burning wood smell

[wtc400]

I ask this question yesterday but have not received any reply.

My wife is smelling burning wood and there are no fires anywhere!!!
My stepfather died from a brain tumor and he was smelling amonia for about 2 years before
he died instantly and never new what killed him.

Please reply

a husband that is concerned.

Thank you

[cone_head]

i also have this, more or less exactly as described.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia

i have read a little bit about "olfactory hallucinations" or "phantosmia" (see above), but this appears to be rather specific (i describe it as a wood-workshop smell; the smell you get when drilling wood, sawdust, sawing wood very quickly causing slight burning etc). i have had this for over 12 years (now 28). appears a few times a year lasting a few hours, up to a week (although within this week it may also come and go).

i dont find it altogether unpleasant and do not as such associate it with headaches or migraines (only ever had one in my life), although now that i have read this i feel a slight stuffiness in my head as if i've been on a long car journey, haha!

finally i would add that i am a biomedical science graduate and this phantosmia stuff means nothing to me. a neurologist who specialises in this area may know more.

[Amoriese]

Yes, what you described is exactly what I have been smelling recently as well. I have never had this happen before but this past couple of weeks, I have smelt it a few times. Very odd. I thought perhaps there were wires getting hot against the wood in the walls at first but no one else can smell it. At least now I know I am not crazy.

[DJDeni]

did you ever think.. that maybe its more of a spiritual thing.... someone from beyond this earth is trying to contact you???   Or maybe think back to your childhood.  Is this smell something that is comforting from your past?   When you are stressed... the mind can play serious tricks.   It may not be something as serious as a brain tumor.

[Nemesis19]

I get this as well but I have other disconcerting symptoms as my head as my scarf has a form of cranial parathesia as if all the nerve endings are on alert. This makes me thing there us something very sinister going on even thigh I have had a brain MRI that appears clear

[fileeep]

I have been smelling a woody/cigarette smell on and off for the last month. It is crazy....I was I a hotel and thought someone was smoking hahaha....but now it is not that funny...is there anybody out there ?

[twp1979]

I have been having the same problem - I smell burning wood, with a slight chemical smell as well. It lasts for several days but then goes away for months. This has only been going on for about a year, but it's disconcerting. I have started having migraines as well and I think they may be connected.

[Poi7654]

Calm down.  Most common cause of a lingering burning wood smell is a sensitivity to commercial fragrances.  These fragrances are commonly found in fabric softeners, and therefore get on the clothing following a person wherever they go.  Basically instead of a fresh or pleasure able smell, the afflicted smells a burning smell.  Downy fabric softener in particular seems to cause this effect.  I suggest you purchase unscented/fragrance free fabric softener and detergent, and re-wash your wife's clothes and bed linen.  If smell goes away, you've found your culprit.

[Cocoalano]

It's ironic that you talk about fragrances and laundry. My friend does my laundry for me. I was putting it away and I got a whiff of the insect repellent Off. I even asked her if she sprayed it. Well that lasted about a few days and now I have been smelling wood burning. It woke me out if my sleep. That lasted a few days and now I'm smelling it again. I don't know what is causing it but I am going to mention this to my dr.

[Grifsgirl]

Thanks, I recently started using Downy and I never had this problem before then. I have used other fabric softeners without any problems. Thanks again.

[pontiac1]

I get this wood burning smell like leaves or a campfire. Told my doctor and he had me get an MRI. Nothing unusual reported there and since then I had another for a neurologist. Mine started when I started getting   immunoglobulin infusions for my immune system. I was told by 2 other people that they have them along with migraines. I too am a chronic migraine sufferer.I have to take Imitrex to be able to function. I had the burning smell sensation for about 6 months straight and now it has subsided, but occasionally I get a whiff when no one else can smell anything.

Jerry

[RabdLK]

I am a 55 yr old male and I found your post very interesting, I have had this same wood burning smell going on for at least 5 or more years now. It is like a slightly sweet wood burning scent, like a candle burning too close to a wood shelf or something. I've asked my wife & son many times over the years if they could smell burning wood and they absolutely could not. I get it for days at a time but maybe only 4 or 5 times a year. Today, I was returning from a hotel in Reno,NV and got the scent while I was there and in the car returning home....and at home. First time when I wasn't home which made me think it was ME and not the house...and googled symptoms...and saw your post. At least your wife is not the only one with this thing.    Randy (my e-mail is ***@****)

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
Some of the causes of distorted sense of smell are sinusitis, head trauma, diseases of the brain stem, mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia.
Olfactory hallucinations can also be a sign of brain tumor. However, only a CT scan or a MRI of brain will be able to confirm the diagnosis.
Please schedule an appointment with a neurologist. Do keep us posted!

[PaulMD]

It is really very hard to assess this symptom and I'm afraid I cannot give you a straightforward answer.  

Just for some ideas, symptoms like this can reflect a problem with the olfactory bulbs and the frontal lobe of the brain which is responsible for the perception of smell and odor.  Some would liken the situation to an 'olfactory seizure' which is transient but recurring.

It is best that she'll be evaluated by her primary physician or a neurologist since the assessment will also lie on a physical and neurologic evaluation.  If her doctors would find reasonable doubt to suspect any problems with the brain, imaging studies such as MRI or CT scan may be requested.