Do you have / think you might have Phantosmia?

[Nathan]

phantosmia

An olfactory hallucination (phantosmia) makes you detect smells that aren't really present in your environment. The odors detected in phantosmia vary from person to person and may be foul or pleasant. They can occur in one or both nostrils. The phantom smell may seem to always be present or it may come and go.

I've had this condition(I believe) ever since I treated for Hepatitis C. One of the drugs- Interferon (alfa-2b) was powerful enough to cause damage in my central nervous system. Some of the smells I experience are:
a chemical or metallic smell
a spoiled or rotting smell
a stale or moldy smell
...with the chemical or metallic smell being the most common, almost like car exhaust. BUT, unlikely to be real, just some sort of malfunction of my olfactory sensors, or perhaps a lesion in my brain-stem that's gone undetected.
Like many of my medical complaints, there seems to be no detectable cause, and certainly no cure. I think that's due to the low severity of the symptoms, thus little motivation on the part of my health care provider to investigate.

 

[oldaunt]

I often smell food that isn't there......

 

[Alligatorob]

Do you have / think you might have Phantosmia?

Never heard the word, thanks for teaching me something.

My wife probably thinks I have it, I complain about the cat smell more than she would like. In reality I think my sense of smell is just fine, not sure about hers though...

 

[JonSR77]

Phantosmia: What causes olfactory hallucinations?​

(from the Mayo Clinic)

What causes olfactory hallucinations (phantosmia)?​

Answer From Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...eizure/expert-answers/phantosmia/faq-20058131

 

[Nathan]

Phantosmia: What causes olfactory hallucinations?
(from the Mayo Clinic)
What causes olfactory hallucinations (phantosmia)?
Answer From Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...eizure/expert-answers/phantosmia/faq-20058131

From the article:

Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors and Parkinson's disease.

My sinuses are chronically jacked up for sure, I guess I'm lucky I can smell anything at all. My future SIL(age 33) lost his sense of smell due to Covid, I'll have to ask him if any smell has returned.

 

[Lawrence]

I smell smells that are not there, but I am not sure I have phantosmia. Sometimes I smell horse and think that my horse who is passed on has come back to see me. When he was alive, I would be far away from him, then I would smell horse and think that he is thinking of me. The same has happened with dogs that I have had. I have smelled other things also, like I can watch TV and see someone smoking a cigarette and I can smell it or see on TV a ship at sea and smell the fresh ocean air with the salty briny smell. When I smell roses, I think there may be angels by me or when I smell death something evil is around.

 

[dseag2]

Many scientists have connected the sense of smell with vivid memories. I can still remember the scent of certain colognes that I wore in the 70's.

https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-associate-memories-so-strongly-with-specific-smells-5203963#:~:text=Scientists believe that smell and,very vivid when it happens.

 

[carouselsilver]

I was told by a doctor that I had this; and I have experienced the chemical smell so strong that I couldn't enjoy food for weeks. I also get the rotting vegetation smell. It comes and goes, as well; sometimes for months it seems normal than I start smelling things that aren't there. It sucks!

 

[RubyK]

I was a smoker many years ago and like @Lawrence, I can smell cigarettes when someone is smoking in a movie on TV.

 

[Murrmurr]

I do. Usually either something very similar to a really hot engine, or pond lilies. Those smells are the most frequent and they're very strong, but I do smell other things too, but more faintly. It happens once a month, sometimes less, sometimes it lasts for several days and sometimes just an hour or so.

The cause is a severe head injury about 30yrs ago.

 

[Murrmurr]

I was a smoker many years ago and like @Lawrence, I can smell cigarettes when someone is smoking in a movie on TV.

I totally get that.

 

[Lavinia]

An unusual smell can sometimes be the first symptom of illness. Apparently, a sweet smell was the first sign of the bubonic plague. Some women experience odd smells when they are pregnant.