Phantom cigarette smoke smell driving me mad!

[Iwouldbecomplex]

I know this is weird but for about a week I have been able to smell cigarette smoke. It isn't constant but happens a few times an hour and time of day / where I am / who I'm with makes no difference. It's very consistent.

I'm worried something is wrong with me - it's like a phantom smell and I feel like I'm going crazy.

It's only my husband and I in the house and we've never smoked (my husband definitely hasn't taken up a secret habit), neighbours don't smoke, we're barely going out so it's not like we're picking up smoke smell anywhere. I really do think it's my brain / nose playing tricks on me. I googled phantom smells and read it could be a sign of infection or brain disorder (I know - Never Google medical things it's always doom!).

Has anyone experienced something like this and what did it end up being?

I usually get it before a migraine episode. My migraines are mostly pain free though - I get a pressure between my eyes like sinusitis and occasional bouts of visual disturbance for a day or so.

I went to the optician because of the visual stuff and it was them who suggested migraine btw as I thought they were debilitating headaches, but they can be very mild or even pain free so you dont know you have it.

This is also one of the joys of fibromyalgia. I thought I was going crazy until I happened to mention it to my rheumatologist in passing.

can your DH smell it?
we had a weird smell once not too dissimilar to tobacco smoke smell (we suspected neighbours too) which was eventually traced to the fact that due to the combination of environmental factors, a dead rat under the floorboards had dessicated/dried out rather than rotting.

Definitely a precursor to a migraine attack - the smell is so acrid it burns inside my nose! It can also be an electrical smell, so check theres nothing overheating in the house.

I don't mean to alarm you, but if it persists much longer it would be worth speakubg to your GP. Being able to smell smoke when there is none there can be a sign of various problems and it's worth getting it checked out.

*speaking (sorry, MNing while trying to supervise toddler breakfast)

Thank you all.

My DH can't smell it at all. I would usually have gone to my GP by now but I'm very reluctant to bother them right now with the corona nightmare. I have never had a migraine and rarely get headaches but maybe I'm getting something like that and I just don't know it. I am still getting the smell on and off every day. I might he message my GP and see if they think I should come in.

I get this a lot. It's usually migraine related, although sometimes I get it without the actual migraine.

Sometimes I have to put Vicks under my nostrils, before the burning smell drives me bonkers!

I think it can be sinus related too.

I get this op. Mine is an olfactory hallucination. Phantosmisa. I can smell burning. It's very distressing. Mine was triggered by a virus that damaged my olfactory receptors. Now it is triggered by allergies so this time of year is awful. I saw the ENT consultant and had a scope in my sinuses and he said everything is ok. I take antihistamine and steroid spray when comes back although I'm not sure they do anything. I can often be found on the sofa with my jumper over my nose. Consultants told me to ensure we had a CO2 monitor and fire alarms. I took a while to go the GP as it comes and goes. But had a long wait to see the consultant so paid. He said needed to rule out any potential problems with brain/ so needed MRI. Call the GP and see what they say. On the plus side, other people can 'smell' rotting corpse.

I get this too OP and it drives me potty. When I get it, it lasts for a few days or even weeks but then totally goes away.

I emailed my GP earlier and she called me and said she wanted to refer me for a head scan. After checking I hadn't had a head injury or fits. So I will wait for that. Who knows how long at the moment! I can live with it, it's just a bit disgusting. And slightly concerning. Hopefully it's nothing. The GP said olfactory hallucinations can be a result of swelling in the temporal lobe so that's what she wants to rule out. But yes, I could be smelling worse smells so I should count my blessings! I will update if and when I get to the bottom of it.

I get this too, and also have a brain condition which causes migraines. I have painful migraines, a form known as “ice pick headaches”, and ones which come in the form of visual disturbances, phantom smoke smells (sometimes cigarette type smells, sometimes a really nasty chemical burning smell which catches in the back of my throat enough to make me feel sick, but no one else can smell it), and also I can sometimes hear music which isn’t there - my brain makes complex tunes out of droning monotone sounds like fans.

You should definitely get it checked.

Hi
I am having the same issue. Did you manage to find out what it was? Have a doc appointment next friday
Thanks