sense of smell changes

I was wondering if anyone has experienced any changes in their sense of smell or any other senses?
I seem to have developed a more acute sense of smell and taste, especially smells. I smell my dog more now and he actually smells like one, and other unpleasant odors, such as urine, never smelt before and just bad odors. Coffee and some meats aren't too swift tasting anymore.

Peace and Health

[Marcia2202]

I have always had a very fine tuned nose, and it has become even worse on tx. And often it hits right in the stomach and kind of triggers off a gag reflex. All smells are magnified... kind of like when I was pregnant.

I have also noticed that salt tastes saltier, sweet things are too sweet. I can only drink water. And I only need a tiny little chili. I used to eat the strongest African Scotch Bonnet all the time... I can only take a few drops of it now... It's a feeling as if the taste buds where wide open and sucking in all the tastes... weird...

God bless,

Marcia

[headshop]

It is just amusing to me about this stuff, sometimes. My tastes have changed,  certain smells can sicken me, and my appetite is random. I have noticed since I take the riba evreyday now, in the evening when I take it I get hyper than shaky then very sleepy tired.

Peace and Health

Head

[epiphiny]

My smell and taste buds are all messed up too, pretty much exactly as Marcia has described it.  Anything tasty or spicy is just way magnified as if there are huge holes on my tongue that are soaking it all in.  The positive side is that mellow tasting foods are very flavorsome and I am noticing subtle flavors in a way I have never experienced.

Anything chemical is a no no for me, makes me want to gag and the faintest body odour makes me want to heave.  Not looking forward to the warmer weather and being in small spaces with other people!!

And ditto to the feelings after taking my riba but if I don't get to sleep in the sleepy tired phase I find myself lying awake unable to sleep.

Oh the joys of txing!!

[headshop]

The sleep thing I just now am experiencing, I just unexpectantly fell asleep for an hour, then woke up with a headache, achey (achy) and weak feeling. I also have that wired feeling, I hope it doesn't last.

Head

[Isobella]

In the beginning I had that same feeling when I woke up, but no more.  Maybe it is your body adjusting to this new dosing of the Riba.

I also get the "hypers" from the riba.  I seem to go full force---or I am asleep.  There was a period where I got in the habit of rearranging the furniture at night, lol!  My hubby never knew what to expect.

Thankfully that has passed....hopefully it will pass soon for you too :)

Every day is an adventure!!

Isobella

[IAmTheWalrus]

Haven't noticed that side effect yet. But I have noticed it has affected my wife's sense of smell, though. She has noticed this particularly on Coma Weekends when I stay in bed. I am thinking it is the interferon, but wife suspects it is because I don't get up to shower. ;-)

[LindaC1207]

I don't notice any smells or taste changes yet but I do get a little hyper a night when I take the riba, funny, not in the morning though and I take more at that time.  It seems to go away by the time I go to bed, could be the antidepressant kicking in but then when I wake up to go to the bathroom, I find it hard to get back to sleep again and I have to get and go a lot during the night.

Are we having fun yet?

Linda

[Marcia2202]

The riba makes me sleepy... I sleep betweem 8-10 hours a night and sometimes 12. The only thing which picks me up is the shot... by the way I feel after taking my shot, I would love to take it every day. But the day afterward I get whacked out again... That's today... down... down... down... back to Dracula world... ROFL

[headshop]

This weekend when I took my shot, I had a buzz for a few hours. I have felt it a couple of other times, it almsost is like prednisone sometimes. I wish I could take a shot today.

[goosenbee]

I was in TX during 2007 and my sense of smell got so sensitive that I had to buy unscented everything -- shampoo, soap, deodorant. Any strong smell made me sick and sometimes smells were just "off": my husband opened a can of water packed tuna and in the next room I smelled burning plastic. I could smell the hand lotion of a woman across the room in yoga class.  

Taste buds were just nuts. I would enjoy something one day and gag on it the next.  

Bizarre, but I just chalked it up to the poison. Everything cleared up right after TX. (But I rebounded at 3 months post.)

Hang in there and may God bless you on this journey.  

[headshop]

I was thinking the other day about how certain smells seem overly sensitive to. Some make me feel nauseas, some I feel that my sense of smell is enhanced. This poison we are putting in our bodies. is Chemo,, some bad stuff. This is not unsual, some thoughts about foods and smells, can get me queazy. I remember when my sister was on Chemo for abdominal cancer. perfumes and different smells made her sick. Cetain foods lost their taste. I thought about it the other day, she got to where oatmeal was one of her favorite things that she could stomach. One of my favs is oatmeal, especially if I am nauseaus.

Thanks for the encouragement, it is amusing and weird and a pain these random sx, my family doctor, is new to

[GSDgirl]

At the begining of my TX my step dau, her hubby & 2 kids lived with us.  She used so much fabric softner, so much air freshner, so much smelly types of things I gagged quite a bit.  One time the 2 year old ripped open a sachet of something pumpkin spice smelling that she swept up with the sweeper and I couldn't stand to run the sweeper until I bought a new filter................and the stuff she used to cook, ohhhhh the smell.  I used to call my dog onto the couch with me and bury my nose in her fur.  

One of my favorite things to eat was instant mashed potatoes with sour cream added.  or a milkshake made with carnation instant breakfast.   or a can of chicken broth with the small pastina like in wedding soup cooked in it.

Headshop, this too shall pass.

Denise                     P.S. the riba never made me tired, there were times I didn't sleep for days

[DragonSlayer45]

Yup, I definitely smell things I never smelt before. Sometimes I think the smells are the meds coming out of my pores or something. Weird, I have also had a few occasions that it effected my tasttes. I went out with wife for anniversary to a favorite restaurant and could not eat a thing. It all tasted like chemicals. That was awful.

[headshop]

My Chiropractor said that our body is releasing some of the toxins from the meds workinh on the liver. The ice cream I used to eat is way too sweet now, it seems like my smells are amplified and my tastes are decreasing or changing. I have noticed that my mouth has that ashtray feel, I don't smoke or drink. I get really dry and thirsty at night and my mouth has gotten so dry that I have pulled the skin from the inside of my mouth.

I have tasted metal at times, not all of the time.

[alagirl]

I thought my house was on fire routinely while I treated...  My son got tired of me sending him throughout the inside and outside to check.

[headshop]

I come in the house and I am sure that Luke has gone somewhere urinated and dump.
After my usual sniff and search with Luke walking with me going what, it wasn't me, I finally come to the conclusion that it is my nose.

[sunshine585]

That's funny, I go through that too. Everything is intensified, smells, tastes, even sounds. I make my daughter taste things, because it tastes off to me. I was at a friends, and commented as I walked in ,on the nice scented candle she was burning. A secon later, it hit me and I had to walk out, befor I threw up. It's funny, I'm so fatigued all the time, but don't sleep well, and every so often, always at night, I get a burst of energy, and get up in the middle of the night. The next morning, I don't remember it, and when I go downstairs, I could swear someones broken in and eaten my groceries. I get bizzare dreams too, so real!

[alagirl]

weird what the tx drugs do, huh?

[sunshine585]

Makes for some funny stories at times. You ave to laugh.

[headshop]

I am more jittery or surprised by sudden noises and more nervous since starting tx, especially since I began taking the riba correctly instead of one day I take it every day now. My hearing is not as good sometimes and I am a lot more nervous. I was embarrassed at a meeting the other night, my hands trembled and spilled my coffee and I literally trembled and shook when approached by a couple of close touchy friends.

[sunshine585]

I started getting  fine tremors, (on and off), a coupl of months ago. It's embarrassing to me if I'm in a store, handing money, or reaching for my change. I don't like it but it'll go. We'll be ok

[headshop]

It's gotta be the ribabirin, for the tremors increase and shakiness, nervousness.. didn't really have these notable and embarrasing events until I started taking the riba twice daily. I also have the itching and dryness a lot more I have observed. It is also when I believe my WBC is out of whack and I seem to have a touch of something.

[alagirl]

Taking the riba correctly is important.

I had severe tremors and muscle spasms that would cause gross movement, they would actually throw me forward.  They were violent actually.  All that has stopped now post treatment although the fine tremors in my hands took about five months.  The itching and dryness is difficult.  As treatment goes on your skin also becomes more delicate and papery.  I actually had a full thickness burn on my leg from the bottom of my laptop.  I am careful not to leave it on my legs without something in between the computer bottom and my legs so you can tell it was just that the quality of my skin was more prone to damage.  You can try taking your showers in cooler temp water and then slathering on the moisturizer.  Your doctor might be able to give you something special to put on your skin to minimize the itching also.

[headshop]

My dermatologist suggested I get Aveeno for my skin, also she suggested I use Aqua Glycolic on my neck and arms where I have irreversible sun damage. This does help some. All  the meds I am use are Sun sevsitive, so any sun protection is needed as I work about half and half in the Sunlight.

Peace and Health

[merryBe]

OMG yes....I'm running around the house saying what's burning....every time the burner gets turned on I think the house is on fire...and meat smells like puke cooking...it all smells rancid to me...  I finally had to make my hubby cook the meat outside this summer because the stench was making me so nauseaus..

Yuk...I had the nose of a bloodhound BEFORE tx...now I think my adenoids (adenoids) could with gold medals the way they smell everything.  It's really hard to go out...every perfume, every deodorant and shampoo and fabric softener I can smell and name on others.
If this keeps up I'm moving back to the woods so I won't smell anybody anymore!!

mb