Hyperosmia

[christyvt]

I'm pretty sure my husband has hyperosmia.  His entire life (not a traumatic event), he has had an extreme sense of smell.  He can tell ingredients of perfumes foods pretty much anything.  One day at a work lunch at noon I had a rum and diet soda with lunch.  It is very rare (maybe once a year if at all) that this happens.  I didn't see him until I got home that night after 11 PM.  He could smell the rum on my breath when I gave him a kiss that night.  I had had lunch with the drink, later I had a snack ate dinner, drank water and soda in the time period since I had the drink at lunch.  He doesn't like to go into the city, since he smells the urine in the street.  If i need to give further examples I will happily do so.

His heightened sense of smell is affecting his life.  He would much rather be normal.  He works in sales, and if a client has halatosis or bad body odor he really suffers.  We live near the interstate, and depending on teh direction of the wind he gets sick sometimes from the smell of the asphalt/tires/cars on the freeway.  I have tried and I can't smell anything- I've asked friends if they could smell anything, and no one has said yes yet.  He always just thought it was something he had to live with.

His sense of smell is driving me crazy.  If we are talking he will ask me to go brush my teeth or use listerine.  I do not have exceptionally bad breath, I am normal- I checked with my dentist.  

He asked me if there was any way to lessen his sense of smell, and I thought cauterization of his nose might be an option.  I also saw online that Topamax could be used as well.  I haven't been able to find very much information about it- apparently Hyperosmia is not very common.

Are there any treatments?

If so, what type of doctor would be able to help?  ENT?  Neurology?  I have no idea.

Thank you for any help/suggestions you can give.

christyvt

[bignic]

  I am so sick of living with this problem. I feel like I am going to have to spend my life alone if I am going to ever be happy. Everyone else loves the smell of food, and I can't stand it. Detergents also make me sick, along with many other things. I'm driving my family crazy along with myself. I smell cooking on my clothes for hours. I don't want my kids to only remember me like this, I'm afraid that will be the case, since I have never heard of anyone else with this problem . . . until now!
  I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site. I actually work in ENT and have only asked about it one time to one of our doctors who stated she had never heard of a problem like this, so I chalked it up to just me being crazy and gave up.
  I hope we can all find some relief someday. It changes your life so much more than you can ever even try to explain to anyone. Thank you to everyone who shared your stories.

[Nikbub]

I've always had a heightened sense of smell but it got worse (better - depending on how you look at it) after the spinal I received for my second c-section. Not only are scents stronger but some of the smells I used to like, smell bad to me now. My symptoms are not nearly as dramatic as some of those listed above but they are still annoying. Body odors are the worst. I can smell halitosis from across the room and sweat before someone even enters a room.

That said, I think my youngest, the one I had after getting the spinal has the same condition. We are the only two to smell things that others can't. Thankfully they don't all make us sick or nauseous but again, bad smells are bad, even if they don't make you hurl.

[Carlb8]

Hi, I come from North Wales, I was reading your comments and was wondering if this condition can start at a young age and if there are any conditions connected. My daughter is 3 and her sense of smell is unbelievable, she smells things that others don't even notice, it makes her gag and choke like she is going to be sick. Don't like to see her suffer so any advice would be great.
Thanks
Carl

[EJTT]

Avoidance is the only treatment.  Doctors know this; but for reasons of their own, most will not advise avoidance and choose to waste sufferers' time and finances with wrong advice.

There is no cure for hyperosmia; and it does require loved ones, including family and friends, to alter their lives to help you live yours.  This fact is a real problem for most.  So those ill must come to terms with this sooner than later.

Let's just keep striving to go on doing what we have learned over time works:  avoidance.  Our Heavenly Father Bless us all and help us live the best we can.

[mkwildflowers]

I have always had a very strong sense of smell, much stronger than the average person. Except for migraines, I suffer from what others in this forum are talking about. Certain odors I can not tolerate, especially boy odors, bad breath - including onion and garlic breath. All chemical smells such as cleaning products, perfumes, laundry products, room fresheners - they get "stuck" in my nose. The isles in the grocery stores that sell these products have always bothered me. In my adult years, I developed seasonal allergies, as well as allergy to dust, mold, must, mildew, and when the heat comes on in the fall.

During the past two years, this problem has excellerated. I absolutely can not tolerate the detergents isle in the grocery stores, stores with scented candles, and perfumes. Restrooms with deodorizers are the worst! All the before mentioned odors now at times cause an intense, acute asthma-like coughing fit that can become severe to the point where I am gasping for air. Though I do not have a history of it, I was diagnosed with asthma and prescribed an inhaler. I also am disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder.

It seems that avoidance is the only treatment for this condition.

I do believe that there is link between high stress levels, hyperosmia, allergies, and asthma. I question if there is a build-up of toxins on our environment that maybe a factor in causing these ailments and that is only so much our bodies can take before they shut down.

[Hiboyz]

He may have a zinc deficiency. I suffered the same problem years ago and consulted a doctor in Chicago who said zinc and copper my be low. Started taking zinc daily and copper once a week. Smell returned to normal in about. Month.

Freddie