Constant smoke smell in nasal passages.

[PN904]

I am a non-smoker. We are a non-smoking family. I am not around smokers at all. Why do I have the constant smell of smoke in my nose. It used to be just an occasional thing, but lately it seems to be all the time. I am concerned that this is a symptom of something I don't know about. The smell is strong. I used to notice it about a half hour after taking my Allegra-D 12 hr. tablets, but now I smell it much more often. Am I going crazy or is there something to this I'm not aware of. Has anyone else experienced this? Please help?

[Researchergal]

I came looking for a solution to my problem and am discouraged. I have been recovering from a head/chest cold for 2 1/2 weeks. Last week I suddently started smelling cigarette smoke (no one here smokes). I looked all over to see if we might have smoke coming from an outlet...I was afraid to go to sleep because I couldn't figure out what it was. I could smell it the next day at work. I was at a motel over the weekend and could smell it there too. I do see some people say it came on after a cold where they had lost their sense of taste. I did have that happen so am bummed by I can't seem to find a solution. I'm sure my doctor will think I'm crazy as will all of my family members...can't blame them...who would believe it?

[prairiekid]

After I stopped smoking in 2001 my sense of smell became much more sensitive. I could smell things that other people couldn't. In the summer of 2002 I was at the scene of a house fire. Due to the remote location of the house, the fire department couldn't get their hoses to reach the house so people were making a bucket brigade, of which I was a part. I did not know the people whose home burned and it was not an emotional event for me personally. Smoke literally blanketed the air for hours, making it like being in a fog. After that fire I could smell the smoke in my sinuses for days. Even since then, off and on, I can smell smoke for days, even when I can't see the source of the fire. I think it might be from other people's fire places, like right now. It is cold and calm here, not windy. There is no breeze at all. It also always happens if I've been around a camp fire... I'll smell it for days after. I don't think it is abnormal for me. I just think I have a super refined sense of smell and it's something I must tolerate, because it's not always pleasant.

[Meg4kids]

OK I have been smelling smoke off and on  since May 2010. It doesn't matter where i am in school or in my house and all are smoke free. it lasts about 30 seconds at a time and maybe 8-10 times a day. i went to doc 1st ,then ent ,then got a cat scan, mri ,and eeg... all say I am fine.. well that is great.. but what's with the smell. now thay are thinking of Epilepsy meds??? a little nervous of the side effects! please some feedback!

[doowah]

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree, it's definitely the fabric softeners guys!  The dryer sheets especially, which probably leave a higher concentration of chemical on your clothes than the kind you add to the washer.  I suffered with bouts of this problem on and off every week or so, where I would feel like I was constantly inside a smoke filled room, to the point where I felt that it was difficult to breath and my eyes would almost burn even!  Once it began, this feeling would last for up to a week before finally subsiding, only to return again in another week or so.  I also noticed that it seemed to be worse sitting than standing, which I couldn't explain at the time, but now attribute to the fact that when sitting, your arms and legs sort of form a trap which funnels the softener fumes up to your face.  Anyway, I suffered with this problem for a couple of years before taking the advice of another contributer to this blog to try stopping the fabric softener.  Once I convinced my wife to stop using the dryer sheets on my clothes, the problem quickly subsided, although I had what I would describe as sort of mild flashbacks of the experience, which probably took a month to completely resolve.  Also, I now sometimes notice a faint reminder of the experience if I enter the room after my wife has been running the clothes dryer (she still uses the dryer sheets on her clothes).

[I_Smell_Smoke]

I too had the same problem for 6 years and it was the fabric softener. I rewashed everything I have and the problem was gone in 2 days.

[Mikki13]

I will mention this again in the hopes that it may help you.  I just insisted my apartment manager replace my air conditioner/furnace combo.  The owners were none too happy about it because it cost them alot of money, but I really don't care.  My constant smoke/exhaust smell is now completely gone.  It was gone as soon as the old unit was disconnected.  Freon was leaking from the A/C lines (coils) and was causing me to have an awful throat burning, nose burning, eyes burning, smokey smell.  No one else could smell it.  Of course, all the maintenance people were men.  If you are women, we are more susceptable to smells than men are...it is a proven fact.  I could do the same thing, put my shirt over my nose for a few seconds and then the smell would go away for about three minutes.  But then it would always come back.  I highly suggest that you somehow get a certified A/C tech in you home/apartment, one with a leak detection meter.  My A/C tech's lit up like a Christmas tree when directed towards my A/C coils.  This was after over a year of fighting with my manager over this issue...'oh, we don't smell anything'...yea, right.  But I did, and that's all that mattered.  My husband didn't even smell it.  So, after having this horrible experience for a long time, I am a MUCH happier person.  I wish you much luck.