Constantly smelling cigarette smoke - 12 weeks after COVID?!

[ChristmasMouseInHouse]

I had COVID about 12 weeks ago. I lost my sense of smell and taste for a bit but they seemed to come back fully after about 3-4 weeks.

For the last few days I feel like I am constantly smelling cigarette smoke. It’s happening at home as well as at work and nobody else can smell it so it seems it’s just me.

Have to regularly LFT for work and it’s negative since my first infection.

What’s going on? Is this COVID related from the first infection or is this something else?! It’s so weird!

I have the same thing, constantly smelling and tasting cigarette smoke - I had Covid over Christmas though, so nowhere near as long as you. I have read that parosmia can last several months in some people.

I’ve had this, had covid over Christmas I got a heightened sense of smell at the time but also left with the cigarette smell occasionally

Out of interest, are you smokers or ex-smokers? I'm wondering why it's cigarette smoke, it's really weird. I'm an ex-smoker.

No I’ve never smoked.

I wonder why it’s happening now. I didn’t have it at all when I actually had covid. Just now, all this time onwards

I'd do an LFT if I were you. Could be a reinfection. The fag smoke smell was definitely a Covid symptom for me.

@sadpapercourtesan

I'd do an LFT if I were you. Could be a reinfection. The fag smoke smell was definitely a Covid symptom for me.

I’ve done one this evening and it was negative. I might do another one tomorrow including a throat swab as I have read that Omicron isn’t always picked up on nasal only. But don’t think I can ask for a PCR just with smoke smelling as a symptom!

I still occasionally get this over a year on, I have regular PCRs for work and I haven’t been reinfected so it’s from my original infection.

I have this but I haven't had Covid. I've had it since the beginning of November and it's driving me mad!
It occasionally goes but comes back soon afterwards.

I'm not sure if it's linked to my pregnancy (I've had phantom smells before when pregnant - sewerage, which was lovely ) or if my sinuses were damaged by the horrendous cold I had a few months ago.

You're not pregnant are you? That does funny things to your sense of smell. Also - I've found that while pregnant I can smell it on people's clothes / hair super strongly, far more than before and even get whiffs if someone has been outside around a smoker but not smoking themselves.

I think it would be an idea to contact your GP as it could be something called phantosmia which is what you are describing, smelling phantom smells. It may well be due to Covid but could also be something totally unrelated eg sinus problems.

I had covid about 12 weeks ago too. Since then I've had no sense of smell, until last week when I started to smell "smoke". Its like I'm in an old musty pub all the time ( at home and at work).
I've tested this week, negative. I'm assuming its from the original infection, and that it's a step towards my sense of smell returning.

I have this too. Just this last week, though I'd describe it as more a bonfire smell than cigarettes. I had covid in Oct - completely lost taste and smell but returned within 2 weeks. Now this. Have done lft and negative so not reinfected.

I’m 12 weeks after infection too and have had this horrible cigarette smell on and off since I started to regain my sense of smell. It is like someone is blowing cigarette smoke right in your face. I had it all the time from around week 4 but it has reduced over the last few weeks.

@Flessicajetcher

I have this too. Just this last week, though I'd describe it as more a bonfire smell than cigarettes. I had covid in Oct - completely lost taste and smell but returned within 2 weeks. Now this. Have done lft and negative so not reinfected.

Sounds exactly like me!

I had covid in august and still have this a couple of times a day,

@OnceUponAThread

You're not pregnant are you? That does funny things to your sense of smell. Also - I've found that while pregnant I can smell it on people's clothes / hair super strongly, far more than before and even get whiffs if someone has been outside around a smoker but not smoking themselves.

Highly unlikely, although not entirely impossible. Actually just realised I’m on day 27 of my cycle and I don’t feel at all pre menstrual so…

Hate to add smoke to the fire (no pun intended), but that was my first thought. When I was pregnant, I could smell cigarette smoke a mile away. That being said, I was a smoker myself (until the very minute I found out I was pregnant) so maybe that could be why I smelled it so strongly. Though I've just quit again and it's just nowhere near as bad.

@FlyingFlamingo

I still occasionally get this over a year on, I have regular PCRs for work and I haven’t been reinfected so it’s from my original infection.

My DP has similar, well over a year on he constantly smells a burning smell, except it's more wood smoke than cigarette smoke.

He's found that using one of those sinus wash things helps very short term (1-2 days) but swimming is the only thing that seems to have cleared it. When he was swimming weekly he wasn't aware of it, but he stopped in early Dec and the smell returned about 3 weeks after his last swim .

I had Covid in March 2020 and I still almost constantly smell either a wood-burning smell, cigarette-smoke-on-an-old-pub-carpet smell, or more iron-like (sort of blood) smell. It's awful, but I'm so used to it now.

Ironically, can't smell ACTUAL burning when food catches during cooking...

So pleased to find this thread.

I tested positive at the end of October, so 12 weeks ago, and for the last week or so I’ve been smelling cigarette smoke. I actually asked DH if he could smell it over the weekend, I thought perhaps our neighbours had started smoking.

How weird.

Have Long covid and am under long covid clinic for a range of symptoms that come and go. Had a phase when I could smell things burning in the house that no one else could. Checked toasters, electrical, fires everything as it was really worrying. Clinic confirmed this was a regularly reported post covid reaction.

I've never tested positive for covid and not pregnant, but for the past few weeks I can smell cigarette smoke too.

Ooh interesting. I could smell cigarette smoke the whole summer of 2020. No covid, or if I did have it it was 100% without any other symptom. I had cover summer 2021 and have smelt it again on and off since then, most recently last week for about 48 hours. No idea if covid related or not but never had the issue before all this started.

So glad I have just seen this, I have exactly the same thing driving me mad at the moment but no-one else can smell it, to the point where it gives me headaches from the smell of smoke. I had covid at the end of October.

I had Covid Dec 2020 and still get the smell of burning and smoke followed by a bad headache which is exactly what prompted me to get a PCR back then. Regularly test on LFTs and always negative. Usually lasts three days and disappears for another few weeks.