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 0912

A head trauma at the age of 17 resulted in a concussion. I was in the hospital for a while, eating hospital food, and never noticed anything. I then asked parents to bring a hamburger (which I used to like) but when I ate it, it tasted like cardboard. That was first indication something was wrong. Later my doctor informed me of correlation between concussions and anosmia. It didn't bother me for over ten years. But in my late 30s it became more and more of an issue. I noticed a lack of strong memory for anything after the age of 17. It also has led to reduced feelings of intimacy with my partners. When I was 16 I had a girlfriend, and when she was away for stretches of time I was very cognizant of the way she smelled and would imagine it while on phone with her. I've never had that and the ensuing emotional attachment with anyone after the head trauma. I also have phantom smells, of course, like a missing limb. I'm very prone to suggestion.

case 0913

After many years of constant sinus infections and congestion I lost my smell at the age of 30. I also have asthma and nasal polyps. At one point I suddenly started getting severe blockage and lots of blood when blowing my nose and my sense of smell vanished. Since then I have no sense of smell except for short periods when I'm treated with prednisone which used to help get my sense of smell back. Along with my sense of smell I also lost my sense of taste. I love to cook and my life has always involved cooking and tasting. Now I cook from memory. Salty, sweet, spicy, or sour are now the only tastes I have to go on and this kills me. I work with chemicals and have to be careful to avoid overexposure to solvents and other volatiles. I think the labeling of anosmia as a low risk disability is rather absurd. I never get the rush of memories anymore when that pot of sauce is simmering, I don't get that endorphin rush when I smell that certain perfume on a woman. I never know if there are bad fumes in the air. One time I almost passed out do to using a mislabeled bottle of solvent. I come across many things every day that have a huge effect on my body and brain that I didn't know about before losing my sense of smell. Every day is just bland without smells.

case 0914

I am a lifeguard and part of my job is to put chlorine in the swimming pool. Seven months into this job I lost my sense of smell and I suspect it is because of the chlorine.

case 0915

I noticed about four years ago that I couldn't smell most things. I only could faintly smell some perfume odors if they were placed on my hand and I placed my hand under my nose. Even strong odors like coffee or gasoline I can hardly smell.

case 0916

I experienced a change in my sense of smell. Coffee, cigarette smoke, and car exhaust all smell alike. I can't taste chocolate. Shampoo and soaps smell weird. Aromatic hydrocarbons smell somewhat like pepper mixed with rust dust.

case 0917

Over the last couple of years I've noticed that upon being exposed to cigarette smoke, I have a mysterious reaction that lasts two to three weeks. I have a persistent sensation of smelling cigar smoke. I am not a smoker and don't normally expose myself to smoky environments. It's a constant background scent, and often causes me to think that I'm actually smelling a real odor. The first time it happened I was convinced the odor was something lingering in my clothes or some sort of horribly persistent body odor that wouldn't wash off. This began after I had been to a house where people were smoking on the porch and there was a noticeable smoke odor in the house. The next day was when the cigar smoke scent began to bother me. No one had been smoking cigars, only cigarettes, so the odor is related yet different. Over the last two years I've had incidents like this occur about five times. I used to smoke but quit several decades ago. For the past ten years or so I have suffered fairly constant rhinitis and post nasal drip, persistent but mild. I know that my sense of smell is diminished compared to when I was younger.

case 0918

Gradually, over the last five years, I have lost my sense of smell of coffee, fresh flowers, perfumes, and food cooking on the stove. I cannot even smell smoke from an open fire at a barbeque. I have gone to an ear nose throat doctor but I am still unable to smell anything.

case 0919

Two years ago I had an accident and injured my head. During treatment I noticed that I had lost my sense of smell. There were no other lasting effects. My doctor told me that my sense of smell may return in the future and he suggested yoga and pranayama. There was no improvement. I now have no sense of smell for two years and I am worried about it. Travelling and cooking has become very difficult for me.

case 0920

For the last eight years I cannot sense any smells. My doctor told me that it is because of a small tumor in my nose. I'm taking medicine that brings back my sense of smell, but as soon as I stop taking the medicine, I lose my sense of smell again.

case 0921

About four years ago I started losing my sense of smell. Now I have no smell at all. I have been diagnosed with a spur in the left nostril and polyps.

case 0922

The first time I realized that there was something wrong with my sense of smell was somebody could smell gas from the stove and I couldn't. Since then I noticed that I cannot smell coffee brewing, bacon cooking, or anything else for that matter. Now I live alone and have to triple check all the gas jets as often as needed. I have had two ear nose throat specialists look into the problem. I now go through life not able to smell anything.

case 0923

I always had a somewhat poor sense of smell. Last week I noticed, when trying to catch a whiff of citronella fragrance from a bottle, that I was barely able to catch the scent.