Can you smell illness?

[Sniv]

Maybe this is a well-documented phenomenon, but it surprised me...

Over the weekend a family member was feeling under the weather and had a temperature. I looked in on him sleeping and thought "it smells like a sickroom in here" even though the bed had been stripped and changed that morning, he'd had a shower a few hours ago, and he hadn't been sick or anything. It just had THAT smell. Fast forward a few hours and he was at the hospital with a serious stomach bug (he's OK now, btw).

I'd heard of dogs being able to smell illness, but not people so much. I thought the 'sick room' smell was a combo of sweat/vomit/cleaning stuff, but I googled and it turns out that various elements of your immune system going into overdrive can cause a distinctive smell. It's something I'll definitely pay attention to in future!

Just wondered if anyone else had any experience of this phenomenon?

My baby's head has smelled quite sweet the last couple of days and it's making me paranoid for this reason.

I can usually smell if the children are poorly. Also, as a previous poster said my DH said that I had a different smell when I was pregnant - he said that I smelled of babies which I always thought was weird and it really freaked him out I think he described it as a talcum powdery/sweet/baby smell but it wonder if biscuits would have described it? I'd totally forgotten that until I read that post.

I can get a smell from DH When his blood sugars are too high. I knew he was diabetic before the doctor told him...had to nag him to go.

I can smell when my children are ill. I am not sure how to describe the smell but I can tell if it’s going to be a proper “few days off work” job. My husband can also. I have often been curious if this is just a baby thing. It’s a good while since by eldest was unwell so j am not sure if I can smell her

Me too, my children (even the late teens) smell ill and I know they'll need a few days off school. If they don't smell, then I'm briskly reassuring and dose them with calpol and an early night.

@magicstar1

I can get a smell from DH When his blood sugars are too high. I knew he was diabetic before the doctor told him...had to nag him to go.

How did you know it was high blood sugar that you could smell?

Heatherjayne1972 the smell of gum disease or tooth infection is something special, although us dental types find in satisfying I worked years ago with a dentist who said he could tell by the smell what bacteria was causing the infection!!

My DD smelled of almond when she was coming down with something when she was younger.

I can smell a cold coming on, more like a snotty smell than pear drops

DH can often smell when the DC have a virus.

My friend who works in the NHS visiting people in their homes says she can smell MS and Parkinsons.

I know when my kids are ill. I can’t describe it - except i know when they are coming down with something.

Yes as a nurse I worked in respiratory medicine for years. I could even smell a particular bacteria on a patients breath. When the sputum results came back I was generally correct.

I can. It is both a blessing and a curse as I work surrounded by sick folk . Can smell diabetes, and death, as well as the usual ketones and obvious ones. I used be able to smell when an exDP was about to become unwell with a particular respiratory issue but I've not smelt that on anyone else.
My dad is the same as me, maybe even a stronger sense of smell.

Yes i can smell illness !

@Mrsmchammer ditto .

My dsis is a geriatric nurse and says that they can always predict when death is impending in a patient as they give off a 'death smell'.

Only on Dh & the kids.

Dc2 has the smell I noticed it yesterday and was worse earlier when I came home from work - said to Dh best keep an eye out, 4 hours later dc was complaining that they weren’t feeling well. Looks like an ear infection, I’ve never been wrong about the kids being poorly.

I knew when Dh was sick last year a few days before the dressing gown of doom appeared he smelt wrong to me.

Dh says when my ibd is flaring I smell weird 🤷‍♀️ doesn’t elaborate on which way just says I don’t smell like normal, my cat & dog are also well tuned into my flare smell as well.

I had all loads of ENT issues when younger, and I could absolutely taste/smell in myself when I was getting another throat, ear, sinus infection. It was a bit like if I'd been handing old copper pennies, but worse.

And my dad, in the last year osh of his life had a really pervasive smell that I'll never forget. He was well-ish (even though sick), and it absolutely wasnt a hygiene issue. It was a sort of hellishly cloying sweet oil smell. Not keytoney all. Very unpleasant. It felt like had seeped into the very heart of the house but it went when he went. He had lots of health issues, any one of which could have killed him so I have no idea what it could have been. Sound familiar to anyone?

Yes can definitely smell illness on my children, DH and my mum. It’s a strange sour but sweet smell.

I was a nurse many years ago and definitely remember the 'about to die' smell. And I can smell when my children are poorly too. Even the 25 year old!

Yes can ds

And an ex his smell was just different

I can't smell illness, but two things I can is death and weirdly women when they are due to go in to labour 😳 so each end of the spectrum on that one.

Death smell, once you smell it and know what it is you can never un-smell it.

Labour smell I think it's the hormonal shift in the women or something that I can smell in their sweat. All my pregnant friends I've been able to say "baby will be here by tomorrow" and I've not been wrong. 🤣 I've predicted about 5/6 babies and have never been wrong. Work colleagues not so much because they tend to be on maternity leave about a week or two before baby arrives lol.

@BessMarvin I remember getting this strange smell and I didn’t have a clue what it was. I googled it, and asked on a forum (might have been on here) if anyone had the same experience. A few results came up for diabetes so I asked DH to get checked.

I didn’t instinctively know at first...now it seems obvious.

@Prettybluepigeons

My son honks when he has tonsillitis

I can sniff out tonsilitis too. I could tell DS2 was coming down with it about 6 days before we were due to go on holiday. Took him to the GP who said: “oh I doubt it’s tonsilitis, he seems pretty perky” then looked down his throat & printed off the amoxycillin script. His brother used to get multiple bouts most winter and he was on his third bout that spring.

I can also tell when DH needs to up his asthma meds & tell him. His breath smells like raw liver.

Yes. The worse is when they 'accidentally' let one rip like my partner. I could smell be bad a stomach bug before he even realised it. Vile fudger.