Stale Nose Smell

Hi-
I writing because my boyfriend, the past 6 months has developed a stale smell that comes mostly from his nose. He doesn't smell it, or taste it, so it is something I am noticing. Sometimes I can smell it from a distance. It smells very stale and not good. I don't know what to do to help him. It is very frustrating and a turn off.

I love him dearly and want to help solve this. I know I am sensitive to smell but there is clearly something wrong. It doesn't occur ALL the time, but most of the time it is there. When he brushes his teeth it will go away for a little but always comes back.

Please help!

[crazy213]

i am experiencing exactly the same problem as that of your boyfriend. do you find a solution to it? i am REALLY SUFFERING! or can anyone reading this can help me or suggest to me a solution??! please!

[adyb12]

Hi,
Your boyfriend may be suffering from nasal dryness. It can lead to drying of mucus up his nose and in turn to a stale smell. He is not able to sense its smell, since it may be above the actual part of the nose with the sense receptors.  

I had nasal surgery, and after it had something similar forming above my nose in the sinuses. I had to blow my nose really hard to get it out, and it had a very bad smell once out and dark color.

He may increasing the humidity of the air where he sleeps, with a humidifier. It would help promote his nose produce clean mucus and he'd probably have better breathing.

[T_rev308]

I had this problem about two years ago, it was bought on by a bad flu and hung around even after I had got over it, I guess the infection also spread to my nasal cavity as well.

I tried Antibiotics and Nasal spray, the nasal spray was a very temporary relief and I relied on it for about two months, but each time the relief was smaller. I ended up having to stop the nasal spray because it started to irritate my nostrils and make them swell more. The anitbiotics didnt seem to do much at all, probably because my flu was already gone.

The way that I got rid of it was I went to the beach! you know how you go swimming in the waves and you get 'tap nose'? you go back to your beach towel to sunbake, lay down face first and your nose drips for about 10 seconds? that was what seemed to fix it for me. So i guess that a strong saline solution would have also worked but I didnt try that, I will be trying that now actually because It has come back again after another bad flu, I just hope I can get rid of it before it bothers my wife too much.

Good luck to everyone else in getting rid of this! I know how bad this smell can be!

[Vikki_Vik]

Have you tried a saline rinse or a neti pot?

Good Luck!

[Sinussuf4er]

I have this now and have had it in the pass. The smell is a result of lack of drainage,moisture, and you probably have inflammation of the sinuses. You have to go to an ENT and get a CT scan to see if you have a cyst or polyps which can block normal drainage of the nose. You must also find a way to fight inflammation of the turbinates and nasal passages to ensure that the mucous in your nose can drain normally. Be very careful about sinus irrigation. Make sure you apply an anti-inflammatory first or the water will get trapped and cause the bacteria to build up in the mucuos and your nose will smell worse. Make sure you use a humidifier at night to ensure your nose is getting moisture but if you have swollen sinuses at night and your nose is not draining properly, then the mucuos will be blocked, your nose will be dry causing blood laced mucous (which you cannot see but taste in your mucuos) and it will give bacteria a chance to build up in the sinuses. The only way you can get rid of the smell is have your doctor prescribe a very strong antibiotic(also take out the polyps or unblock your nose), drink water constantly,and keep your nose moist with a saline nasal sinus spray, and make sure you are brushing the back of your tongue with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda backed with a gargle of non-alcohol mouthwash. Until the bacteria is gone..I usually buy the loud fruity smelling Lip Balm and put some in each nostril to lessen the bad smell in my nose when out in public. Also avoid doing a lot of swallowing (Ex:while drinking liquids) because the smell will come from the nose and it can smell up to 5 feet away and is embarrassing.
I am in a foreign country now but don't trust foreign doctors to operate on my sinuses so I will have to suffer until I can get back home to see an ENT who is knowledgeable because not all ENT's know how to treat certain chronic sinusitis problems.

[Cookies777]

I am really embarrassed about my odor I think it is my nose.  I went to the dentist and everything was fine.  I get these disgusting garlic looking small yellowish stones while brushing my teeth and specially the back of my tongue. The smell is gross.  Plus sometimes I am able to smell the bad odor coming out of my nose.  I used to always get complements on my perfumes and that I smell really pretty.   Now I see some of my friends backing away from me.   I am going to see the doctor next week and hoping that finally I will get different answer and results.  This will be the 2nd year going through this terrible experience.   At first I thought it was a body odor,skin odor or breath odor.  After I kept on insisting to the doctor in several visits that I had a problem.  She kept on telling me that I have "Gerd"  or acid reflux.  I have been taking medication for the acid problem and I know for fact that I have never experience heart burn or anything to do with my stomach.  Now after reading all your comments I am really thinking it is my nose not draining properly.   Thanks for the information..

[Shawnna6927]

Hi guys...well I've had this disgusting smell in my nose for about two years now and like many others I've tried everything in the book. I thought my life was over. It as if I was a prisoner in my on body. I mean my entire outlook on life changed in a bleek of my eye. So went to the ER my doctor allergist ENT . After multiple visits ...finally on my last visit to my EnT I told him my biggest problem with was this awful smell and that it was ruining my life. He took a look up my nose and found that my adenoids (adenoids) which are tonsils were infected an caused tonsils stones to form . For one I didn't know that the human body has three sets of tonsils. Today I had a tonsillectomy and adeniodectomy done. so far I have notice a decrease in the odor already. I will keep u guys updated on how it turns out. Remember never give up we all deserve a good life.
Pray hope love
Shawnna