Sometimes in meetings we are asked to share a little-known fact about ourselves as an “icebreaker.” (I hate icebreakers, by the way.) But my fact is always the same and I think it’s pretty interesting: I can’t smell. Now, if I stick my nose right up to an open bottle of ammonia or acetone and snort, I can smell that, but that’s pretty much all I can ever smell. Which might explain why we have three dogs.
I’m not really sure how this happened; neither are doctors. If I ever had a sense of smell, I was too little to remember it, so it’s not like I “remember” what oranges smell like or anything like that. I had surgery to remove some polyps (really gross) when I was in eighth grade, but all that resulted in was a completely random, gushing bloody nose that ruined my brand new Z-Cavaricci shirt in the middle of Mr. Zimmerman’s science class. I had to go to the nurse and she gave me a replacement t-shirt from the lost and found. I still have that t-shirt actually; sometimes I wear it to bed. But anyway…
It wasn’t until college that I found out that this problem actually has a name: anosmia. It’s the absence of ability to smell. Most of my friends and family forget that I can’t smell on a pretty regular basis; I suppose it’s not a disability that you can really see. This happens all of the time:
Stacy’s Mom: “Oooh, smell this candle!”
Stacy: …………….
Stacy’s Mom: …Oh!! WHY do I always DO that?!
My friends aren’t quite as nice about it:
Stacy’s friend Lisa: “Don’t you just love the smell of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies? Oh, I forgot, YOU WOULDN’T KNOW. HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!”
It was really awkward when I worked at Sephora. People would ask me about fragrances and I didn’t want to launch into this whole history about how I am unable to smell, so at first I just lied to the customers.
Customer: “What does this smell like to you?”
Stacy: “Smells… vanilla…ish… with a hint of floral… and musk… and citrus… maybe some sandalwood? Do I detect a top note of rose hips?”
But I felt really bad about doing that, so I would just say, “Oh, I’m really stuffed up right now,” and leave it at that. I was recently doing a little research on my condition and came across a few interesting facts I thought were particularly _flossy.
• You can be anosmic to just one smell – so maybe you can smell everything else under the sun, but you absolutely cannot smell brownies. Wouldn’t that be strange? Or maybe a blessing.
• When people find out I can’t smell, 95 percent of the time the next question is, “Can you taste anything, then?” Yep. I like things that taste really strong — really sour, sweet, bitter, etc. I love sauerkraut right out of the can, for example. I suspect maybe I’m a congenital anosmiac (had it since birth) because it is said that those people don’t have a problem with lack of taste whereas people with sudden onset anosmia often find food completely unappetizing.
• Notable anosmiacs include Bill Pullman, Stevie Wonder and William Wordsworth. Rumor has it that Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s is an anosmiac, and that’s why their ice cream is often so tactile. Mmm.
• Some people go undiagnosed for a long time, because as children they just pretended to smell things because they thought that it was a sense you acquired as you got older. I don’t know if mine was so much a case of this – it was more that I didn’t realize how things should smell. Kind of like the first time you get glasses you’re like, “Ohhh, that’s what things are supposed to look like!”
• Anosmia can be a sign of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Disease.
• On a somewhat-related note, phantosmia is smelling things that aren’t there, kind of like having a phantom limb. It seems to often be an unpleasant smell – common ones are smoke, rotting flesh, vomit and poo.
• On the other hand, parosmia is when you perceive an odor wrong. So maybe the scent in reality is mint, but for some reason whenever mint is in the air you smell fish.
Any other anosmiacs out there? Or Phantosmiacs or parosmiacs or any other type of –iacs? I’d love to hear your stories.
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I’m pretty sure my mom has phantosmia–she claims to smell cat pee everywhere, except that a) I can’t smell any and b) I just cleaned the cat’s litter box. :)
Poor Stevie Wonder. He can’t smell OR see!
posted by Allison on 3-7-2008 at 12:02 pm
I have a geographic tongue! It is a rare tongue disease that I have had since I was a baby. It is not contagious. when I eat anything spicy or starchy it goes numb and starts to swell and form rings on my tongue that make it look like a map (hence the name). Once it goes numb I can’t taste anything until the swelling goes down so I usually have to eat the spicy things last so I can enjoy the rest of my meal. I have one some bets eating the hottest peppers because of it though. I have had taste buds fall off and little pieces of my tongue have fallen off and it once spilt in half. I have never met anyone else with the same thing.
Thanks for letting me share! i feel better now.
posted by Jennifer on 3-7-2008 at 12:11 pm
I think I have hyperosmia. I can smell EVERYTHING. Often I feel like I’m being bombarded by scents and it drives me crazy.
posted by zantimisfit on 3-7-2008 at 12:12 pm
My wife claims to not be able to smell skunks. I’ve always kinda thought deep down that she’s trying to pull one over on me. If she is, she hasn’t waivered yet.
posted by Kevin on 3-7-2008 at 12:13 pm
My Dad has been losing his sense of smell for around 25 years. Its pretty much gone now. He cannot smell anything unpleasent and once in a blue moon will catch a wiff of something nice and then its gone (sometimes he thinks he just imagines it cuz he remebers what it smelled like)
Strangely though he says that the taste of food hasn’t really changed for him. Maybe cuz it happend so gradualy. He says thing are just more subtle so he tends to cook with a lot of bold flavours wich is just fine for those of us eating his fine cuisine!
posted by Lisa H on 3-7-2008 at 12:14 pm
Will Leitch, editor of Deadspin.com also has no sense of smell.
posted by mamacita on 3-7-2008 at 12:17 pm
On kind of a gross note, I get frequent sinus infections, and for the longest time I thought I was crazy because everything smelled awful, but no one else could smell it. Turns out, it was in my own head, literally! I think that really wreaks havoc on my perceptions of scents. For example, I can smell skunks, but they don’t smell bad to me; they smell like garlic. The smell of dead animals doesn’t bother me either, it just smells kind of “sweet.” Maybe parosmia?
I do prefer foods with strong flavors, and lots of spices.
I sometimes have scent auras before I get headaches; usually bad smells, like burnt popcorn, burnt rubber, or wet dog, but I don’t know if that’s exactly the same as phantosmia.
posted by frumpiefox on 3-7-2008 at 12:32 pm
I remember reading somewhere that some people are not capable of smelling the distinct scent of asparagus in one’s urine. I suppose that would be an example of selective anosmia.
posted by Bill T. on 3-7-2008 at 12:34 pm
I can’t smell most things. Sometimes I can if it’s up close or REALLY strong ( and that’s usually unpleasant odors, not nice ones).
My mom does that too “Here, doesn’t that smell wonderful…oh…sorry…”
But sometimes I smell things no one else does…particularly celery…weird.
posted by Lea on 3-7-2008 at 12:36 pm
i have always wondered why wet dog is such a bad smell to us hu-mans.
posted by mbs on 3-7-2008 at 12:37 pm
I haven’t checked my facts, but my understanding is that for a long time the common knowledge was that the unpleasant scent that your urine gets after eating asparagus was thought to only happen to certain people. At some point they figured out that everyone’s pee smells from asparagus, but some people are unable to smell it. So they think that their’s doesn’t have an odor.
I also seem to remember that the “asparagus pee” smell is related to skunk smell, so it seems that Kevin and his wife have some experimenting to do.
posted by Leland Witter on 3-7-2008 at 12:39 pm
I worked at a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop on the boardwalk when I was in high school. Apparently all store owners are required to go through a training of sorts at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont, where they learn about the history of the company. My boss told me that Ben “has no tastebuds”, which is why so many of their flavors have big chunks of food – Ben’s all about the texture.
posted by caitlen315 on 3-7-2008 at 12:41 pm
Fellow anosmiac here. Not sure how I got it, or if I’ve always had it. It may be that as a kid I always thought everyone had the same sense I had, but as time went on, people would ask, can you smell that ____? Alas, no. But I can relate to the “Well, can you taste at all?” Yes, I can.
From Scrubs:
Anosmia? You know, I always thought it was very funny that losing your sense of smell was called anosmia. “Anos-mia”, you know, like “schnoz-mia.”
posted by Dan on 3-7-2008 at 12:45 pm
Jennifer,
That tongue thing might be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard…
posted by Phil on 3-7-2008 at 12:48 pm
I have been losing my sense of smell of years now and never knew why! Wow… there’s a club of us. I actually can only smell really strong things and love really spicy or tart tastes. Is there a way to test what you can and cannot smell. I wonder what I’m missing?
posted by Cherri Johns on 3-7-2008 at 12:49 pm
I think I have a strange form of phantosmia. I smell cookies and cream ice cream and macaroni and cheese in random places at random times just about every day.
Maybe I just crave those foods all the time?
posted by Abby T on 3-7-2008 at 12:58 pm
I don’t have anosmia, but I have a very rare nervous disorder (so rare, the doctors have really never seen another case like mine) that actually prevents me from tasting spicy or strong flavored foods. When I was 9 mos old, I got caught in the bars of my crib by the neck and hung there for a while. Because of this, I was afflicted with Bell’s Palsey for a while, but when I recovered, my tounge was unable to handle the spicy, strong (and interestingly) SOUR flavors. When I eat anything that has these groups (including oranges) the right side of my face gets hot and actually turns red- looks like I’ve been slapped. but that hasn’t affected my ability to smell REALLY well.
posted by Ashley on 3-7-2008 at 12:59 pm
Jennifer, I have geographic tongue too… except my tongue does not go numb, it HURTS when I get flareups… walnuts are the worst for me… it really is a pain in the… well pain in the tongue I guess… I hate it…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_tongue
posted by RodneyB on 3-7-2008 at 1:08 pm
Thanks for the topic. I don’t know if I am officially any of these but I definitely have a problem with scents. I have blamed it on being a “mouth breather”. I just don’t get enough air through my nose. When I think about it I can breath through my nose but as soon as I stop thinking about it my mouth is open. I am always the last person to smell the “dirty diaper” in the room. It can be very embarassing. I think my problem with smells does affect the way I taste things. I don’t really have a passion for food and I think it is related to my lack of smell. Thanks for letting me share.
posted by Elizabeth on 3-7-2008 at 1:17 pm
I love you for quoting Scrubs…. I was thinking of that same quote when I clicked into this article. =)
posted by Julie on 3-7-2008 at 1:20 pm
i’m a hairdresser and the salon i work at uses tigi products that smell strong and sweet mostly. candy flavor smells honestly. but for every 10 people who go “oh, wow! that smells like a grape jolly rancher!” there’s someone who says “oh, what is that smell, is it vanilla?” or some other totally unrelated smell. scent is really subjective.
posted by lindsay m on 3-7-2008 at 1:21 pm
RodneyB-
when i was younger it would hurt a lot and the doctors gave me a paste to put on it. That was horrible. i guess i am just used to it now. Walnuts are bad for me too becaues they are starchy. and pecans! what really sucks is getting a tiny piece of pepper or spice in one of the hole a taste bud used to be. soory for the detail! but i think you might relate
posted by Jennifer on 3-7-2008 at 1:22 pm
i can smell strong odors, but not subtle ones. if it has a “bouquet” or “light scent” forget it. if it could stun a yak, THEN i can smell it. the upshot of this is that i spent 5 of my 7 years in landscaping as head of the manure-spreader team cuz i was the only one who could stand the reek…
posted by terri on 3-7-2008 at 1:40 pm
Wow, thanks for the info on Geographic Tongue! I have always wondered why my tongue turns gray and swells. I don’t have any pain except that I constantly end up biting it when it’s swollen.
posted by TelulaBlue on 3-7-2008 at 1:45 pm
Jennifer, I hear ya…
after 33 years I still have not pinpointed all of the exact foods that cause flareups… one week OJ will kill me, the next it wont… pecans usually don’t bother me… and I can eat potatoes with no issues and thats almost pure starch… acidic things tend to light me up… but of course there are plenty of times when it just flares up with no apparent rhyme or reason…
I should go start a forum on this! lol
posted by RodneyB on 3-7-2008 at 1:47 pm
Living as I do with 2 kids, 2 dogs, and Methane Man for a husband, I ALWAYS smell something — and I don’t think I’m making it up! I was on a medication once, though, that made me smell things that really shouldn’t have a smell. My fork, for example. That freaked me out.
posted by Deb on 3-7-2008 at 1:51 pm
Very interesting. My husband is a “poo-pumper” (his term). Sometimes I wish I couldn’t smell.
posted by Marsha on 3-7-2008 at 2:18 pm
I don’t know if it relates to any of the mentioned problems here, but whenever I eat certain foods my mouth gets really itchy. It may just be an allergy, but I’ve never had an allergy test, and it’s very inconsistent. Most of the time apples bother me, along with pineapple, bananas [only sometimes], pears, peaches, and mangos. Other fruits are fine. And most nuts bother me too. All that happens is my tongue and gums get really itchy… but it sucks!
posted by MAry on 3-7-2008 at 2:27 pm
My father underwent a triple bypass several years ago. He was placed on several medications and one of the side effects was the loss of taste. He complained that everything was bland and he had lost his desire for food.
posted by Owen on 3-7-2008 at 2:28 pm
Abby T:
I think I have something similar. I often have that happen with desirable food smells, and was thinking the same thing as I read this.
I also think maybe I have a very strong “scent-memory”, sometimes for no reason at all a smell will pop into my head (nose?) that I can associate to something from my past – all the way back to childhood.
I’ve had it happen with tastes too. Sometimes I have to try to remember what that phantom taste is… oh yeah, it’s that dessert I had years ago!
Maybe it *is* some kind of weird craving thing.
posted by Karen on 3-7-2008 at 2:31 pm
I have no sense of smell since my twin brother broke my nose when we were 13!! I have burned soooo many things in my oven because either I don’t hear the timer or I can’t smell it burnning!!
I also have a geographic tongue! I think I’m just weird.
posted by Michelle on 3-7-2008 at 2:46 pm
Does Anosmia affect taste? I’m not sure if you already covered that. Sorry if you did.
posted by Angeline on 3-7-2008 at 2:52 pm
Wow, Jennifer, thanks for sharing! I wish I had no sense of taste or smell, because I threw up in my mouth reading about your zombie tongue.
posted by Craig on 3-7-2008 at 2:54 pm
RodneyB-
A forum would be nice GTA could be our name. Not to brag (this may not be something i would want to brag about) but i clicked on the wikipedia address you had and saw the photos. may tongue is much better looking as far as looking like a map. (it would seem really gross to normal tongued people though) The really funny thing about it is my mom about killed me when i went to get it pierced about 5 years ago and i told her look mom chucks fall off and it spilts in half what could a steel bar really do!
posted by Jennifer on 3-7-2008 at 2:57 pm
Jennifer, I’m so glad you mentioned the geographic tongue. I have one too, and until now have never met anyone else with the same thing. Now a few of us on this post have it. RodneyB SHOULD start a post on it. My triggers are apples (all kinds), pecans and pineapple. My tongue has large grooves, or cracks, along the sides the length of the tongue. I think it gives me a heightened sense of taste as I can really taste most of the herbs and spices in a dish. My dentist is always very curious about my tongue and said he has seen very few, so there probably aren’t that many of us out there. Nice to know I’m not alone with my “affliction”.
posted by Bill on 3-7-2008 at 2:59 pm
Craig-
If i told you my pick up line i use about my tongue you would fell alot better. You wouldnt think it was gross! :)
posted by Jennifer on 3-7-2008 at 3:04 pm
Is there such a thing as a partial anosmiac? I am only able to identify smells as good or bad. Forget distinguishing between orange blossoms and chocolate or anything else.
I have nasal polyps, agree they are gross, and have been told:
- they can interfere with the sense of smell
- the surgery to remove the polyps sometimes permanently damages the smell receptors
- the surgery isn’t a permanent solution, since the polyps usually grow back
Also, my mother got a severe cold while traveling out of country several years ago. The antihistamine given to her by the local doctor knocked out the cold, as well as, permanently killing her sense of taste and smell. She doesn’t cook nearly as much any more because there isn’t any pleasure in it for her.
posted by DoggyDad on 3-7-2008 at 3:12 pm
my future MIL lost her sense of taste and smell after a severe illness a couple of years ago. She loves to cook, so it’s a pretty big issue for her lifestyle. She cooks my memory, mostly, but she’s had to ask me and other members of the family to sniff test meat or milk before she uses it.
For me, on the other hand, I’ve got a really strong sense of smell. My mom always said it was because I’ve got lousy eye-sight…one sense has to compensate for the other. I don’t know if that’s true, but sometimes it’s a pain. The other day the woman in the office across the hall from me was over-dosed in perfume, and it was driving me nuts! And sometimes bad breath or body odor bothers me if I’m as much as 6-8 feet away from the person.
posted by Kristen on 3-7-2008 at 3:22 pm
I have a geographic tongue as well, though it’s never caused the problems described by some of you guys! I always laugh cause I’m a geographer with a geographic tongue. My doctor suggested I try acidophilous, that I may have a pH imbalance in my stomach causing the discoloration. Hasn’t helped yet, and I’ve been on acidophilous for a few weeks.
I am prone to canker sores and have seen some taste buds sort of fall off before….. weird to figure out it’s all related to the geographic tongue.
posted by Jenny on 3-7-2008 at 3:46 pm
I have a friend who has anosmia. He said that when he was an adolescent, he would pretend to be asleep and let out raucous farts–silent but deadly. His parents and little sister would freak out (understandably), claim not to be the author of said flatulent, and then glare back at the little boy who couldn’t smell and the wicked grin that occupied his face.
He’s particularly fond of that story.
posted by Jennie on 3-7-2008 at 3:55 pm
Stacy – As a fellow anosmiac I’d like to say, exactly. Contrary to your experience though, I find my condition offers me a unique opportunity to actually inflict cruelty onto my friends. Let’s just say that I envy no man come time for our annual chili contest.
posted by Sean on 3-7-2008 at 3:58 pm
Jennie, you just made my day with that one. I busted out!
posted by It's good to be the King on 3-7-2008 at 4:06 pm
A friend of mine works for a boss that has a freakishly heightened sense of smell. Every time they interview for new interns my friend has to send out the “please don’t wear perfume, lotion, deoderant(we live in tx!), shampoo etc. at your interview” email to the potential interns. I would think that would deter many people by sending out a crazy sign. The floor where she works is not allowed to use any disinfectant or strongly scented cleaning supplies, no one can have any strong smells at all or an office-wide email gets dispersed. The boss also left her space heater on for THE ENTIRE WEEKEND UNNATTENDED to burn off the new heater smell. When she got her new mercedes she wrapped all the seats in plastic wrap to cover up that coveted new car smell. She has other crazy traits but the smell one is a doozie.
posted by Brandi on 3-7-2008 at 4:55 pm
I happen to smell lilacs sometimes. Weird.
posted by Laura on 3-7-2008 at 5:03 pm
A friend of mine lost his sense of smell after he got hit by a car. Also I constantly smell cat pee in my house, yest i take care of the litter box everyday and keep the house clean. Some say that’s because I’m pregnant, but I don’t know.
posted by stef on 3-7-2008 at 5:12 pm
My grandmother lost her sense of smell as a little girl. I think she has Scarlet Fever. The only thing I remember about is that, because she was also lactose intolerant, she used to put orange juice on her cereal, since she couldn’t taste the difference anyway.
posted by Sara on 3-7-2008 at 5:30 pm
According to my wife, I have no sense of taste. Of course, she’s probably referring to the way I dress.
posted by Bill T. on 3-7-2008 at 5:34 pm
Crazy! I have geographic tongue, too! I had no idea that’s what it was…
posted by Erin on 3-7-2008 at 5:51 pm
My friend got into a really bad car accident when we were in 7th grade and has not had a sense of smell since then. He once had this really nasty girlfriend who never showered, but of course, it didn’t bother him.
posted by Melissa on 3-7-2008 at 5:53 pm
I am blessed with parosmia for one smell only. I cannot smell skunk, it smells like coffee to me. I have been called to peoples houses to bathe their dogs who have been sprayed and my father once made me fetch a dead skunk out of our barn. My husband does not believe me and apparently whenever he smells skunk he thinks of me. awwww.
posted by ehme on 3-7-2008 at 5:55 pm
smells drive me crazy. i get frequent sinus infections and for some reason otherwise i have an extremely fine sense of smell.
cologne is so intense it almost feels like it is pressing against me (although that might just be an extention of my synethesia).
i also see things and feel things when i hear them sometimes.
i can mostly ignore it though if i try.
posted by Sue on 3-7-2008 at 6:20 pm
Stacy, i’ve never talked to another person who has the same experiences as me! I, too, have been unable to smell all my life…but I can taste…I tell people the only thing I can smell is ammonia…It worked well in college – pizzas would walk by in the dorm and I wasn’t fazed in the least…
I can taste, but I too, like extra spicy foods…i add jalapenos to my hamburgers and pizzas, I like tart and sour and hot flavors more than most folks I know…
My mom can never remember that I have no sense of smell – she often sticks stuff in my face, asking me to smell, then sees my blank stare and says ‘oh, i keep forgetting’…
I’ve never had my condition looked at, so I have no idea what causes it…but I don’t mind, cause i can’t smell skunks, body odor, burnt food, dog farts, bad breath, you name it…oblivious…
its nice to hear from another non-smeller and to hear the same scenarios is hilarious…
I thought I was the only one who faked my way thru someone asking me what I thought the smell was…I learned a trick – if they go ‘ew, smell this’, just say ‘oh yuck’…if they go ‘wow, smell this!’ (with a smile on their face), go ‘yeah, nice’…works every time!!
posted by donner on 3-7-2008 at 6:56 pm
Mary –
A good friend of mine has the exact same condition. It is actually a food allergy. She gets itchy and swollen tongue, throat, and gums if she eats beans, seeds, nuts, or any sort of poultry. Avocado started doing it to her, as well. So she avoids all those foods and then she doesn’t have to worry about it anymore. Just thought you’d like to know…
posted by HB Ashley on 3-7-2008 at 7:23 pm
I like the smell of (my) Asparagus pee. I thought I’d better stick that ‘my’ in there just in case that wasn’t clear.
posted by Kevin on 3-7-2008 at 9:48 pm
I can smell only occasionally, but that is because of allergies. (As near as anyone can figure, I’m allergic to being awake.) I decided that when I can smell, I want to have something nice around me to smell. Which was the beginning of my lip gloss collection that now rivals anyone’s… Small, portable, a cheaper vice than cigarettes, and they smell good. (But my mom sees no reason to own several hundred of them… Oh well.)
posted by peacefulvalley on 3-7-2008 at 10:36 pm
I have had Anosmia since birth. It’s an interesting little ailment. I am 19 and have only recently found out that this condition even has a name, but slowly have been hearing more and more. Perhaps that could mean a cure in the future, but for many, including myself I suspect, the condition is incurable.
posted by Nicholas Saint Onge on 3-7-2008 at 11:05 pm
Karen, Abby T.:
I have an odd case of phantosmia as well. I will sometimes detect odors that probably aren’t there, usually pleasant. But the odors will trigger a very emotional response. For instance, occasionally I will smell my ex-wife’s perfume and there will be a twinge of the pain associated with our breakup, even though it’s been over a decade. Luckily it’s usually more pleasant memories.
posted by JW on 3-7-2008 at 11:13 pm
I think i sometimes get smells “stuck” in my nose. It happens mostly with unpleasant smells, but sometimes it’s nicer smells. Recently i’ve been smelling cigarette smoke after a night out at a smokey bar. Yuck!
posted by samanthamum on 3-8-2008 at 12:01 am
My old roommate had no sense of smell, she used to ask me to sniff food from the fridge to see if it was still fresh. We told her that she had a special ability to date guys who don’t shower enough, seems like you have that “gift” too, Stacy!
posted by Meg on 3-8-2008 at 3:16 am
I also have no sense of smell (although the family will say I can stink purty durn good on a hot summer’s day! ;-)
In college I took advantage of the UCLA Medical Center to get checked out. All the nose experts there could say was that, gee, i had no sense of smell.
Well, made changing the diapers of my four babies a lot more pleasant!
posted by JFS in IL on 3-8-2008 at 1:38 pm
It’s been a hoot reading all of this.
Although my sense of smell is fairly normal, it’s much less acute than my oldest daughter’s… When she was little, she detested public restrooms and zoos, and it took me awhile to understand just how much those odors affected her.
I, too, experience some of the food allergy itchiness mentioned by a few of you. When I was little, I didn’t understand the itchy throat I got while eating raw carrots, so I always told people I didn’t like them. (I love cooked carrots, though, and have no problem with them.)
I have never liked asparagus, and after this little session, I’m not interested in changing that.
Samanthamum, I get smells “stuck” in my nose, too, and I think it might be physiological; i.e., maybe there are particles of odor (not a scientific descriptor) that cling to those little nose hairs and continue the sensation for awhile afterward.
Deb, how did you end up married to the same man as I? (Methane Man, that is.) Yeah, there are times I wish I didn’t have a sense of smell!
posted by Therese on 3-8-2008 at 5:08 pm
Most of the time I can barely smell anything. When I take antihistamines so my sinuses don’t close up (I have some sort of rhinitis and can get horrible sinus headaches when the humidity/air pressure is doing weird things) I can smell slightly more, but I still get a lot of “Do you smell that?” and I have to say “No, not really.”
Also, baby poo smells like fruit peals to me.
posted by S on 3-8-2008 at 9:10 pm
My father was in a car wreck when he was 16 and broke the verabrae in his neck and had 2 of them removed. There was serious nerve damage, so he couldn’t smell. It drove my mother nuts! She is a wonderful cook and he wouldn’t notice. The only thing I knew he could smell was celery. Which I always thought was strange. He didn’t seem to care but then he really didn’t talk about it much. He just smiled and nodded at me when I asked him if he liked the smell of a candle or something.
posted by Sambo on 3-9-2008 at 9:28 am
I also have a heightened sense of smell. I can smell things that my husband swears does not exist, but with a little investigating, he usually finds I’m right.
But I have a strange hearing thing too. I can hear the smallest creaks in the house, noises outside, and I swear I can hear electricity running through walls, but I often have to ask people to repeat themselves. I miss a lot of spoken language.
posted by Karen on 3-9-2008 at 10:29 am
I think all my senses work normally in everyday life. Then I got pregnant.
My eyesight worsened significantly and my sense of smell shot up to bloodhound level. They could have used me to find drugs in the airport.
My husband chose that time to start cooking hobo food (canned beans and fried sausage). I didn’t have much morning sickness but that was terrible.
posted by HelenAHandbasket on 3-9-2008 at 10:31 am
So Jennifer – what’s the pick up line about your tongue?
posted by nate on 3-9-2008 at 4:35 pm
I never knew there was a word for it but I have phantosmia. I smell things that aren’t there but are place specific. I smell babies’ diapers at work and brownies on the bus. I’ve experienced others but those repeat on a regular basis.
posted by Hope on 3-9-2008 at 5:32 pm
Elizabeth the mouth breather – you’re probably right about the breathing through your mouth being the reason you don’t smell, since in people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s related smell deficits it’s actually a SNIFFING deficit, not a lack of sense of smell. When they are trained to sniff properly (which activates the smell receptors in the nose), they ‘regain’ their sense of smell. Pretty nifty!
Also, when people talk about ‘taste’ they are really talking about combined smell and taste, so when you don’t have a sense of smell, it makes sense that you would seek out foods that would be more accessible to taste receptors (spicy, bitter, salty) than smell receptors (floral, sweet).
posted by kelly on 3-9-2008 at 9:18 pm
You probably have a Zinc deficiency. My dad completely lost his sense of smell (for upwards of a decade), the doctor told him to take Zinc supplements and his sense of smell came right back.
posted by Kevin McDonald on 3-10-2008 at 5:22 am
my husband has no sense of smell – we had no idea that there was a name for the condition and so many have it! he is hoping that one day he will receive disability payments for the government. HA HA!
posted by kerensa on 3-10-2008 at 6:45 am
Dewey Cox from Walk Hard is afflicted with anosmia. I thought it was just made up and kind of ridiculous. Sorry!
posted by Katie on 3-10-2008 at 10:25 am
I have a very acute sense of smell and I too smelled celery randomly (or so I thought) until I’d ask around and I’d find out that someone had celery in their dinner the night before or packed it in the kids’ lunches.
posted by Diana H on 3-10-2008 at 3:16 pm
I’ve had phantosmia since I was about 15. This is the first time I have heard the name for it. When I told a doctor when it first started, he looked at me like I was crazy. Can’t even describe what I smell, just different smells. I have learned to live with it, but happy to know it has a name. I wish I could go back to that doctor now that I am older and yell at him.
posted by beth on 3-13-2008 at 12:40 am
I have a very keen sense of smell. My mom and I are the only ones I know that can smell the odor (foul odor) of silk. We can’t go into stores that have it. Sometimes I smell things that aren’t there, too, and they remind me of being a child. From really strong smells, my asthma flares and starts to tighten my lungs, but it quickly goes away.
posted by Karleigh on 3-17-2008 at 5:30 pm
Kelly, Thanks for your comments. How do I learn to sniff properly?
posted by Elizabeth on 3-18-2008 at 10:44 am
Hi Stacy,
I just want to tell you that I just read this, and immediately posted the link to my Facebook profile under the heading: “If you are my friend, please read this and understand my life: (link).” I understand everything you are going through, can smell nothing, am interrogated by all of my friends, and am forced to defend the fact that I CAN indeed taste everything normally. Agh. The life we lead. Good luck!
Rachal
posted by Rachal Royce on 3-12-2009 at 10:53 pm
I *think* I remember being able to smell back in first grade. I am almost sure I have the memory of scratching scrath and sniff stickers, and remembering that I enjoyed the scent of apples.
It really sucks now. Almost all of my friends are very skilled cooks, and they all enjoy the fragrances of the kitchen. They will ask if what they are cooking smells nice, and only one will try fixing her mistake before I inform them that I cannot smell.
I work in a pets store, and when customers complain about odors from their pets, I am required by my job to explain to them how and why I am unable to help them, find them someone who can, and suffer them saying/ asking rather personal things about it.
I have actually had an ex girlfriend dump me because I didn’t compliment her on her new perfume. When I explained my problem, she decided it was to much, and didn’t want to go out again.
I wish I could just be rid of my nose.
posted by David on 3-13-2009 at 12:09 am
I have geographic tongue, too. For a day or two after a new “map” appears, my tongue always feels like I burned it drinking something too hot. But then once the pain is gone, it just looks weird for a couple of weeks. Spicy and acidic things really tend to make it act up. It gets old pretty fast. I’m always embarrassed to stick my tongue out because I feel like people will accuse me of having “tongue leprosy” or something gross.
posted by Jodie B Dodie on 3-23-2010 at 9:45 am
My mother cannot smell–but I think it’s something with her sinuses and not an actual disorder. She takes medicine, but very rarely does she catch a whiff of anything. When she does, she always gets excited.
When cooking, or checking to see if something is expired, she’ll often ask me or my dad to check since her sense of smell can’t be relied on. And her sense of taste is affected as well.
posted by Heather on 3-23-2010 at 9:55 am
On occasion, I will taste either a) chlorine or b) a medicine my mother gave me when I was a small child. Both are unpleasant.
I only specifically remember the medicine because it was an odd color, very similar to a crayon that was once a favorite.
It’s so weird, I don’t think people really believe me.
posted by Brooke on 3-23-2010 at 10:14 am
Oh and Stef–if you’re pregnant, I hope someone else is cleaning that kitty litter for you. It’s not good for you to be doing it.
posted by Heather on 3-23-2010 at 10:22 am
My husband is anosmiac, and he does not remember ever being able to smell. His father was also. Perhaps there’s a genetic component?
posted by Roxanne on 3-23-2010 at 10:30 am
I have the opposite of this…I smell EVERYTHING. I don’t imagine scents that aren’t there, but I can detect them way before anyone else I know.
Due to this, I’ve become the unofficial office warning system for food odours…burnt popcorn, fish, onions, etc. I tell people about it, so that they can brace themselves ;)
The biggest downside to this, is that when a smell gets to the level where most people detect it, it’s overwhelmingly strong for me.
posted by Mimi on 3-23-2010 at 11:13 am
I can smell- depending on the day. I have really bad aleriges and on days when they are really bad (most of the fall and spring) I can’t really smell anything- including really strong smells. Thankfully during the rest of the year I can smell things just fine.
I have always wondered if this happened to anyone else.
posted by Suz on 3-23-2010 at 11:16 am
I occasionally catch smells that are completely out of place. Sometimes it is a mix of leather and cologne that reminds me of my ex. Other times it is an outdoorsy smell that reminds me of my dad. I think this is called olfactory memory.
posted by Heather on 3-23-2010 at 12:24 pm
Wow, this was so great to read!! I am also a congenital anosmiac! Geez, I have so many questions for YOU!! For some reason it seems to run in my family. I’ve always wondered if it’s hereditary because my mom has no sense of smell and my two brothers have limited sense of smell. I’ll be curious to find out about my son!! I’ve probably met maybe 1 or 2 people who were born with this condition so not a lot of people understand it. When I was little, when somebody would fart in school and all the other kids would start plugging their noses and making a scene about it I would just go along with it. I had no idea what a “sense of smell” was. I didn’t realize until I was probably in middle school or high school that I just couldn’t smell anything. And regarding smelling ammonia and acetone, I think there is a big difference between smelling and inhaling. Yes, if I inhale hot sauce, you’ll definitely get a reaction but it’s not because I smelled anything. So in regards to the big question that always follows. I can also taste food just fine. What we’ve discovered is I cannot taste subtle flavors. If you put spices on chicken like thyme or rosemary, I taste chicken and that’s about it. I don’t like beer or wine and I think it’s because I don’t get that hint of whatever is in it. It tastes like battery acid almost every time. So smell or not, I love food! I am interested to learn more about the link with Alzheimer’s Disease as this also seems to run in my family. Yikes! Very scary! Anyways, thank you for posting this article!! I’m going to pass it on to my anosmiac family:-)
posted by Jen on 3-23-2010 at 12:47 pm
i cant smell ammonia, but because my sister cant either, its probably hereditary. on another note, my sense of smell improved greatly when i quit swimming five days a week.
posted by elysia on 3-23-2010 at 1:23 pm
I developed anosmia about five years ago, I think due to a particularly bad sinus infection. It’s also affected my sense of taste; I gravitate toward spicy and bitter foods because I can taste them better. I used to love to cook, but I don’t completely trust my cooking any more because I can’t tell when something has gone bad and I’m more prone to burning things. On the other hand, locker rooms no longer faze me.
posted by tiacheryl on 3-23-2010 at 2:25 pm
I have anosmia! And I’ve pretty much had your same experience… Didn’t figure it out till I was 9 or 10 b/c I didn’t realize I was supposed to be able to smell — I just pretended when other kids held those smelly markers up to my nose. Everyone always forgets, even my mom, and people always ask if I can taste. I hear it affects about 1% of the population, which is a pretty decent chunk of people. Glad to \meet\ another :)
posted by Ruthie J. on 3-23-2010 at 3:56 pm
I’m pretty sure I have phantosmia. It’s always pee or poop – just a whiff and sometimes a prolonged sense – ick!
posted by kelly on 3-23-2010 at 4:20 pm
OMG Finally! Another person who can’t smell! And suffers that same conversation WITH EVERYONE “Doesn’t this smell good?” “…” “Oh *BEEP*” Ahh Stacey you are my favorite person ever! It’s so weird and like you, I have no real clue how my lack of a sense of smell came to be!
posted by Tasha on 3-23-2010 at 4:34 pm
I can smell on occassion, usually strong smells like mildew.
Haven’t really been able to smell since high school when we got pet cats. I haven’t had pets for 6 years and still no smell.
I miss the smell of fresh flowers.
recaptcha: seaside participant
posted by kmg on 3-23-2010 at 4:59 pm
When I was a grad. student at UCLA I went into their medical center figuring, hey, if UCLA can’t figure out what is wrong, no one can. All i got was the word “anosmia”. I think i remember how the air smelled alty as Dad drove us to the beach in S. California when I was very small – then the ocean no longer smelled salty and for a while I thought something was wrong with the sea. Then one day my Mom was asking me what I thought of a perfume card from a magazine and I had no idea what we was asking. That was when my anosmia (only we had no name for it then) was uncovered.
Came in handy when my kids were small and in diapers. Plus now I am chef cat box cleaner.
I also like string flavors – and can not detect most herbs. Appearance and texture of food is important!
posted by JFS in IL on 3-23-2010 at 6:44 pm
Holy smokes. 6 years after becoming anosmic due to sinus issues (I can still smell when given prednisone so I’m ever hopeful), and 5 years after starting my own blog on anosmia at Anosmia I find 93 people commenting here. I guess there’s more of us than I thought!
posted by Mike on 9-30-2011 at 3:03 pm