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Subscribe to RSSWhen Bridget Lewis began to lose her sense of smell, her friends and family thought she couldn't be serious.
"Everyone thought I was joking," says Lewis, who's 42 and lives in Arlington, Texas. "My mom even had fun with it, and 'tested' me. She asked me to hold out my tongue and had my little sister grab things from the kitchen, like Tabasco sauce and lemon juice and they squeezed drops of it on my tongue! When they saw I had no reaction, they believed me."
In Lewis's case, a severe bronchial infection stole her sense of smell in 2002; nine years later, it's only partially returned. Most of us have experienced a temporarily diminished sense of smell -- it's part of the super fun side effects of a cold, along with the dripping nose and general malaise. But before it happened to her, Lewis says she didn't even realize a long term loss of smell was even possible -- there is blindness, and deafness, but many people aren't familiar with the word for a lost sense of smell: anosmia.
"It's not as dehabilitating [as losing other senses]," says Dr. Beverly Cowart of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. "But I think people find it hard to relate to; I think people don't appreciate how much they use their sense of smell."
An estimated 1 to 2 percent of people in North America say they have a smell disorder, according to government figures. It's more common in men than in women, and it's much more common in older people, occurring in nearly 25 percent of men aged 60 to 69 and 11 percent of women in that age range, according to the National Institutes of Health.
High inside your nose is a grouping of cells called olfactory sensory neurons. These neurons each possess an odor receptor, which picks up on the tiny molecules released by things like a just-peeled orange, a bag of microwaved popcorn or your coworker's tuna fish lunch. The neurons then pass the information to your brain, which interprets the smell.
As Cowart explains, there are a few common ways to lose your sense of smell: a chronic nasal sinus disease, a viral infection, inhaling something toxic or a head injury. Unlike most nerves, the brain's olfactory nerve fibers are continuously replaced, "so occasionally people can gradually regain their sense of smell as new fibers grow in." And some people are born without the ability to smell.
Lacking a sense of smell can be dangerous -- anosmics wouldn't notice a gas leak, or the smell of smoke. Personal hygiene is a big worry for some. "The biggest effect is on food-flavor perception," Cowart says. "It actually creates social difficulties for people. Sometimes, people become more isolated; they don't go out as much."
Smelly stuff reaches the olfactory neurons in one of two ways: either through your nostrils, or through a pathway connecting the roof of your throat to your nose. If that second passageway is blocked, we're unable to pick up on the odors -- and, consequently, the flavors -- emitted by food.
One rainy day four years ago while Lewis was pregnant, she remembers bursting into tears over her anosmia."I was sad and I think depressed because I realized I couldn't smell the rain ... and realized I wouldn't be able to smell the scent of my newborn," Lewis remembers. "Horrible day."
On the upside, potentially smelly tasks like cleaning out the fridge don't bother her at all -- but she adds that she tends to go overboard. "I have always been scared that I could make our daughter sick — if I even suspect something has been in the fridge for too long, I throw it out. I've also burned many pots and foods in the oven because as they cooked, I couldn't smell them!"
Have you or a family member lost the ability to smell? How has it impacted your life?
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I lose my smell every winter from nasal polyp flair ups usually starting with a head cold. I take Allegra D, Nasacort, Nasal Irrigation twice daily with Budesodine but nothing works. Just started last ditch attempt today with a nasal nebulizer with Budesodine. If that doesn't work after 30 days it will be back to Prednisone, the nastiest of steroids. So far it's the only thing that shrinks the polyps and brings back the smell and taste.
I temporarily (thank goodness) lost my sense of smell twice. Both times doctors assumed it was lost due to a viral infection, though they always seem to assume that when no other cause is obvious. When the sense of smell returned, I believe, though can't prove, the sense's acuity was diminished. It was surprisingly distressing, and I have greatest sympathy for those whose sense of smell is permanently gone. It was a very strange feeling; sniffing at the mouth of an open bottle of ammonia and feeling the fumes burn my nasal membranes but have no sense of its odor.
i've enjoyed reading all the experiences people have had with too much to too little sense of smell. I lost my smell when i fell down a flight of stairs and was in a coma for 3 days. (mid 1990's) I'm happy to have recovered with ONLY the loss of smell. My doctor said I could have easily been blinded or dead from my injury. I've always enjoyed cooking and have wondered how it affected my tastes, i'm totally into hot, spicy, savory, salty deliciousness, and hate sweets. I get a whiff of hot peppers cooking, garlic and coffee, but not much else, but luckily i can taste. Trust me, i still got skills in the kitchen. I too worry about fires, stinkin' and wearing dirty clothes. I wash towels after a hot minute. Can't smell if my kids are smoking. I miss smelling Fahrenheit on a man. (do they even still make that?) and i haven't worn any perfume in forever. :( i wish a stupid neli pot would fix this, but i think i broke an olfactory nerve or two in the tumble. I would definitely pay for a fix, but am thankful none the less.
Ah, Fahrenheit Cologne by Christian Dior! Yes, they still make it, or at least you can still buy it. I can't smell the stuff, but I remember. Interesting how you can smell peppers. That was one of my first returning odors, too. (See the 'Toemoss post' in the general comments section.) I love to cook, have a fire in the fireplace, & burn candles, but I have trained myself to watch them all like a hawk. I, too, have lost the desire for sweets, though. Hmmm.
I lost my sense of smell after I had my first baby at 25yrs. I have 3 girls now at 34 yrs and I have no idea how they smell. That is the one thing that saddens me the most. I had 3 small fires in my kitchen because of over cooked food and over heated oil. NO serious damages or injuries but very scary. I throw away alot of food because I can't tell if it's spoiled and I hate to taste it so I'd rather pitch it. I miss the smell of my old perfumes and my husband's cologne. Only 2 reasons I would want my sense of smell back is to smell my children and to smell danger!!! Other than that I can live without having to smell nasty public bathrooms, dead skunks, and human BO.
That is probably temporary. have a nice winter.
"Hi. My name is Michael, and I am a Nosi." "Hi! Michael!" My anosmia is the result of a near-fatal bout of viral encephalitis back in 1988. The virus traveled up my olfactory canal into the olfactory center and did it's worst. I felt obliged to accept the prognosis that I would never smell anything again, and thus never taste anything, as well. As time passed I realized the sense of smell is not quite that simple. An article I read years ago (and I wish I could cite it!) put it very nicely: Most people smell in color. Anosmiacs smell in black and white. No, we may not be able to identify a substance simply by having a drop placed on our tongue, but we can differentiate hot/cold, sweet/tart, spicy/mild. That, coupled with an enhanced attention to textures, acidities, elasticities, edibilities, digestabilities etc. and we can come pretty close to identifying what we are chewing.
In retrospect I've realized that I consider myself fortunate that it was my sense of smell I lost and not touch...or sound....or sight.
I'm not sure when I lost my sense of smell. I am 60 years old and got polio when I was 2. I now have PPS, a later in life return of symptoms which include muscle atrophy etc. I also have fallen three times and hit my head very hard. It could be any of these. My sense of smell is not completely gone, but I have to have something right under my nose to smell it. The most humiliating thing is when people at work "get wind" of it and play jokes on me to see if it's really true. It's so embarassing. I avoid people who I know have a keen sense of smell, and I have avoided social situations because of it.
Somewhat comforting to realize that there are quite a few people in the world that either have lost their sense of smell or have heightened sense of smell. Between constant sinus/allergies problems and being struck by lightning almost 5 years ago, I can barely smell anything anymore. I do know when someone wears entirely too much perfume/cologne only because it affects my breathing. Also have found that I need to have very spicy food anymore for it to not taste bland and/or without taste. Oh well such is life I suppose.
I have asthma, chronic sinusitis and allergies. When I first had problems with my sense of smell and taste it was in the form of everything smelling and tasting extremely nasty. That was around 1991. That was when I first found out I had a major sinus infection that needed surgery. After that my sense of smell and taste gradually returned. But over the years I've had to have several more sinus surgeries and my sense of smell and taste keep getting worse. I'll go for long periods of time without being able to smell or taste anything. Sometimes it will clear up a little and I'll catch whiffs of scents. Right now it's cleared up enough that I can smell different scents as I walk through my office building. I recently started using a neti pot and it really does make a difference and has contributed to easing my allergies and helping restore some of my sense of smell.
I also worry about whether or not I smell, if my home smells, if my car smells, or my office. I don't know by smell if food has gone bad so I'm constantly throwing food away. I miss some scents, especially during the holidays. However, I work in social services and have to deal with a lot of low-income people, some who have very low personal hygiene standards and I definitely don't miss those smells. My staff love it too because they can get away with giving me the smelly clients and I don't even know!
My husband has a reduced sense of smell due to chronic allergies. He uses a really heavy hand when seasoning so often I can't eat his cooking (tabasco, pepper, chile powder, etc). If I'm trying to decide if food in the fridge smells off, he is no help.
Interesting reading to be sure!!!! Anosmia - a new word for me. I am wondering if PPS is responsible for the late onset progressive loss of taste and smell OR if this is a harbinger of Alzheimers. I live alone, and did recently give myself a case of food poisoning - probably from some chicken. I am not certain. No candles, no more smoking, no fire in the fireplace - so I have reduced the possible fire sources. I wish I could say that I have lost weight along with these other losses! I think I keep hoping that the taste will be back in the "next" bite!!!
Lost my sense of smell about 10 years ago after a motorcycle accident where I suffered severe damage to my nose & the rest of my mug. I didn't mind too much, at first. Smells, though interesting, were an accessory to life in my mind. (A 'guy' thing, maybe). I began to realize how much I missed smells, like the entry above who missed the smell of rain & her newborn, when I started to get the sense back. I remember smelling chilis roasting at the farmers' market. Then I smelled lilacs at my mother's house, a smell reminding me of my childhood. As my sense of smell returns, little by little, I now appreciate it much, much more! Even the grease & sweat smells of my workplace.
"I've gone smell blind."
Wow, finally a news article about this!
I went from 1983-2000 without a sense of smell. It was awful. I couldn't tell the difference between coffee and tea, but I knew if it had sugar in it or not. I wasted years and lots of money on allergists (because I always had a stuffy nose). Finally, I saw an otolaryngologist with diagnosed me with chronic nasal polyps. I had the surgery, I could breath perfectly through my nose, and about 6 months later, my sense of smell suddenly came back. I have to get the surgery about every 6 years, because they do grow back.
I too, used to get a short course of prednisone around Christmas and once in the summer, so I could smell things for a few days.
Not having the ability to smell and taste changed me as a person. I got terribly sick once from guzzling milk that was just starting to "go". So, even though I have full sense of smell and taste today, I have a paranoid obsession with expiration dates. I used to have my wife smell things for me to tell me if they were spoiled or if the t-shirt was clean, or if -I- smelled! I used way too much salt on everything. I couldn't tell the difference between cheap steak and filet mignon. And I am VERY VERY sensitive to the texture of food.
It did have some advantages. I could walk into the filthiest gas station men's room and not keel over. Cleaning up after the dog or changing a diaper - no problem. But, like one person already feared, I -DID- have a gas leak in my apartment and I was blissfully unaware. If my girlfriend didn't happen to come over that day, I might have died or blown the building up. I could go to someone's house for dinner and eat the worst cooked meal ever and not care. Because brussel sprouts, carrots, corn on the cob and cauliflower all taste the same! - NO taste!
If you have lost your sense of smell and you don't know why, the FIRST thing you should do is find an otolaryngologist (ears, nose and throat doctor) .
Oto.... In plane words a senses healer right?
I would die without a sense of smell or taste.
They dont. When they are pregnant they still have excellent sense of smell, after a while they just get their smell back.
my father lost his sense of smell in a fourwheeler accident. he can still smell very strong or obnoxious things like cigarette smoke and amonia but not things like the smell of flowers or scented candles and (from what he tells me) his sense of taste is just the same as when he had his sense of smell. i think it varies from person to person when it comes to the taste and smell connection.
One of the worst things ... Lost mine after a mild cold and the use of the nasal spray Zicam. Eating was terrible I loaded everything up with mustard and hot sauce, doused my fork of food before it entered my mouth. My sense of smell was gone for almost two years. It is back now, but still only at about 80%. I even missed the bad smells...
I understand this happened to a number of Zicam users. Directions used to advise to spray Zicam into the nose, they don't anymore, now the directions are to spray into the mouth, which should be safe.
Hi Shelley:
Sorry for your loss. When you say your's is "80%" back, how do you quantify that? Are there certain things you still can't smell?
I've heard from some doctors that in order to expedite cell regeneration, I need to "use it or lose it." In other words, he's encouraging me to regularly go around the house and smell things. So, I'll often open up bottles in my spice rack, gauging whether or not they have a smell or not, then move on to the next spice.
I do this for most things in my house, except for the dangerous chemically items like alcohol or cleaners.
Don't know if this "use it or lose it" routine will help, but at this point I'd dance on the moon if I knew it'd do any good. :)
You do loose the sense of taste along with the sense of smell.
I have lived with a very limited sense of smell (and taste) for very long now and I am not old. It comes and goes but sense of smell is usually non-existent. I think it may be a sinus infection which I have had diagnosed before. Had a rash once and the doctor gave me a one-time pill that they usually give for women's yeast infections and my sense of smell and taste came back for awhile.
One doctor "nuked" it with penicillin for a bit.
I can almost always smell gasoline but that is about all most of the time.
It is very tiresome and possibly dangerous to not be able to smell (and taste).
WOW! Thank you! I thought I was the only one. I don't wear perfume, because all I smell is the alcohol! Whenever I try to explain it, people don't seem to understand. It can be quite a sickening smell.
I am excitted to know my "condition" has a name and that I am not such a freak. I grew up without a sense of smell. I always pretended to smell things when friends and family would ask me to smell something, responding usually by following their reactions. I thought I was "retarded" because I already was living with a learning disability. My own mother did not even know until I was in collage and got fed up with faking it. My hygiene habits are very strict as I fear the embarrassment of being smelly. The only time I "think" I smell something" is when I first walk into my closed up home when food is in the slow cooker or in the oven , such as a roast coming home from church.
I don't believe I taste things the way others do. I taste salty, very sweet and texture. I am very picky and have poor eating habits. I don't like foods that are too crunchy, funny looking, mushy, cold, slimy...for example jello is gross where pudding is creamy. Salads are very bland....I go carnivore just lukewarm lettuce, meat, cheese and ranch. My friends always joke I am going to get scurvy. :) I struggle with my weight as I dislike most veggies.
I am now a Environmental Health Specialist ( food inspector) and did not realize until after I took this career path that this would be a disadvantage. Once again I fake it! It I question something, I pretend to sniff, make a questioning face and ask the owner/manager to sniff. Most don't even question it. I don't play with date marking, if they don't use it they are out of compliance. I never keep food more then 7 days in my refrigerator. I am also the first one called to the scene of a hoarder home or sewage complaint by my co-workers. The police and social workers may be barfing in bushes while I take pictures around them!
I don't miss not smelling manure, skunks, farts, smelly people, litter boxes and sewage. I wish I could smell; flowers, perfume, me, loved ones, clean linens, new cars, smoke and gas for fear of leaks, my home, my pets, candles and the ocean. If the Lord decided to give me a challenge, I am blessed that it is just my smell. He has blessed me overall!
Thank you for all the comments and the article....I love not being alone or a freak! :)
My sense of smell was dampened and altered when I had H1N1 flu nearly two years ago. Everything smelled odd -- hard to describe -- and I lost my appetite. My sense of smell has only partially returned and a lot of foods taste very bland. Like some of the other writers, I'm hyper-vigilant about potentially spoiled foods, housekeeping and hygiene -- because I can't smell when something is amiss.
I had that after a severe case of the flu in 1997. My sense of smell returned after about a year, but sometimes it can be a little off again when I have a severe cold or flu.
Wear a hat wintertime. I am not sure you like or hate to lose your smell, (here on this board some even finds advantages) but I have a good instinct.
Smell is important. can you distinguish among french Chanel 5 and generic Chanel 5?
I can; despite I smoke, I like spicy food and even I am an old man.
I guess nicotine awakes the sense of smell. The "Fifth Avenue" is not just in a casket shape of bottle.
lost mine with a serious head contusion..... miss some things, but can still cook, socialize, have sex, shower normally, and all those things they say i'll be freaked out about!!! Life is good, and there are benefits as well as costs, but I'm not going to flip out about what I cannot control.
I’m one of those people who suffer from hyposmia (reduced sense of smell) following a bad cold. It’s about as terrible as one can imagine.
Articles on the subject suggest that it’s not on the scale of losing other senses, but at this point, I’d greedily take deafness if it meant getting my full sense of smell back. It’s that depressing.
Imagine not being able to smell wine. You hold a glass to your nose and smell nothing but blank air. You tilt the glass slowly to your mouth, take a sip, and all you detect are bitter, sweet, salty and sour notes.
Ingesting food and wine are now chores to me…things to do out of necessity, not to be enjoyed or savored. And it’s not something that can be ignored…it requires addressing every time the stomach growls…about three times a day, every day, for the rest of your life.
There is no cure. The virus partially destroyed the olfactory nerves high up in my nose. They may regenerate, but I know from exhaustive online research and consultations with taste & smell specialists that even if I do regain some function –which could take years– it won’t ever again be 100%.
The only good side to this for me is that I can still smell the additive added to natural gas, an important consideration if you have a gas stove and don’t want to die in your sleep. I can still smell the mint leaves growing in my herb garden. Stronger spices, like cumin and curry, can be detected, even though the more subtle nutmeg, bay leaf and most mild cheeses like mozzarella cannot. So, in that sense, I’m one of the lucky ones.
But, trust me, I don’t feel lucky.
my ex-husband was a cop in new orleans during katrina. he lost his sense of smell for several months, mostly (in my opinion) because between dead bodies of people and pets and thousands and thousands of reeking refrigerators baking in the august heat, his mind shut it off to keep him from going crazy.