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 0303

My sense of smell began fading over the course of a year. Ironically, it occurred during the same year that I quit smoking. I had a couple of colds/sinusitis symptoms before and after onset. The last odor that I experienced was a faint whiff of peanut butter after opening a jar. Since then, I have had no sense of smell whatsoever. I was evaluated by an ear nose throat physician. Cause was ruled possibly viral, but inconclusive.

case 0304

I was born without a sense of smell. I didn't tell anyone until I was in my 30s.

case 0305

I had a particularly vicious viral infection two months ago. Following recovery I noticed no more smell or taste. I took antibiotics and prednisone, but my condition did not improve. I can pick up a "sense" of very strong odors (incense); very spicy foods trick my brain to sense flavor but I don't taste them. I'm not depressed.

case 0306

I noticed that I was losing my sense of smell a couple of years ago. Last year I started to get an unusual smell in my head. It smelled like I was stuck behind a school bus all the time. I would sometimes wake up with the smell. This smell has since gone away. The specialist said everything looked fine and there was nothing he could do. Now I virtually have no sense of smell and sometimes I get a rare taste of what I am eating.

case 0307

Eight years ago I have undergone an operation due to meningioma that affected my eyesight. The tumor was right in front of the meninges that is covering the optic nerve. About a month after the operation my sense of smell started diminishing. Up to this day, my sense of smell is completely gone. 

case 0308

I first found out I could not smell in elementary school. My friends were sniffing scented coloring markers and judging whether the description was accurate or not, which was strongest, and which they liked the most. I could not smell any of them at all. I simply pretended that I could smell, following along with what others said or simply reading or identifying the photo on the side of the marker.

case 0309

Just last week I started to think someone around me was smoking. This was while I was in my cubicle at work. I thought cigarette smoke from outside came into the building through the cooling system. Now at home today I am starting to smell the same thing. I am not sure what to think now.

case 0310

Since I was a child I've suffered from seasonal allergies. Over the last two years, I've noticed my sense of smell rapidly decreasing. Today, I am not able to smell anything, even odors that would alert to danger, rotting garbage, spoiled food, smoke, animal excrement, my own body odor (after exercise) or excrement. Nothing! Strong odors such as those inside a hobby store where the candles, potpourri, and fragrant oils are kept go undetected by my nose. These types of overpowering, artificial scents would have given me great headaches in the past. I think I've gained weight as a result of my loss of my sense of smell. I get the taste for certain foods, but my appetite isn't satisfied because I cannot fully enjoy the foods I eat because I can't smell them. A sense of smell may seem like no big deal to some, but I truly miss it and am self-conscious that I will not notice offensive odors in my own house or on my person while others might.

case 0311

I had sinus problems and used nasal spray. My sinus improved but several months later I discovered that I have lost my sense of smell. Occasionally I regain my ability to smell, but only temporarily.

case 0312

Seven years ago I had a very bad cold. I took the standard cold medicines. I was also taking a steroid regimen to try to push my eczema into remission. After five days I was beginning to get better. My nasal passages were starting to clear. I picked something up to smell it out of habit and realized I couldn't smell anything. Most smells that come through do not smell like they are supposed to smell. The most common scent is mold/mildew. Salad smells like mold, melons smell/taste like mold. Needless to say the lack of smell greatly affects my sense of taste. I cannot discern between chocolate and strawberry ice cream for example. I now find I eat for texture rather than taste. Crunch is good. What I continue to find strange is that when I get a craving, say for a hamburger straight from the grill, and I fulfill that craving, I find that I am completely satisfied even though I didn't taste one bite.

case 0313

Eleven months ago, I suffered brain trauma as a result of a fall. All of the problems I had after the fall have improved over time except my sense of smell which I have lost completely. It has not returned. Doctors tell me that it will not come back.

case 0314

When I was 10, I underwent open skull surgery for aspiration of subarachnoid cyst in my brain which was above the hypothalamus and pressing on the optic nerves. After the surgery, although I had not noticed it first because of more severe problems, I found out that I had totally lost my sense of smell.

case 0315

I never had a sense of smell. I've been to so many doctors here in New Zealand but they said that we don't have the resources for treatment available here.

case 0316

After a hoarse throat and stuffy nose four years ago I lost my sense of smell. My doctor, allergy specialists, and acupuncturist could not help me. I still have no sense of smell.

case 0317

I don't remember ever having a sense of smell. For me, trying to understand how something smells is like a person who has been blind since birth trying to understand colors. I cannot comprehend it. When I was younger it never really mattered. I can't smell, but I can taste. I don't know if my sense of taste is the same as other peoples'. As I've grown older, I always thought I'd never want to have it fixed. I always thought it would be some sort of "sensory overload" — always catching whiffs of things and never being able to concentrate, constantly being distracted. Not long ago someone commented about the idea of pheromones. They said that a big part of being attracted to someone is the scent of pheromones. Recently I have started to take a greater interest in this idea, seeing as I'm getting older and have always been curious about my struggles with lasting relationships. Basically I have become afraid: does my lack of sense of smell keep me from finding someone I'd like to spend the rest of my life with? Is there a relationship between anosmia and not detecting pheromones, causing one to fall out of "love" or "like" with partners very quickly?