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 0496

I recently, at age 36, started smelling something burning, but there is nothing burning.

case 0497

About six months ago I noticed an unusual smell that seemed to be inside of my nose. It has gotten stronger and masks other smells, like those of perfumes, cooking food, and smoke. The smell is stronger when my head is in a slightly elevated (semi-fowler) position. Any time I put my chin towards my chest the smell is intensified. Doctors examined my nose and no physical cause for the phantom smells was discovered. I cannot identify the smell. It is like nothing I have ever smelled before. It's just nasty and it is driving me crazy!

case 0498

A year ago my wife and I both caught a bad cold. Shortly afterwards we noticed that we couldn't smell anything anymore. Some weeks later my wife regained part of her sense of smell but mine has not returned.

case 0499

I have asthma which is controlled by medication. However, since this month I have lost my sense of smell, and occasionally my sense of taste.

case 0500

I had a viral infection that lasted a few weeks. Afterwards I noticed that my senses of smell and taste had gone. I think they had gone before the virus but I was too distressed to notice. Since then I smell strange odors, some metallic and some smoky. I also suddenly get cravings to taste many flavors.

case 0501

Three years ago I started smelling a persistent smell. It was with me everywhere. I finally figured out that it was a body lotion that I was wearing but the smell never quit. I quit using the lotion. Now if I smell a strong smell it stays with me for days. I have asked my husband if he smells it and the answer is always "no". It is not a phantom smell. I smell a cooking odor and the problem is that it stays with me for days. It is usually a sweet, slightly burnt smell. Like a roast that has been cooked just a little too long in the oven. It seems to be triggered by cooking smells. It drives me crazy.

case 0502

For a decade or more I've experienced hyposmia. As a consequence I've felt a want for more flavorful food. For instance I never used salt in my cooking and as little sugar as possible, yet began over the last few years. The odd thing is that while many common everyday smells escape me, I seem to have a heightened sense of picking up chemical smells that others don't. When I walk past one of those dreadful nail salons or a new shop being outfitted or someone who's just had a cigarette outside then comes near me.... I'm thrown into nostril attacked revulsion. Perhaps this is more about chemical sensitivity, because I've used as-natural-as-possible products for many years to the point where I cannot sniff a bar of supermarket soap without the caustic soda hurting the back of my nostrils. Organic smells have to be quite bad for me to pick them up — and even then I am often not aware of them except for the odd whiff. This includes my own body odor, the compost pile in my kitchen, when the carpet in my old leaky car gets drenched and then stinks, or when a rodent carcass is hidden somewhere.

case 0503

A year ago a number of my senses became heightened, including my sense of smell. In particular, I seemed to have an increased awareness of heating systems. My sensitivity to the fumes from wood burning stoves, gas furnaces, and oil furnaces increased immensely. I suddenly started smelling the exhaust from these systems while walking in neighborhoods I had been consistently walking in for years without ever noticing the smells. Now my sensitivity to these fumes is still heightened although I think it has slightly diminished from its height.

case 0504

Approximately eight months ago, I noticed that I had started salting my food, which is unusual for me, and then, while preparing dinner, I noticed I could not smell dinner cooking. I then began consciously trying to smell various substances. I could smell virtually nothing. In these last months, I have only smelled three things that I can recall: horse droppings, my little grandson's feet, and onions. I still can taste food but my husband has to do the tasting when I am preparing dishes with subtle flavors.

case 0505

I think I had a normal sense of smell as a child and young adult. At the age of 35 I became interested in cooking and realized how poor my sense of smell was. The more I got into cooking the more irritating this has become. I guard against overseasoning because I don't detect what others do. I can't smell spoiled milk or meat unless it is really gone over.

case 0506

I injured my head and had pain for about a month. As that subsided I developed a head cold and blocked sinuses. I cannot breathe through my nose at night which is very uncomfortable. For the past month I have noticed that I cannot really smell anything, though my sense of taste is pretty okay.

case 0507

I have a long standing cough and was recently diagnosed with bronchiectasis. My sense of smell has been fading for a long time. I now have practically lost my sense of smell completely, such that I cannot smell Vick on my handkerchief.

case 0508

I had sinus surgery four months ago. Six days later I hemorrhaged. I have chronic rhinitis now. My smell has gradually gotten worse. I can't smell anything now. This is very depressing.

case 0509

About two or three times a year I smell an unidentifiable smell. It started 15 years ago. The smell is always the same in nature and usually it is aggravated by other odors. It's really very unpleasant.

case 0510

My loss of smell was gradual. I used to suffer from severe colds and I believe that this may have been among the causes. My mother also suffers from the same condition. Perhaps my condition is hereditary, though no-one else in our family has reported any loss of their sense of smell. I began to notice the loss of smell about five years ago. At that point I was unable to taste strawberries, vanilla ice cream and then mint, which are among my favorite foods. I went to the seaside two years ago, but was unable to smell the sea and I felt quite sad about this. Also, on rainy days, I am unable to smell the damp earth or freshly cut grass — things most people take for granted. The other day I went to house in which there was a gas leak. I was totally unaware of this. My loss of smell also means that I need to take extra care while cooking since I won't know if the food is burning. I used various nasal sprays, some of which worked temporarily. On a positive note, if a strongly perfumed item is placed close to my nose, I am often able to smell it. And on rare occasions, my sense of smell returns sporadically. I really appreciate and make the most of situations as such.