Does anyone else get “phantom” smells?

[Junaluma]

I’ve been experiencing phantom smells for about 4 months and can’t pinpoint why I get them… they’re not usually strong but I’m convinced I can smell something that is actually there…

I ask DH if he can smell what I’m smelling but he can’t. I can usually smell smoke, petrol or sometimes poo. It has woken me up before.

I had an MRI scan about a month ago of my head (including brain) and it didn’t reveal anything so it’s unlikely linked to that. Any suggestions?

@GreigeO

That makes so much sense! I have very dry earwax too

Yes smoke followed by an awful headache.

I’m also extremely sensitive to smells. Anything out of the ordinary will bring on a headache. I’ve had to change everyone’s deodorant to scent free!

Slightly off topic, but should people have wet ear wax? I don’t and I don’t really sweat or have BO either.

Yes, as many others have described, I have a strong cigarette smoke smell. Only ever at night (when I'm in bed).

When I first got it, in 2016, I was really concerned that 'someone' had been in my house smoking - even though I lived alone and have never smoked myself. I looked everywhere for the source of this smell...and then realised it was a phantom smell. After much googling I diagnosed myself with something fatal and went to the GP...who assured me I was not dying and that this was very common.

I just live with it now 🤷‍♀️

Exactly this for me too. Since having Covid in March 2020 my sense of smell has never been the same. I get weird phantom smells a lot. Also if I smell a "new" smell or something I've not smelled in a while I then smell it all the time. I came back from a festival last year and was smelling the chemical toilets everywhere for weeks 😫

I'm forever saying "can anyone else smell that?" 😂😫

Covid made me much more sensitive to smells, and prior to migraine, it's very acute, I can't stand most laundry and cleaning products, I smell them on other people at work, smell hand soap, everything. I'm not sure if the smell is part of the migraine or comes before it. This enhanced smell is definitely not a good thing.

I have had this on a few occasions (sometimes accompanied by or followed by nausea and dizziness) and was told by GP it is a kind of migraine without the headache.

I feel incredibly lucky to get away without the headache. But when it first happened, I had poor DH sniffing my pillow and bedside table because I could smell a really strong school dinner smell - sort of oxtail/tinned mince. Also sometimes smells of burning or toast - hadn't associated that with post-Covid before. Often, though, it's a rather lovely old-fashioned floral perfume.

Most people have damp, mushy orangey ear wax, and BO. People for whom this gene is not activated, have vague bits of dry flaky white stuff in their ears, occasionally. And no BO.

Thank you. I had no idea! My children all inherited the damp, mushy orangey ear wax from DH. I had no idea that kind of wax was so normal.

Weirdly I was only talking about this today. After COVID in 2020 I regularly could smell burning.Haven’t experienced it recently but I do get a strange taste in my mouth at times.

Yup, smoke and petrol fumes for me. I am post-menopausal and I feel that it's definitely linked to stress for me.

I started to get it a few years ago when my mum was ill (dementia), and it was so strong that I kept looking out of the window to see if any of the neighbours were cutting their grass using a petrol mower!

I'm currently a bit stressed about one of my cats being ill and also a bit concerned about a health issue of my own, so it's become really noticeable for me again in the past month or so. I think it's always there but I don't always notice it IYSWIM.

I went for my EEG today and the lady asked me a lot about me smelling smoke that wasn't there and how long I've had it for, how often and if any other symptoms at the same time.

I have anosmia, and phantosmia, for many pre-Covid years.

Mostly, the phantom smells are benign. Coffee, slightly damp pond.

It can be annoying, but luckily I know, post menopause, I don't have BO!

Interesting. I have very dry, flakey ears. No idea about the BO though thanks to the no sense of smell. Although I've had a could of exes comment that I never smell. So who knows

I have had this on and off since around 2012 so waaay before covid. It is a very specific smell though and it doesn’t smell like anything else so when the gp said what does it smell like? it's hard to answer. It is not an unpleasant smell, closest thing I could say is woodsmoke but that’s not really it. GP said stress/anxiety but I think it most likely some sinus thing - it’s obviously nothing serious though as it’s been going on over 10 years and never got any worse. I just ignore it now.

I think I've got one - it's actually a pleasant smell, I thought for a while it was my hair conditioner but I'm still smelling it when I'm using s different one. (Had covid for the first time last year, with smell loss, and I'm also post menopause)

Have you had an MRI scan?

I have but not related to this. Nothing showed up on it but they were looking for something else specifically. The lady yesterday was interested in the smelling so I'll see what happens with the results.

Ah okay! At least you’ve ruled out something sinister which is a relief. It’s nice to know I’m not alone with these smells!

There was no tumour certainly but if it comes back positive my whole life will change and be very very difficult but I trying not to worry.

Have you had Covid? My partner had this when she had Covid and it lasted for months afterwards, she would often wake me up because she thought she could smell smoke (or she COULD smell it and needed to know if I could too!).

I did in 2022 but I only had this issue since April.

Same here post Covid. I’ve actually had Covid twice since (mild) and the first indicator was phantom smells came back with a vengeance. In my case it’s bacon!

I also had the same when pregnant

I occasionally smell cigarette smoke since I had Covid in 2020. It’s an awful, stale cigarette smell and it can last for days 😫I think I’d enjoy smelling petrol though!