What's that smell?

How very odd! I remember only one spell of smelling things that were not there, and it turned out I was pregnant!

I think catarrh can cause these strange smells.

Since having a bad cold last year everything smells of plastic!

Pretty sure I'm not pregnant Catarrh more likely. Sigh.

But seasider I'm sorry to hear yours has gone on for so long. That is a bit depressing.

Lost my sense of smell when I was 42 - it just vanished. Then I read that it could be a sign of Alzheimers, panicked, and asked the GP for tests. I ended up having a brain scan, which was surprisingly normal. Apparently this happens quite a lot - the condition has no discernible cause, ie it is idiopathic.

I get the occasional imaginary smell: burning rubber is one, but they are not real. I tell myself the world has an equal amount of pongs and perfume, but I do miss the smell of apple blossom, newly mown grass, and flowers in general.

I lost my sense of smell back in November when I got sinusitis. On the journey to Sydney I had to use Nasonex and take painkillers every 4 hours. The sense is gradually returning. Leaving for home tomorrow so fingers x'd. Losing your sense of smell certainly makes you appreciate it all the more. You don't realise how powerful it is until it isn't there any more.

I have a really good sense of smell [sometimes too good!]DH doesn't seem to have much of one, so I do wonder if women generally have a keener sense of smell? Sometimes, I have what I think of as imaginary smells as well [thought it was just me] nice to know I am not alone. I can't say I noticed it years ago in pregnancy though. I smelled what seemed like tobacco in one of the bedrooms [unused bedrooms] but 20 mins later, it had gone. I have smelled garlic very strongly a few times too[in another room] but that goes away as well.Weird isn't it?

Very odd. I usually have a very acute sense of smell and like you roses I smell 'imaginary' smells - well at least smells that nobody else notices! Smoke, burning, drains, coal, herbs ..........

I've lost mine too, following a heavy cold at Christmas. Nothing smells of anything now, and I can't taste much either. It makes life quite bland.
But the doc says it will all come back in time. Yes, eloethan, according to the doc is it due to catarrh.

My friend had smelly drains - checked them - nothing wrong.The pong persisted.

Then the rather nasty old woman next door got her fortnightly 'duty' visit from her son. He found her dead and quietly decomposing on the sofa.

I had visited this friend during the time of decomposition, and have been eternally grateful that I have no sense of smell!!!

Every cloud.. etc......

I have a good sense of smell and also have a reasonably good palate - at least I can tell a decent wine from paint stripper.

I'm not sure if this thread is reassuring or what. I really want to be able to smell spring flowers.
rosesarered you don't have a ghost do you? joan that's horrific.

I hope your journey home goes well gally though you may find you need waders when you get back to the UK.

I lost most of my sense of smell years ago. I smell things randomly, like a sudden strong whiff of food in another room.
I suppose I've also lost most taste as I crave salt (bad for me) and sugar (worse) which don't depend upon smell.
I worry about not being able to smell gas or burning.

Some years ago I had serious bout of pneumonia I don't know if this is common, but my sense of smell really intensified. I couldn't bear artificial smells like spray polish, and kept apologising to visitors about the smells in my house of which they were unaware.

I did wonder if unlike animals, this is a sense we have lost, that sometimes emerges again.

On a Ramblers' Holiday in Spain we were walking in pleasant spring weather not far from Seville, when we smelt a terrible stench and it was obvious that we were walking towards it. Dead animals - lots of them, on the side of a watercourse and some even in the water. Apparently this was where the locals dumped their dead animals.

apricot you said you worry about not being able to smell gas or burning. So do I, but at least I've got the burning sorted out, with efficient, regularly tested smoke detectors. As for the gas - I have got into the habit of double checking. It is not mains gas, it is tank gas. I live in hope that the gas men would notice anything wrong when they fill the tanks.