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

case 0688

I have allergies and a constantly running nose. I only smell strong odors such as hydro chloride. A week ago I went to a doctor and complained about my reduced ability to smell. He said I got hyposmia and anosmia. I still can smell, but the ability is reduced a lot. For example if normal people can smell something from 5 inches, I can only smell it from 1-2 inches away. 

case 0689

For the last three years I had problems with my sense of smell. Sometimes I can smell nothing and other times I can smell only very little. Petrol or perfume very close to my nose I can usually smell but not much else. My ear nose throat doctor found no problems inside my nose. The smells I smell are different from how I remember them.

case 0690

Prior to a sinus infection my sense of smell was unusually keen, but since then I have anosmia. About a month after I contracted the sinus infection, I saw an ear nose throat doctor, who, after treating me with antibiotics and steroids, performed sinus surgery. Since the initial infection I've had chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. As with any other significant change in one's ability to perceive the world, anosmia has become something I don't really think about unless someone says something about smell. As for eating, well, I just experience food differently than I did before. One thing that remains a puzzle to me is that I'm not able to recall smells the way I can sounds or images.

case 0691

I have no sense of smell. I can regain the capacity to smell by doing hard exercises, but when I stop exercising, the smell dysfunction comes back. I took tablets and nasal spray that helped my get my sense of smell back, but when I stopped taking the medication, I returned to not smelling anything.

case 0692

Following a major operation for the treatment of pseudomyxoma peritonei at the age of 38 I experienced a loss of smell and taste. This lasted for around two months although on occasion foods tasted and smelled "wrong" for some time. Three years on my smell has returned to normal however my memory of foods and drink at that time repulses me now and I am unable to eat and drink certain foods I enjoyed prior to the surgery.

case 0693

My hearing has progressively worsened over the years. To investigate this problem I was given an MRI after which I ended up having anosmia and ageusia. The onset was immediate. It has persisted to the present time.

case 0694

Two years ago I started noticing strange, irritating smells in my home. Nobody else smells what I smell. It isn't just at home but anywhere I go and it appears that my nose has become supersensitive to everything and the distorted smells are not only irritating but depressing. I can't even define the smells that come through my nose except that they are very unpleasant and sometimes irritate my throat also. I am constantly chewing gum or using cough drops to disguise the irritation. No more wearing my favorite perfumes or using scented lotions or soaps. Some of the so-called "unscented" products still have an unpleasant odor to me. I have been to an ear nose throat doctor but the prescribed nasal sprays did not affect the distorted smells. This situation has truly frustrated me but I know there are much worse things in the world than this problem.

case 0695

I used to enjoy the smell of food, coffee, flowers and good perfume, the smell of a baby's skin. Now I can smell nothing, not even if something is burning or putrid.

case 0696

About seven months ago my sense of smell started to change slowly. At first, I only noticed it in the late evening a few hours before I would go to sleep. I would sense that I smell a sharp chemical smell. It sometimes even provoked me to rub my nose. I can't really describe it. It's not like anything that I can pinpoint. No one else around me smells anything. I do have slight sleep apnea and seasonal allergies but I have never experienced this. It used to happen every few days and slowly it has now increased to every night and now even during the day when I am at work.

case 0697

I don't recall ever having a sense of smell. I recall as a small child putting ammonia in a bottle under my nose to try to "smell" something.

case 0698

When I had cold-like symptoms my doctor thought it was rhinitis, then sinusitis. I developed polyps which were surgically removed three times. I developed pneumonia which left me with asthma. I have suffered from hay fever since about age 25. I have become quite down and lethargic because of my various illnesses. My sense of smell and taste has never come back.

case 0699

Till the age of 12 I had a sense of smell. At that age, I had a problem with my tonsils that was resolved using some injections. My tonsil problem disappeared, but thereafter I lost my sense of smell permanently. However, it did not affect me in my day to day life. The only loss was enjoyment of good smells.

case 0700

I have a smell disorder since last year. When I smell deeply I feel that there is some burning or chemical smell which is not bearable. The problems began when I was slapped in the head.

case 0701

About two years ago I noticed that I didn't smell lemon when I was cooking pancakes. Then I realized that I wasn't actually smelling most things. Some smells would still get through, for example toilet smells and garlic. At the time it started, I had hip surgery and — irrationally — thought it might be connected. It improved slightly and I forgot about it until yesterday when realized I really missed the subtle spring scents, like bluebells, grass.

case 0702

I have had olfactory hallucinations for more than a year. They sometimes last a few hours up to several days. Some weeks I experience no smell at all and then it comes back. The smell is like bad perfume and lots of it. I had an accident prior to the onset of this problem. To me, the olfactory issues are very bothersome and they are affecting my daily life. I have not been able to get a diagnosis or find a specialist or someone experienced in my area.