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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.
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
Here is a recent article I read
http://www.brainphysics.com/olfactory.php
Not sure if it will be of help or not but I do agree with Nursegirl and TreTre that you need to rely on your close friends to tell you the truth. The other people may be as TreTre said, she thought somebody spit on her car when in fact nobody did and so perhaps you are thinking people are saying things that they are actually not. You can also test this theory when you are out with friends as well. Ask them if the person said what you think you heard.
http://www.brainphysics.com/olfactory.php
Not sure if it will be of help or not but I do agree with Nursegirl and TreTre that you need to rely on your close friends to tell you the truth. The other people may be as TreTre said, she thought somebody spit on her car when in fact nobody did and so perhaps you are thinking people are saying things that they are actually not. You can also test this theory when you are out with friends as well. Ask them if the person said what you think you heard.
Hopefully you can get back to therapy soon, I think that is a great starting place for you.
I don't necessarily think you're dellusional, but there is some merit in what TreTre says. She has experienced situations she thought were very real, when her friends told her it never happened. Maybe something similar is going on with you. A situation like this would certainly cause a lot of paranoia, and paranoia itself can lead to dellusional type thinking. If *I* thought I smelled and everyone else smelled me, I would be in the same place you are, actually probably worse.
Also, if your interactions with people AREN'T real and are some kind of dellusion, that doesn't mean you have Schizophrenia. There are so many different mental disorders out there, some being very complex, and some people having more than one disorder. Extreme stress and paranoia, and feeling super self conscious would be enough to cause that. That is why you need to be under the care of a psychiatrist.
Here's another suggestion. Call up a few teaching hospitals or universities and explain what has been going on, that you indeed truly think there is an odor that has not yet been idenitified or a cause found, and that others are thinking this is more a psychological problem. Medical schools and hospitals are sometimes interested in studying perplexing cases, and you may get some new opinions and a fresh viewpoint, and possibly some answers. It's definitely worth a try.
Very best to you, my heart goes out to you, I cannot imagine the turmoil.
I don't necessarily think you're dellusional, but there is some merit in what TreTre says. She has experienced situations she thought were very real, when her friends told her it never happened. Maybe something similar is going on with you. A situation like this would certainly cause a lot of paranoia, and paranoia itself can lead to dellusional type thinking. If *I* thought I smelled and everyone else smelled me, I would be in the same place you are, actually probably worse.
Also, if your interactions with people AREN'T real and are some kind of dellusion, that doesn't mean you have Schizophrenia. There are so many different mental disorders out there, some being very complex, and some people having more than one disorder. Extreme stress and paranoia, and feeling super self conscious would be enough to cause that. That is why you need to be under the care of a psychiatrist.
Here's another suggestion. Call up a few teaching hospitals or universities and explain what has been going on, that you indeed truly think there is an odor that has not yet been idenitified or a cause found, and that others are thinking this is more a psychological problem. Medical schools and hospitals are sometimes interested in studying perplexing cases, and you may get some new opinions and a fresh viewpoint, and possibly some answers. It's definitely worth a try.
Very best to you, my heart goes out to you, I cannot imagine the turmoil.
I already know about ORS, but thx for attaching articles.
I WISH I were ORS,
ORS is the reason why my psychologist prescribed me risperdal, it's a known med worked for ORS for some patients-- my doc said.
but the drug didn't work for me, so my psychologist gave up on me and said 'just try to relax' and kept throwing me risperdal and xanax.
ORS is just a name attached to something docs can't understand.
Even if I have that syndrome, there is rarely any cure.
But thx for your reply, JGF25, and when strangers make comments, my friends deny what they heard. maybe I'm living in a 3.5 dimension world.
I WISH I were ORS,
ORS is the reason why my psychologist prescribed me risperdal, it's a known med worked for ORS for some patients-- my doc said.
but the drug didn't work for me, so my psychologist gave up on me and said 'just try to relax' and kept throwing me risperdal and xanax.
ORS is just a name attached to something docs can't understand.
Even if I have that syndrome, there is rarely any cure.
But thx for your reply, JGF25, and when strangers make comments, my friends deny what they heard. maybe I'm living in a 3.5 dimension world.
Thx for your suggestion, but where I live in there is no hospital or medical institution interested in local people's trivial(?) symptoms. They are usually interested in a massive plague break out. :)
What I don't understand is I'm usually very thick faced person, not much self-conscious, even when people complain about my outfits or attitudes or personality, but when about 30 people in the subway compartment suddenly look at me at the same time with disgusted looks, it makes me not self-conscious but terrified and confused. (Not kidding. all people looked at me same time like it was a scene in a horror movie.)
I'm still a bit thick faced about other things like my appearance or stained clothe or eczema on my skin. Only smell things make me crazy.
I'll just save some money and back to the counselling I guess.
Thx again nursegirl, at least I could vent here and people replied me.
What I don't understand is I'm usually very thick faced person, not much self-conscious, even when people complain about my outfits or attitudes or personality, but when about 30 people in the subway compartment suddenly look at me at the same time with disgusted looks, it makes me not self-conscious but terrified and confused. (Not kidding. all people looked at me same time like it was a scene in a horror movie.)
I'm still a bit thick faced about other things like my appearance or stained clothe or eczema on my skin. Only smell things make me crazy.
I'll just save some money and back to the counselling I guess.
Thx again nursegirl, at least I could vent here and people replied me.
hey i can relate to u thats why i even came to this site.When i take xanax but only then i get this weird smell about me.I can just take one and smell it but i just figure its my liver.Its a smell i cant even describe but i dont have insurance so i"ve never had it checked out.I dont think your crazy at all try getting your liver checked.
In one of your posts you wrote that you had a suicide attempt. This is a very serious issue and you must get help for that before you worry about body odour. The fact that you attempted suicide is a very very serious issue and you cannot ignore that. There is something else going on with you that is causing these feelings and I cannot urge you more strongly to go get help for that now.
If you have been checked out medically and there is nothing in fact wrong with you then you have to explore the physcological side of things.
The thing that sticks out the most to me from all of your posts is that you are ALONE when someone says something to you, or when the comment about a smell, or when you notice them staring at you... it makes me think that maybe these things are not really happening.
You are posting in an OCD forum and I am not sure that your issue is OCD at all. I applaud you for trying to get answers and of course we can try or best to help and we will, but we are not Dr's and we only know how we feel based on our symptoms and those are OCD.
I cannot help but think that if you smelled bad enough to smell up an entire metro car, that your friends, family and Dr's would have been able to smell you. I can speak from experience when I say that most people will ignore something like that rather than stare down the person with disgust. I really have a hard time imagining 30 people all staring at you with disgusted looks. I think you may have to take a step back and realize that this could actually NOT be happening.
When you become hyper sensitive to an issue or when you are on the defensive and lookout for certain behaviours you can actually convince yourself that it is there. I myself have a fear of blood and have actually thought that I have seen red spots on clothing that are not actually there as confirmed by my husband. The mind is a very powerful thing.
I think you are convincing yourself that things are happening that really are not actually going on. You need to get help for these thoughts and for the thoughts of suicide, right away.
In the meantime enjoy the time you spend with family and friends if they want to hang out with you and they don't think you smell, then enjoy that. But please, get help.
If you have been checked out medically and there is nothing in fact wrong with you then you have to explore the physcological side of things.
The thing that sticks out the most to me from all of your posts is that you are ALONE when someone says something to you, or when the comment about a smell, or when you notice them staring at you... it makes me think that maybe these things are not really happening.
You are posting in an OCD forum and I am not sure that your issue is OCD at all. I applaud you for trying to get answers and of course we can try or best to help and we will, but we are not Dr's and we only know how we feel based on our symptoms and those are OCD.
I cannot help but think that if you smelled bad enough to smell up an entire metro car, that your friends, family and Dr's would have been able to smell you. I can speak from experience when I say that most people will ignore something like that rather than stare down the person with disgust. I really have a hard time imagining 30 people all staring at you with disgusted looks. I think you may have to take a step back and realize that this could actually NOT be happening.
When you become hyper sensitive to an issue or when you are on the defensive and lookout for certain behaviours you can actually convince yourself that it is there. I myself have a fear of blood and have actually thought that I have seen red spots on clothing that are not actually there as confirmed by my husband. The mind is a very powerful thing.
I think you are convincing yourself that things are happening that really are not actually going on. You need to get help for these thoughts and for the thoughts of suicide, right away.
In the meantime enjoy the time you spend with family and friends if they want to hang out with you and they don't think you smell, then enjoy that. But please, get help.
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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!