Symptoms Increased sense of smell, loss of sense of taste

[socrates2k1]

My sense of smell has actually increased (but my sense of taste has decreased).

Which for me, is actually a bad thing.
I'm a Cancer survivor (TC), and ever since my radiation treatments strong smells (especially flowery, like roses)
make me nauseated.

[I already have severe nausea, on a daily basis, so making it even worse is not a good idea]

My sense of smell is more acute, than ever before, so I can smell things I couldn't before.

However, my taste-buds are now shot, so I cannot taste foods/drinks like I could before
I mainly can taste "salty" items and very "sweet" items, but I don't taste the actual food itself.

I have told my wife, on occasion, she could be feeding me cardboard, and I couldn't tell the difference.
(not a good thing to say about anyone's cooking, huh)

Do any of you have this combination of symptoms?

[kwarendorf]

Hi Sam - Welcome to our group.

This thread is pretty old. The most recent post was a year and a half ago. Many of the thread's poster don't visit any longer. Why not Post a Question and tell us a little about your diagnostic journey so far.

Kyle

[Sam0411]

Oh my goodness. I am not diagnosed yet but I am having many symptoms. My last MRI did show lesions. But I have noticed the past couple of days that I can smell everything and just now noticed that I can't taste my cookies.

[faboo1028]

FIND THE LEAK - it may not be a phantom smell - I have MS and a heightened sense of smell - I smelt gas in the house and had the gas company AND the fire department come - they found nothing (probably they're going too quick, sloppy, whatever) - so I bought my own detector and slowly went over all the gas pipes and joints and I found the leak - moral: not everything is just because you have MS

[zxchic]

Wow this is a neat story! Something good came out of a sucky thing!! and I am the opposite I cant smell anything. But do taste the taste with tongue! Like  
Stellla says everything tastes like Id think cardboard would! I am have tried to be into eating healthy but now I want to live on icecream and pretzels! I hope you all have gotten better and thanks for sharing!

[supermum_ms]

I still think your a hoot Quix, love the medical term "out of whack" hmmm seems to describe me to a 'T' FOFL (falling on the floor laughing)!

I did think of another weird to do with smell, i smell heat, well hot air at least and I find it hard to breath. I can not get into a car without getting the hot air out first or at least stick my head out the window until its cooled down. Once i even wound the window up with my hair still flying out, have you ever tried to drive with your head attatched to the side of the car lol!!!

Cheers.......JJ

[Quixotic1]

Clearly JJ your sense of smell is "out of whack".  (official medical term)

q

[supermum_ms]

This is interesting, still dont understand if it means anything in my puzzle but I use to not have issues with smells, i loved the perfume counters and free multiple spays but it all changed for some reason, gosh it must be about 15 years ago. It was sudden, i cant be around smells of high chemical odor, cleaning products, hair products, soaps, perfume etc I tend to just black out and start to fall from being so dizzy. Sometimes i'm aware of not being able to take a breath other times its so quick i barely register the odor before i start to feel faint.

I dont put my face close to department windows anymore, not since i leaned in to look at a nice peice of jewelry and bang, they had cleaned the windows earlier and i could still detect the trace odor, my mum couldn't smell anything. I too avoid the isle or run holding my breath, its not pleasant when i'm standing near someone and i feel faint because of the other persons perfume or after shave. I sometime cant cook meat because it has a smell no one else can smell but its off to me.

This ability to smell things once helped (lol) i kept asking what was burning, again no one could smell anything, to me it kept getting stronger so i went on the hunt looking for something electrical, it was that type of smell. It turned out our newly installed airconditioner had an electrical fault and the roof was filling up with smoke, i'd picked it up before the smoke even got to the fire detectors, so it has come in handy.

This smell thingy seems to be only of a certain type but not hightened for ever type of smell, again its interesting but not sure what if anything it could mean.

Cheers.......JJ  

[socrates2k1]

Wow, that's a mouth full (no pun intended).

Thanks Quix for the explanation, it helps to be informed.

So, if I see a gal running down that isle, I will know it's you, and if you see a guy avoiding that isle, you know it's me.

-- Socrates

[Quixotic1]

Socrates - the tongue can ONLY perceive sweety, salty, bitter and sour.  Period.

The wide range of taste is actually accomplish via the 4 separate categories of taste listed above, couple with the sense of smell which can distinguish many thousands of separate odors.  If you completely lose your sense of smell, you lose your sense of taste, except for the four basic tastes.

When the sense of smell is heighten it is an Overactivity of the nerve - firing too much and too often.  When certain smells are accentuated it is a loss of balance between the various types of smell.

I am affected by the nasty perfumes they put in soaps and especially cleaning and lsundry supplies.  If I need something from that aisle, I take a deep breath and walk as swiftly through the area as possible grabbing the needed item on the run, trying to get to the brooms before grabbing a breath.

The sense of taste is governed by three cranial nerves, the Facial Nerve (VII) - which mainly handles the muscles of facial expression, the GlossoPharyngeal (glosso- tongue, pharyngeal - throat) (IX) and the Vagus Nerve (X).  Each of these three nerves are part of the CNS and each handles a different area of the tongue.

Quix

[socrates2k1]

Yes, I have a real difficult time going through fragranced areas, like in stores where scented candles, perfume, or air fresheners are in the isles.

If my wife wants to go through those isles, she's on her own.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy air fragrance like vanilla, cherry, cinnamon, etc.
I just cannot be near anything flowery (roses, lavender, etc.)

So, I basically stick with vanilla or cinnamon.

[stella213]

Hi

This is crazy! That's been going on with me for ? several months at least. The only thing I can compare it to is how things smelled when I was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness but this is worse! - I don't feel really nauseated all the time but like you said the worst is flowery smelling things.

Everything smells way too strong and I cant taste anything. I've never been big on cakes and things but have resorted in eating chips and cake -candybars even! because well -"everything tastes like cardboard".

Some other things that really make me sick - smelling garbage(worse in the morning for some reason) perfume , air freshener , onions ...

I wonder what could be causing this. Sorry your dealing with this too. Thanks for posting this! I'm learning more everyday that proves I haven't lost my mind  - yet.

Stella

[Wobbly]

I get the weirdest smells of things burning or hearing things like water running?  and there is no reasoning for it?  I think my taste has changed as well, but I quit smoking over 5 years ago and that would have changed it.. but then its not for the better?  

but then I'm cooking...hehehe

take care
wobbly
dx

[MarisaV]

Yes. But to a lesser degree.

Most cooking smells nauseate me since this last episode. I can really really smell fats now.

My favoriet wines, teas, and chocolates, have lost all their subtle complexities that made them so interesting and flavorful. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


Mar