What to do when you find someone smelly?

[howtotameaflyingcrankypants]

It's my H. He bloody smells and has done for a good year. It's started getting worse and worse over the last few weeks

Not of BO. Not of anything like that. He is a very clean man that washes with good routine and is hygienic.

But he stinks. He smells of this weird, sweet smell that smells of rotting flesh at the same time. I can't even describe it. It's horrendous. Like a sweet sickly smell that also smells like a manky wound

He won't listen to me. He's otherwise a very considerate and nice kind of guy. But he isn't listening and is starting to take offence

I got a whiff of him helping put some shopping away and walked into the loo to cry with frustration because he won't listen to me.

I know some health conditions can cause a weird smell but surely after a year of this going on, he'd be symptomatic?

Nothing wrong with his general health at all.

What on earth could it be?! Driving me insane and he's lovely, but I feel rage whenever I smell this smell and want to leave the room in a rage. Instead, I often just bottle it up but it's making me want to spend as little time with him as possible which is awful and he doesn't deserve that

actually in rearead even more suspect heroin.prbably foil.the near death sweet foostey hue- indicates is regular(daily+)use-mod lulls so maybe no major noticeble physical indicators...but guaranteed the shivery sweats between charge will seep a rattle. i hpe im wrong

I think you need to emphasise to him that you know this is not a hygiene issue but you are genuinely worried and he needs to see his G P.

Yeah, definitely not heroin unless he is magically able to get it delivered via Amazon (I know nobody has been here to hand him anything beyond Amazon once in a blue moon!)

Think I will see if he will agree to a basic urine strip test to rule out diabetes. Pretty sure that's possible? But then again, after a year of untreated diabetes, wouldn't you have symptoms?

Could it be your hormones OP? When I was preggo my husband smelt disgusting! Does anyone else smell him?

That sounds really tough, and it's understandable to feel frustrated when it seems like something out of your control. Sometimes, even though someone may appear to be healthy, there could be underlying issues causing unusual body odors. Since it's been going on for a year and getting worse recently, it might be worth suggesting he see a doctor to rule out any medical conditions that could be affecting his scent—things like digestive issues, metabolic imbalances, or even something like a rare condition called "fish odor syndrome" can cause unusual body smells.

Also, he recently had a week off of work. And did nothing other than be with me a lot and spend time with DC together really, relax watching telly, that sort of thing

If he was using heroin, surely you'd know! I had an ex who liked coke and you could tell, you could just tell when someone was clucking, even if they present well otherwise

Pretty sure heroin is even more addictive with clear signs

That and a fear of needles!

I will also add, what's a GP going to say?

'Yeah, hi there. I've got a completely healthy diet and I'm in good shape. I'm 30 something, urine and bowels fine. Sleep fine. All fine. But please! Run reads because my wife says I stink'

Surely a GP is going to be a bit if the only symptom he can report is one person saying he smells funny

It’s very strange he’s not bothered. If someone told me I smelled bad, I’d check with others and see the gp.

Are you sure the smell isn’t in your sinuses? Can anyone else smell him?

I once thought I stunk to high holy hell. I drove people mad asking if they could smell it. My GP was adamant I didn’t smell and it was a severe sinus problem.

I do think he needs to be checked over by his doctor though.

I suppose it could be possible but then why doesn't DC smell? Nobody outside the house I'm with smells like this?

Surely I'd be thinking I smell and other people etc if that was the case?

Going to really try and pressure him into GP... it's starting to get me down. I can't stand it

My husband has a chronic health condition and when he is unwell, there is often a particular smell. It's sometimes the first symptom before he even realises he's having a flare up.

It sounds like he is unwell OP, even if he is asymptomatic, he needs to see his GP.

It's probably to do with his diet, or an underlying medical issue.

He needs to see his GP ideally, or at least go for sensitivity testing see if he has any allergies or intolerances.

I had a bad body odour for a couple of years. I made sure I washed and used deodorant twice a day. It went away the day after I had emergency surgery. I didn't even realise I was ill! I'd ask him to see his GP and ask.

I think for a GP a pronounced unusual body odour (in someone who washes and so it isn't BO) and has come on after not being there can be a clear indication of a range of things.

It would be worth it - they are likely to examine him and ask for some blood tests to rule out possible issues that could be serious if left untreated- really don't think they'd see it as a waste of time.

Can other people smell it?

I'm possibly missing the mark, but after I had my second dose of Covid in July 2022, I was plagued by a smell very similar to what you describe. I'd also describe it as sickly sweet. Almost like hugely over-ripe fruit, but also sometimes kind of meaty and/or yeasty.
I also felt like my own body odour went off the chart and I was smelling like this myself. I went from a person who never really needed to use deodorant, to someone who was having to use mens deodorant to cover the smell.
I would also smell it out and about. I went to stay a couple of nights in a cousins holiday house in September, and that absolutely honked. But I knew it was me, not them.

I'd say it was well over a year before things returned to normal, smell-wise. And I was getting very occasional "whiffs" as recently as this past summer. My taste was affected as well. I went off coffee for a while, and over 2 years on, I'm only just getting back into butter. That was rancid to me for a long time.

Did either you or your DH have covid around the time you first noticed this smell?

Fair point.
You would think family or his work, even the kids would say something. Kids are often not shy to say something stinks.

He’s quite possibly ill. Make him a GP appointment and convince him to go.

I have a number of medical conditions which lead to smell being a problem for me.

There are limited things the doctors can do in my case.

I shower regularly. Use hibiscrub which is an antibacterial and anti fungal scrub. Most shower gels and soaps do not clean properly.

You can also get Dettol laundry stuff which helps with any smell getting into clothes.

Is the smell on his breath or generally body?

Breath might indicate tonsil stones or similar.

Body could be many things - infection, diabetes, as others have said.

Just goes to show that there are loads of things that make people smell. Not just the classic diabetes ketosis.

When can you smell it on him? On his breath? His hair?

Gum disease smells like this to me or dental infection. And sometimes people with reflux have this sort of sickly smell

Fungal infections, diabetes, skin lesions? Ulcers? Bum abscess?

Basically he needs to see a GP and his dentist.

Can you pinpoint where on/from within his body you think the smell is coming from?

I think you’re correct that if it was diabetes, he would have been showing other worrying symptoms by now but maybe it’s possible?

It’s been mentioned before but when I was pregnant I couldn’t stand the smell of my DH breath. I never told him because I knew it was my hormones but lying in bed at night next to him or being in the car together was horrendous, I felt so nauseous. Has anything changed with you hormonally? Are you 1 year postpartum or did you start a new contraception a year ago? Just other possibilities if no one else can smell him!

My DH smells awful if he uses a particular brand of shower gel. He didn’t believe me to start with, but now after constant complaining he has stopped buying it!

I'd suggest dental problem