Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Strange body odor follwing me

This gonna be a bit long, but I'm really serious and everyday is like hell so I'd appreciate if you read this and help me.


I thought it was GI problem or skin problem first time, but all the test results were healthy so every dr. sent me to psychiatrists.

I still think it's physical or neurological problem but people treat me like I'm mental so I write here. (No offense)


I've always had IBS all my life, and sometimes had body odor, but both were normal range and had nothing to do with each other. I mean when my IBS had really flared up there was no BO. and I'm hygienic person, I shower everyday for 1 hrs.

It started when I stayed in humid hot country. I'm weak to spicy foods or hot weather or stress, so I guess the place was the trigger--I developed severe underarm odor and become really gassy.

I'm usually a bit gassy and it's been odorless. But after staying that country(hot weather, severe stress, terrible diet) my body odor and gas(sorry, yuck) became really offensive.

So when I came back home I tried to eat healthy, lots of vegetables, limited proteins, no processed foods, etc...

Strange thing happens from here.
My skin odor disappeared and gas became nearly odorless, but strange smells started to follow me.

First I thought it was environment problem because it was not human BO. It was raw sewage smell or strange ammonia odor(not women's odor, pure ammonia smell), sometimes dirty clothe smell sometimes just undescribable something.

but time passes by I realized it was me. Because it followed me and when I bent down I could smell it coming from my body.

Then I thought I had rectal problem so intestinal gas leaking, but it was not.
One day I felt something more subtle than air coming out from my groin area and this air-like something was carrying the smell of my urine INSIDE my bladder. I didn't leak any urine, and my underwear, clothe were clean and my groin area skin didn't smell,
Something very subtle, air-kind something was seeping out from my body emitting odor of my inside.

Now you think I'm mental. don't you?
Sometimes I think I'm crazy too. and I WISH I were crazy.

And this smells change up to places, foods, condition, hormonal change, mood, or even weather.
I really can't pinpoint which thing trigger which smell. I just always have BO that follows me like radiation. Strange thing is my skin rarely have any BO now. (or my gas)
It's.... more like aura around me.
So people doesn't notice it was me first time, but slowly they start to notice it's me.


More bizzar thing is, this smell can travel to hundred meters in sec.
I MEAN IT.
I saw all the people walking hundred meters ahead me suddenly stare back at me, then start to look around as if they thought 'normal looking person like me' cannot emit this kind of odor spreading so vast area.

Plus, my family or friends or docs can't detect this smell. (though nurses can smell it I don't know why)
Many strangers can smell it (one day whole compartment of subway glared at me because of my smell. I remember the angry disgusted glares of people. I don't take subway after that.)
Some people mention it 'what the hell is that smell'... 'who **ted'... 'that's her'...
But my friends can't smell it. They are not lying. They usually point out my every defects, so when they say they don't smell, it's true.

Further strange thing is, the smell changes up to places.
Sometimes it start to emit in basement or bathroom, sometime in alleys, sometimes at my home, it just changes and I don't know why.

Just one more plus, some odors not emitted from me(like garbage smell or other persons smell) FOLLOWS ME.
One day there was an alcoholic in waiting room and I stayed there about one hour. After that day, for 2 days I emitted alcoholic stench from my body. I wasn't even sitting next to him but it was like my body aura absorbed the stench!


Think it was demanding reading, sorry.
But I had to vent all the strange symptoms that's killing me everyday.
How can this kind of symptom exist?

Severe BO? I can live with that. But smell of my inside gut or bladder escapes me?!! and it spreads to vast area in seconds?! and whatever I eat however I shower the smell doesn't go away?! and the BO is not normal human stench?

Sometimes the smell is so not human, more like sulphur substance in Lab, I can blame it to sewage problem.


Now I'm taking xanax to calm me down, and it helps me about sulfhuric odor, but when I take xanax too much it becomes rotten garbage odor.

Already too long to read, I'll add some more in replies.


Is anyone here have this problem?
What the hell is this? How can physically this kind of thing exist?

PLZ, somebody, help me.
My psychiatrist gave up on me and just throw me some xanax sometimes risperdal but they don't work much.

Oh, and every physical dr (GI, Hormonal, Traditional docs) gave up on me too.
Best Answer
480448 tn?1426948538
Hello there!

I think it is very telling that the people who are around you (and people who care about you and would be honest with you) do NOT smell anything.  You THINK strangers around you are smelling you, but that just may be a psychological reaction, because YOU think you smell, so you think they smell it too, and you feel self conscious.

What do you mean nurses can smell it?  How many other people, besides you, and not including strangers, have verified that they smell something?  How do they describe it?

While there is no doubt that certain medical conditions and diseases cause different odors, you've seemingly had a lot of very thorough work ups from many different specialists, and again, it is just too significant to ignore that really, YOU are the only one who smells this.

I'm sure you are frustrated and I'm sure you genuinely believe this is going on (and it might be, obviously I can't say either way), but my own personal assessment is that perhaps this IS indeed psychological in nature.  It could be olfactory hallucinations, it could be an exaggerated perception of a very subtle normal body odor.  It sounds like perhaps when you stayed in the "hot" country, something happened there that changed you.  Maybe due to the circumstances, when you WERE having BO and other issues, you became so overly sensitive to it and upset by it, that you were sort of left traumatized?

I'm not saying that you're crazy, and I feel for you, but with all the medical assessments you've had, and the fact that no one close to you smells it, really points more toward something pyschological in nature.  Have you tried therapy?  How about any other meds besides Xanax?

I wish I had something better to tell you, but that's my hunch.  I think it wouldn't hurt for you to dive into mental health treatment, give it a try.  In the very least, if the smell is real and undiagnosed, you need support to get you through this. I'm sure it is affecting every aspect of your life.

Very best of luck to you!
188 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hey. You got it . when im nervous i can smell that. when im with my friends, family i cant , they cant smell that. But why? PLease advice me up , help me for this. Thanks . Im just only 15 .
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Please reply me up . if you find the way to be free again with this problem. we have the same experience. some of my friends can't smell it but the others does. Some of girls smell it but the others not. It affects my life when that bad smells exist in my life. Im just only 15 i want to do more but this bad smell will affect this , my life :''( Please Help. and thank GOD im not the only one that have this problem. So Thank you .
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi. We have the same . i dont know that is that or where that smell came from. im so frustrated . I Dont know what to do. i tried to eat healthy food but there's nothing happen. I wont go out to hang out with my friends because of this . Please help me. I WANT TO LIVE FREE, I WANT TO BE NORMAL AGAIN. :''((
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi. We have the same . i dont know that is that or where that smell came from. im so frustrated . I Dont know what to do. i tried to eat healthy food but there's nothing happen. I wont go out to hang out with my friends because of this . Please help me. I WANT TO LIVE FREE, I WANT TO BE NORMAL AGAIN. :''((
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know what you mean coz am going through the same thing.  When am home am okay but when I go to work and around many people I sweat like a hog and I smell.  What is making it worse is that there is one person who talks about me and this makes it worse.  When I was working with a nice colleague I was okay but then I was transferred to a different department and I met this lady who talked about and it made things worse.  When I am at home am okay.  When I go to class sometimes am okay.  My husband and family thinks am okay but I am starting to feel its mental but I do not have health insurance and havent seen a doctor yet but I will be getting health insurance soon and will visit a doctor.  I hope I can get help because it is debilitating.  I dont even want to wake up and go to work.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I don't know how old this post is, but I understand. I have the same problem. It usually happens when I'm nervous or anxious. A phantom tart smell fallows me from class to class. And people sitting next to me hold their nose, turn away, laugh, point, and send sharp stares in my direction. I'm not axious or nervous around my friends and family so they don't smell anything. When I do ask people at school if i smell, they lean in give me a whiff and say I don't. BUT I SMELL IT. I've tried multiple diets, exercise hours a day, take long showers, drink lots of water, change my deodorants regularly as well as other washing products, I stuff fabric softener in my pants, carry around a deodorizer ball, and brush my teeth 5 times a day. I just can't seem to shake it. And even I don't smell it all the time, only in class. Personally, I think when I'm panicking about smelling bad my body starts to kick into hyper gear and start pumping a warning sent out into the world. I heard the chemical makeup of a woman's tears can defuse the anger of a man yelling at her though the smell. I wonder if when I get anxious by body produces an oder that wards off other people. Because I get nervous and don't know what's wrong my subconscious body may think I'm expiencing some form of danger, and use the smell to help make the problem go away. I know how crazy this sounds, but I just wanted you to know you are not alone. And who knows we may both need hours of psychological help, but at least we know that someone else out their is experiencing something similar.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Community

Top Personality Disorder Answerers
1699033 tn?1514113133
Somewhere in, MD
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.