Am I the only one who can smell catarrh?

[Justwrong68]

there are lots of colds going around at the moment and in public spaces I’m finding the smell overpowering. I’ve always been able to smell it, it’s strong and acrid, but just lately more than ever. Anyone else have this unfortunate super power?

Not only can I not smell it, I don't even know what it is! I suppose in that case I might be able to smell it......

Put me down as a maybe.

Are there other things like snot (that don’t usually smell) that you can smell OP?

I have never smelt it on random people, but have smelt it on DC’s, who I obviously get pretty close to.
I get really close to people in work and smell morning breath, fag breath, coffee breath, tonsil stone breath etc, but have never smelt catarrh on anyone.

Yes I can too, more so the older I get. But it tends to be close family members I smell it on.

I can smell it very easily on my family and sometimes on strangers well. It's a strange, pungent smell. A bit like gone off, singed pumpkin.

I smell it too Op. It’s unpleasant. I can also smell unwashed hair at a distance.

I wouldn’t say my sense of smell was particularly good, just attuned to those things.

Me too and it’s vile 😅

Yes I can smell it in advance of myDC getting sick!

I can smell snot / people blowing their noses. I used to be able to anyway, but i haven't smelt it for years.

It smells a bit burnt...kind of like fingernails being filed (to me)

I can smell when someone has a cold or is coming down with a cold - perhaps it's the catarrh that I'm smelling?

I can definitely smell it on my children, and know the day before that they will be unwell. It’s concentrated around their mouth/nose but isn’t just a bad breath smell. My husband says he can’t smell them.

My DP says they can smell ‘ill’

Me too and it is horrendous!

I can’t answer that because I still don’t believe people can’t smell it

Thanks. I don’t feel so alone now

It's horrible! I usually smell it off myself or my dh and dc but I have smelt ot on others the last few years and it makes me feel sick.

@sgustin I'd forgotten the smell of nails being filed, I haven't smelt that in years!

I can too. Then I studied microbiology and did a lab where we were playing streptococcus and realised that’s what the smell was 🤢

When I was pregnant I could smell it. Revolting. I clearly remember being in a meeting and the guy opposite me had the most disgusting phlegm breath. I also remember when dc were little I could always smell UTIs.

Playing?

Same here! It’s like a rotten mucus smell, before they even appear ill. Absolutely gross.
I can also smell people’s sneezes, and their hair if it’s not freshly washed.
DH can’t smell any of it and thinks I am mad

Sorry, should have said ‘plating’

Rice cakes have the same undertone, I can't eat them because they have that phlegmy stench.

Rice cakes smell like equal parts gas (from a cooker) and vomit to me. Never understood why

I can only smell it on my son. He does have a habit of breathing in my face though

Yes, and it sets off my cptsd.

And yes to the rice cakes, very similar smell. Like rotting salty bodies.
Ive been smelling it for days and it's making me miserable and weird.
Weirder than usual anyway.