can't smell

i am 36 yrs old. i have smoked for 10 yrs off and on. after the birth of my second child ,which i did not smoke with my pregnancy, i have lost my sense of smell. i cannot smell a number of things even if they are held directly up to my nose. i do breath out my nose however,  the few things i can smell are not worth smelling in the first place. i.e decay, or mold. could you give me an idea what might be going on. I have never taken drugs or inhaled drugs of any kind. i used to have bad sinus infections once or twice a year and strep throat once or twice a year. but i have not had either one of those in two years now. can anyone give me an idea what might be going on?? i would like to smell roses again. cristi

[mimi1313]

Cristi,

Hi, welcome to the ENT community. I have a  few questions. Are the bad smells actually there  or did you start smelling them once your sense of smell of other things decreased?

Do you have any other symptoms besides loss of smell?

Have you had head trauma in the past 2 years?

These questions would be a good sart to figuring out why this is happening?

Melissa

[libertygal35]

no physical trama. probably more mental than anything. yes the bad smell would actually be there. but like i said it is few and far between that i can smell anything else. even to the strongest perfum. some strong fragrant candles i can smell up close. but they have to have some sort of oil base and be a loud fragrance such as ginger. i cannot not smell anything light.. on the other hand i couldn't even smell my son when he pooped his diaper. and we all know that is supposed to be pretty ripe sometimes. odd right?

[mimi1313]

Cristi,

One of the most common causes of loss of smell are sinus infections, nasal polyps or other obstruction. A deviated septum can also cause this.

Are you tired frequently? Are you on any medications? If you don't want to answer that here, please jsut click on my name and send me a message.

Melissa

[libertygal35]

i am not on anyother meds. I stay tired. i manage a store, however, even on my days off are spent telling myself to keep moving. it doesn't matter how much sleep i get.... but because of kids and job i just keep going.. i thought it was my age. a slowing metabolism. i used to be pretty active. working out,  aerobics, but i haven't done that in 2 yrs.. i fell drained all the time. cristi

[mimi1313]

I sent you a message...