Everything Smells Strange

[Revalation]

Has anyone experienced a change in their sense of smell while on tx.

There is a room in my house that I can't enter without being offended by the smell of the room.
My eyes dry and throat burns.

Also, I think my skin smells funny no matter how much I wash.
I've tried washing in baking soda to try to get rid of the smell.
Additionally, when I wash clothes the clothes smell funny to me.

Could  this be my imagination or what?

Reva

[ninjamonkey]

No it happens. Smells can change and taste can change.

[BoceprevirGal]

No, I have that one also.  The offensive room is my sons' room, but it smelled just fine to me, before this Tx.
   I do plan on cleaning their carpet this week, to see if that helps, because I can barely stand it though.
   And it's not my skin that smells to me, but me teeth!  I have to scrub them with Golden Seal powder, and them brush them thru-out the day, and use all these different types of mouth-wash...which helps a bit.
   Also, if anyone in the house uses(stinks up) the bathroom, it smells HORRIBLE to me!
I go in the bathroom, open the windows, spray disinfectant on the toilet seat, in the toilet, and around the toilet, etc. I never used to be like that!

[screaming48]

everything smelled bad to me, including my skin. My house smelled like the meds and I believe they were leaching out of my body. I couldn't even stand the smell of laundry soap and had to use fragrance free soaps for laundry and bathing, it also will pass with time.

[Idyllic]

It is not you.
I never used to be one of these hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, non irritant kind of people and quite frankly thought they were a pain in the rear...until I became one when I started treatment - the last time around. I have happy memories of the smell of Tide and Downy but now those smells are so over the top they literally nauseate me. Oh, and the Bounce fabric softener sheets.

As far as "phantom" smells around the house, the one I pick up on is old, krappy metallic smell. I know it's not real, but it is there nonetheless.

[BoceprevirGal]

  I also have the Bounce fragrance revulsion, and any scented detergets now. I used to kind of enjoy going to Used Clothing stores, but would never be able to go into one now!
   I alos keep smelling a strange mildew odor, coming form my side of the bed. My mattress is brand new, so it's not that (I keep smelling, just ot checkm, though) and I smelled my lamp, nope...although, at one point I thought it was my heating pad, but that has dissappeared, and I still smell the old mildew smell waft my way, while I'm in bed. ( I wash all the sheets al the time, it's not them)
   This smell phenomena, compiled with the fact that I am itchy all over,makes me feel a bit like i am losing it, sometimes!

[Revalation]

I had the carpet in my room replaced because of the smell.That was about a week ago. There is an elevated platform in an area of the room
and now I'm wondering if there's mole or something under it.

The platform was in the house when I moved in nearly 25 yrs. ago.
I've  replaced the carpet several times.

My mattress which looks clean smelled to the point I put it on the sun porch
to air it out. This is driving me crazy.

I have a man  coming to look at it today. Thankfully, the rest of my house has hard wood floors. As a matter of fact there hard wood under the platform, but I would prefer not to have to pay to pull it out.

[Tekelcat]

Smell perversion. Interferon notoriously perverts state and smell. The smells are either not real or are greatly exaggerated. Don't bother spending money on replacing things, etc., this will either go away during tx or after.

[working dog]

don't pull your house apart!!!!!...i couldn't take smells either...the good thing is it goes away after tx...then the burger cravings for a few months...good luck...hang in there....billy

[Dee1956]

Hello I do not know if it is "normal" but I had a similar experience.  About halfway through tx my sense of smell increased and I could smell everything in the home.  I ended up throwing out a few things that I could not get the smell out of.  I now understand people who have sensitivities to peoples cologne and other smells
It was awful but it did go away.  Now I wonder what smell am I missing :)
Hang in there, it does get better

[Dee1956]

Just read your posts, thank you, I thought my sense of smell had increased.  Gosh wonder what I threw out that has "phantom" smells :)

[Revalation]

There is something up in the bedroom because when I moved to another
room I stopped getting the very potent odor. I was getting ready to tear up the new carpet so I could investigate. Was also getting ready to donate the
mattress. The carpet installer said he didn't smell anything. I had painted
the surface with a stain block. So maybe I now have Blood Hound sense of smell. I will put off tossing anything else.

It's interesting that two days ago when a relative passed and I went to visit I asked all my cousin's to try to smell me. They said I smelled fine and laughed at me. But, this situation is not funny. I didn't smell anything while I
was there and the body was still lying there.When I go to other homes
I don't really get this reaction to the air.

Yesterday, I changed the air conditioning filter to one that's claims to trap
everything from dog hair to spores. Maybe that will help.

Also, I do believe the meds leach from my skin because my clothes now
smell strange to me.

I still have 40 weeks to go do you think this will last the entire time I'm treating?

Reva

[orphanedhawk]

Yes. taste and smell~ they're interconnected.

[bjack59]

I am five weeks off meds, and still have that problem, but it is getting better.  I did like everyone else, had them smell me, etc.  I could not get this horrible smell to go away.  But for me it got to where the same odd smell was at kroger and at my mom's house.  It was not just at home.  I was using fabreze every day trying to get rid of the smell.  There are some really strange symptons to these drugs.  You do not need to toss things out! But I did think i was going crazy because no one else could smell anything.  Hopefully it  will not last that long for you, everyone is different.

[JDB1964]

I hope this improves to a tolerable level. I am on a trial all oral with Riba and have experienced some olfactory symptoms. The symptoms are not unpleasant though. Throughout treatment every now and them I will "smell" something that is extremely evocative. Memories directly related to smells will flood. Kinda strange but wonderful in a weird way.

[Revalation]

Is there anything that can be done in the meantime to allow
me to tolerate myself and my home?

Does anyone have a home remedy that worked to get past this situation?
Should I by a mask of something?

I guess I could clear out a little area in the basement of something?

Reva

[Dawn703]

My sense of smell did change; it increased as it did when I was pregnant. But that has actually gotten better over the last few weeks. Also, My taste changed, no metallic taste, just can't tolerate spicy food too much or food with a lot of seasonings and everything tastes like a giant salt lick.

[screaming48]

I didnt find anything that helped, it did start to get better after tx though. I am telling you though there for a while I couldn't stand the smell of me lol, I used bleach on everything to get the smell gone. It will get better though like I said before, it did for me.  anne

[working dog]

it took me 6 weeks post to get rid of the smelling stuff...but my taste is still different...i can't take spices at all...how about a ionizer?...i think if i was tx again i would look into one....good luck....billy

[MeWithC]

I get the smell & taste of chemical solvent....usually gone by morning...
It's not as strong for me now.....First few shots were very strong.....I always have that little reminder when I take my shot, which is leading to S-10 this week.

I've also had problems for decades with my sense of smell.

[threepaddleCurt]

My wife had this thing about Clorox, partly because she is severely allergic to molds. All food preparation surfaces, bathrooms, floors and who knows what else gets the treatment. Prior to therapy, this didn't bother me at all and I actually liked the smell. Now, I gag and have to stay outside for an hour or so before I dare return inside.  

We won't even mention the kids' rooms.  I don't go near them.

[Revalation]

Who makes an ionizer?
Where do I start the search and  are they real expensive?

[Revalation]

It sort of sounds like I'm not going to be passing the sniff test for the next year. This tx wears you down with all the little sx. It's just one after another.
I know I'm blessed that I have not had any really awful things happen, but
with even a little piled on day after day it does take a toll.

First, the skin on my hands fell off, now it's my feet, then my ANC  and now
hyper-sensitive to scents....

I sure hope medical science finds a better cure t

[Idyllic]

"Also, I do believe the meds leach from my skin because my clothes now
smell strange to me. "
___________________________________
I believe this is the case as well. I take a medication called Spironolactone and I can smell it on me and my hair when I take a shower. The smell oozes over my face with the water and I know the smell is me. At first I thought it was my husband because his blood pressure medication makes his hair smell the exact same way.

Still though, I would not tear your house apart until you can get at least one other person to confirm they smell the same thing. You helps to concentrate and really think about the smell and know it on a visceral level. Think about what it reminds you of and how you feel when you smell it. That might enable you to either (a) locate the source or (b) consider the possibility it is indeed a "phantom" smell and perhaps a side effect of one or more of your meds (or whatever).

[ninjamonkey]

I had my boyfriend sear Michael our room several times for what I swore was poop I was like there ha got to be some animal pooping in this room Familia can smell it he did what I asked but swore he couldn't smell it and never found it even though I feel like I can pinpoint where its coming from its never there. And IRS poop smell which s*cks! And he smokes which he does outside now and it used to not really bother me when he came back in but now he is overpowering and sometimes I can't stand to be close to him after he has smoked even if its been a while after his last cigarette I can still smell it and gags me.