The "smell" of illness?

[Lifegavemelemons]

OK, so this is a sensitive one.

I have an elderly friend (80's) who comes to visit maybe 6 times a year (pre-covid) she's lovely and has been very good to me over the years. She has had a lot of illness over the last few years, including cancer, but has responded well to treatment. She has come to me for a week+ at a time when her family have been away as they don't like her to be alone with no support. Her mobility is not good, but we go out and about to Xmas markets and have a lot of afternoon teas and meals out when she comes. I live in a scenic part of the country so lots of drives out. I generally put on a few pounds each visit 🤣. Love seeing her.

She's with me for a couple of weeks ATM and I am struggling a lot with her smell. Something is VERY different. The smell is strong and not at all pleasant. I know her clothes are clean as we've done a couple of clothes washes while she's been here - and she showers daily, so it's not that. The room she is in smells very strong and I will have to do a thorough fumigate when she goes. I'm really not exaggerating - I have dogs and cats so my house is not all "linen and lavender" smelling by any means.

I haven't said anything, and won't, but have done some serious googling - and yes, humans can smell sickness. Not as well as dogs, naturally, but it is a thing, and unconnected with hygiene.

Anyone had experience of this? I assume it could mean a deterioration in her health? Ironically she has seemed a lot more mobile this time round and has not been falling asleep as randomly as on previous visits.

I used to work in oncology and the patients who were close to death had a distinctive smell, on the cancer ward it was, obviously, a very strong smell.

Ketones in diabetic hyperglycaemia is another common illness smell, but not everyone has the smell receptors to smell it. One of my colleagues could diagnose a DKA from the front door.

Urinary tract infections are another one, it is very distinct from stale urinary due to incontinence/poor hygiene, but apparently it is not considered good practice to use it as an aid for diagnosis.

My parents dog could smell by Dad's brain tumour, as he was an elderly dog they thought he had dementia when suddenly he started going into the garden and hiding under the shrubs. Once my dad had had surgery the dog was fine. Then 10 months later the dogs behaviour started again and I had my mum on the phone in tears, dad died a few weeks later.

Thanks for a fascinating thread, OP.

Apart from smelling illness on my children, I could always tell them apart by smell alone. They are adult now but I can still smell the difference.

I have a super sensitive sense of smell, but DH has hardly any. I don't know if women generally are better at smelling things out?

It would be interesting to know!

Incidentally there are dogs trained to detect certain types of cancer.

[quote cosmopolitanplease]@CaMePlaitPas I've heard of people doing stinky 'pollen' sneezes before. I don't think there's a definite explanation for them though.

www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-do-sneezes-smell-like-honey/amp/[/quote]
Thanks for this. DD’s snot smells like this when she’s got a sinus infection -it reminds me of lily of the valley-and I’ve always wondered why!

Yes, I can smell illness too. if my dc are just under the weather they smell different, a bit like acetone. I can smell the ketones on them when they are ill, an unpleasant smell when they have throat or chest infections. My father -in-law has Parkinsons, and that was a distinctive musty smell, even before diagnosis. My dad had lung cancer and that had slightly animal smell, the dog could smell it too and used to push his nose where the tumour was, scratch at it and sneeze. When he was in his final days, and this was also the same smell on my mother in law, you could smell the body beginning to break down, a death smell.
My mum didn't smell right and looked a bit pale, she was then diagnosed with bowel cancer, the smell went after the surgery.
Also, a different angle, but only yesterday I was feeling very stressed and on edge. I tried to relax with a book, a hot drink, sitting quietly and so on, but it was only when my dd came to sit with me that I realised I was breathing in her natural smell and sort of inhaling her head and neck smell that I started to calm down, to the point where i could feel my heart rate slowing and muscles relaxing so a strong positive reaction to her, releasing some type of hormone in me. Fascinating really, we are animals at a base level.

Yes women do generally have more tastebuds and smell receptors (learnt that doing wine tasting exam)

And yes there was an article about the smell of a babies head- programmed to make the mum fierce and the dad more calm. Interesting

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2a52a2d6-4b08-11ec-9bc6-5abf98655bc4?shareToken=f72cd329885edf37a7f5b13f6b24a225

@GrrrlPwr

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2a52a2d6-4b08-11ec-9bc6-5abf98655bc4?shareToken=f72cd329885edf37a7f5b13f6b24a225

Thank you, fascinating stuff!

The body does produce different smells. The 'smell of death' is real and can often be smelt prior to death when someone is close to death as their organs deteriorate and shut down.

I don't doubt illness can product a smell.

www.joincake.com/blog/whats-the-meaning-of-smelling-death/

DH can smell Parkinson’s, he always thought it was a normal thing until he watched a tv programme about it and realised it was quite an unusual thing to be able to do.