Things smell funny lately

[cjsmith]

For the past few days or maybe a week, many things have smelled... odd... to me. On Tuesday, Spaghetti-Os smelled like rosemary. A cheeseburger smelled like fresh cut paper (or cardboard?) Wednesday, and even more disturbingly, last night a cheeseburger smelled like nothing at all! It had mustard on it. How can I not smell at least the mustard? Potato chips and french fries both smell somewhat sour, but they taste okay. My body's waste products smell like old fish; conversely, bad breath smells fecal. Today, driving in traffic, I was sure I should be smelling icky car exhaust smells, but what my nose reported was a pot of freshly drained pasta.

This is mildly disturbing. What is going on with my body? Does this have something to do with the new nutritional supplements I just started? I am sure at least the bit about my body's waste products does indeed relate to that; among other things, I'm taking 1.8g of "marine lipid concentrate", whatever that may be, twice a day. But what's going on with my olfactory sense?

Comments

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

Its time to check with your doctor. Changes in your sense of smell can be an indication of a serious problem.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh bummer. Really? It's not likely to be just the new vities? I was thinking of discontinuing those first, just to see.

Re:

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

I'd heard that changes in sense of smell could indicate neural problems. Seems, on research, that I didn't get it quite right. Then again, I'm a worry wart.

http://www.drkoop.com/conditions/ency/article/003052.htm
Smell, impaired
Considerations:
The loss of smell is usually an insignificant result of nasal congestion or obstruction, but it can sometimes indicate a neurological disorder. Loss of the sense of smell may be idiopathic (without any identifiable cause).

Some loss of smell occurs normally with aging. In most cases, there is no obvious or immediate cause, and there is no treatment.

Temporary loss of the sense of smell is common with colds and nasal allergies such as hay fever ( allergic rhinitis ). It may occur following a viral illness.

The sense of smell is often lost with disorders that prevent air from reaching the part of the nose where smell receptors are located (the cribriform plate, located high in the nose). These disorders may include nasal polyps , nasal septal deformities, and nasal tumors .

Other disorders that may cause a loss of the sense of smell include tumors of the head or brain, head trauma , and a wide variety of endocrine , nutritional, and nervous disorders.

Many medications may change or decrease the ability to detect odors.

Most people who lose the sense of smell can differentiate salty, sweet, sour, and bitter tastes. These tastes are sensed on the tongue. They may not be able to distinguish other flavors. Some spices such as pepper may stimulate facial nerves and may be sensed rather than smelled.

[daltong.livejournal.com]

"marine lipid concentrates" are, i am guessing, omega-3 fatty acids. i know when i was taking them, i would burp fish taste.

i talked to a doctor about them this week and he said that one has to take high doses in order to have any effect on depression (there's been a recent study that says they can help with bipolar disorder). he said that when the people in this study took these doses, they literally *smelled* like fish.

and on the even less appetizing bad-breath=fecal-matter-smell topic...well, the gastrointestinal tract is one long tube that finishes, at one end, in the tongue. it kinda makes sense that sometimes that is the case.

my vote: stop the supplements and give it a few days and see if your smell returns to normal before going to the doctor.

[ziactrice.livejournal.com]

Well, Vitamin C has most of the effects you've just described on me, except the wonky smell-er problem. It sounds as if you are either taking too high a dose, or are allergic to something. Cut everything, wait two weeks, and start over one a time at 150 mg or LESS.

Or, even better, make changes to your real food diet and stop taking vitamins for most things. I eat purslane (which is really high in omega-fatty acids) and fish. I eat oysters for zinc - I even crave them at Certain Time in the Month - prevent anemia.

However, changes in your sense of smell can indicate really Nasty Health weirdities. So, if it doesn't stop real quick when you stop the supplements, beat a path to your doc's door and make him LISTEN.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Mm, interesting. I'm still smelling a lot of stuff... I wonder if what I have isn't "smell, impaired" but rather "smell, scrambled". :-) I guess this line might sort of point to the supplements: Many medications may change or decrease the ability to detect odors.

Open top of head. Stir contents. Close. :-)

Re:

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

Open top of head. Stir contents.

I love it!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

"marine lipid concentrates" are, i am guessing, omega-3 fatty acids. i know when i was taking them, i would burp fish taste.

Yeah, I wonder. I used to take omega-3,6,9 based on fish, and I couldn't stand it. The pills themselves smelled revolting, the burps were revolting, I got queasy... I had to give away the rest of the bottle. I'm stuck with flaxseed for that stuff, apparently.

(I am allergic to some, maybe even most, fish and seafood. I find any fishy scent unpleasant.)

Interestingly, these don't give me that reaction. And they don't break down the omega-N contents, making me think that maybe that's not what this is. I'm taking this combination for the other stuff it gives me: glucosamine and chondroitin. Maybe if they'd left off this marine lipid stuff, the pills wouldn't choke a horse. Sigh.

Ah HA! Looked this brand up on the web. Two of the four capsules per packet are "enterically coated fish oil capsules that dissolve in the small intestine". You have it exactly right. And the coating explains not only why I'm not burping any nauseating odors, but why my bathroom smells have changed more dramatically than with normal fish oil. And I can GET RID OF these without losing the glucosamine and chondroitin, which are in the little powder caplet things. Heh.

my vote: stop the supplements and give it a few days and see if your smell returns to normal before going to the doctor.

Sounds sane.

I bet if fish started smelling good to me, it'd be time to see not only a doctor but a psychologist. ;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Wow. I have no trouble at all with Vitamin C, even when I megadose (which isn't often).

Yah, if I could eat fish or seafood of any kind at all I'd have less of a problem...

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Go to the doctor NOW. As mentioned by others, this can indicate serious neural problems. Please, please, please see a doctor.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

"smell scrambling" often is a result of neural problem.

Get thee to a doctor (please!)

[elflet.livejournal.com]

I just read your entry to a neuropsychologist friend of mine who treats brain-injured patients. Her red flags were up in an instant -- those sorts of symptoms are clearly neurological. She said you should see a doctor soonest. (Note that seizures are another possibility, which is alarming given your piloting.)

Please get to a doctor soonest, and make sure they run an MRI. My friend said "if your doctor doesn't take you seriously, get another doctor."

Also, if you want a good GP (thorough, level-headed, and absolutely willing to listen to you), see John Rashkis in Los Gatos. We've been with him for over 10 years, after a friend's recommendation. (Something to note: he used to run the ER at Good Samaritan Hospital and decided to return to private practice. Kathy had Danny at Good Samaritan; when the maternity ward nurses heard Dr. Rashkis was her MD, they all said she had the best. I figure running the ER and remaining liked by the staff is quite a trick!)

Ambar also has some first-class recommendations up your way.

Re: Get thee to a doctor (please!)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I haven't been alone at the controls of a plane for nine months; I'm on highways every day, in Way Too Close proximity to other cars...

Thanks for the recommendations. Oddly enough, these symptoms do seem to be fading away as fast as they came. Maybe I should take the weird nutritional supplements with me to my doctor.