I noticed in church so I had to sit at the back to make a quick getaway if needed. I smelled the same smell in a public toilet, so I am guessing it's a cleaning agent. I can go for weeks without encountering the odor and then it hits me again. I usually sleep with the fan blowing on my face and Vicks plugged up my nose. I haven't told my doctor as I have always thought I was alone in this.

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For about a year I get these clouds of smell (as I call them). No one else smells them, but they are very real to me. They are very different and then at times all the same. At times it is like the room is filled with cigarette smoke so full it burns the back of my throat. No one in our house smokes and no one else smells it. Other odor variations are cherry pipe tobacco, the smell of brick being cut with a brick saw, jasmine, a smell so sweet it makes me sick.All body washes and shampoos make me sick; they smell like poop. I know that sounds crazy. Some food, Asian food especially, just reeks like an outhouse.

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Nine years ago I was in a serious car accident. In the hospital, I realized food tasted different, but I thought that it was just because it was hospital food. When I got out of the hospital, it took maybe a week or two for me to realize that I couldn't smell anything. All I could taste was salt and sugar. Sometimes I thought I could smell lemons. A CAT scan showed that I had sheered the olfactory nerves completely, and that I would never smell again.It took a long time to stop feeling like a freak. But now, almost 10 years later, people still don't understand what it's like for me. I'm constantly asked to smell things, by people who know I can't smell, but forget. Some people don't believe me and try to force me to smell things. I have a two year old daughter and I've never been able to smell her. I miss the smell of pickles, early September mornings, the ocean, gasoline, matches and garlic; I could go on and on. I would do anything to stop having to fear smoke or fire or spoiled milk, to feel like a normal person again. There isn't anything I wouldn't do.

case 0009

At an early age I realized I couldn't smell. My parents were skeptical about it when I reported it. They didn't follow up. I pretended to be able to smell, rather than tell people. It was like a point of shame, oddly. I used to pretend I could smell, mimicking disgust when bad smells were detected by my friends. I have come to rely on my vision, and taste to detect spoiled food. I have been fooled, and gotten sick a few times, however. I have managed to compensate for the lack of a working nose. I had an undetected kitchen stove fire and gas leak. I detect ammonia, and very strong cleaners, but mainly from the effect of the vapors which invade my mouth, rather than my nose. I visited an ear nose throat doctor who examined me a few years back, but nothing came of it. A co-worker went to an ear nose throat doctor recently, and endured a surgical procedure which restored her sense of smell.

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I do not have any idea when I actually lost my ability to smell but first noticed it when I was about 20. I can't actually remember smelling any odor, so onset is hard to pinpoint. It has definitely affected my taste. All food is bland (unless it's salty, bitter, sweet, or sour). It is hard to describe the effect on my eating. My enthusiasm for food has almost vanished with the exception of my unhealthy love of very salty food. Conversations about food are weird and I often pretend to taste things. My wife is aware of my disability but she can't quite understand it. My sleep is impaired sometimes because I wake up fearing a house fire and can sometimes convince myself that I can see smoke. I often need to get up and check the house for fires or gas leaks. I cannot eat leftovers unless my wife smells them first and when I cook meals I am usually guessing with many of the ingredients and sometimes overdo things. I have not found anyone else who has this problem and have not been able to talk about it with others. It's good to write this at least. Thanks for the opportunity.

case 0011

About 6 years ago I noticed that many smells were becoming more intense. Unfortunately this only occurred with unpleasant smells. Nearly all of my wife's beauty products became nearly unbearable and my wife's breath took on a deeply sour note (that only I can smell.) Many foods are now too intense to be around. I have become depressed since I can rarely escape bad smells in many places and have researched methods to desensitize my olfaction. I have gone so far as to attempt to self-induce anosmia. My relationship with my wife has degenerated since I cringe when she comes within smelling distance. My wife is not the only source of these unpleasant smells (I even went to therapy about it, in case it was hypochondria).

case 0012

I lost all sense of smell about four years ago.No head trauma, no illness, no allergy to anything or any drug, no specific exposure event that I can recall. I don't know if it was sudden or not. I didn't notice myself, people would tell me they smell things and I just wouldn't.I managean apartment building and tenants would sometimes come to me saying things like "it smells bad in the laundry room, like a dead animal" but I would smell nothing. I would search the corners and find nothing, and tighten the gas connections, and they would say it was fine now. At some point I realized I could not smell coffee grounds or coffee brewing, nor toast starting to burn when it would set off the smoke detector.After I realized I could not smell I tried everything, newly opened spice jars, pickles, rubbing alcohol, every sort of strong food odor, etc. I can no longer smell soup simmering or hamburgers frying, but I can still taste all I need to. All fruits taste different, as do all cold-cuts. I can taste various condiments and distinguish brands of salami and types of cheese. So lack of smell does not really make me despair about diet. But then, I never was a foodie. Never could get interested in cooking or fussing about savoring foods in restaurants.My doctor did not know such a symptom existed. He was stunned that this could happen and stuck a couple things like coffee under my nose to test me.He didn't even look up my nose with a light, much less a scope. I felt sure he'd never looked up anyone's nose, wouldn't know what to look for. When he found out it had a name, anosmia, he looked up possible causes in their computer and decided to send me to get an MRI and a CT scan. He refused to send me to an ear nose throat specialist because "I cannot send you unless I first diagnose a condition they can treat, like sinusitis".I recently realized there are two things I can smell, but now learned they are probably not being smelled by my main smell organ. Still, it was news. I could smell "locker room mildew" in a pile of rags that sat on the patio for a week. But when I tried to repeat the smell I couldn't. Perhaps I broke up the scent when first disturbing the pile. Then yesterday I smelled a diesel truck that had just come to a stop. But again, when I tried to repeat it the smell was gone.

case 0013

I had a good sense of smell and had been able to identify many wines by taste/smell. Then I found that my sense of smell was disappearing.During this period I found that when I was exercising — mostly running — I could regain my sense of smell. During a dinner party when a good wine was served I would excuse myself from the room and run up and down the stairs several times. This restored my sense of smell for a period.But eventually I stopped smelling entirely. I visited the doctor to enquire and was referred to an ear nose throat specialist. Two surgeries and several nasal sprays did not help. However, a couple of months later I went scuba diving and after a very slight nose bleed my sense of smell reappeared dramatically and I could smell strongly and it stayed there for almost a month. It was a very enjoyable period and meals were like eating in "technicolor".After returning home I revisited the doctor and told him of my experience. After almost a year I was referred, last summer to an ear nose throat specialist again. The specialist said that he could observe polyps again and prescribed an inhaler but my sense of smell still did not return so I was given a short course of strong steroid tablets and my sense of smell again returned. The specialist said that it was not advisable to continue on such steroids for a prolonged period. Shortly after stopping the steroids the sense of smell again disappeared.