MY ANOSMATIC LIFE

… But nothing’s burning. 🤔Welcome to the world of phantom smells, aka Phantosmia, where you randomly smell something that’s not real and feels like you’re crazy but you’re actually not.

Yesterday morning, I woke up smelling smoke.  I went into the kitchen where everyone was congregating and made an announcement that I smelled smoke- as in actively, presently, right now. Not a doggone thing was burning. So, you know I got a couple of stares until someone figured out what to say.

I was asked if I was hallucinating or imagining the smell of smoke. In other words, are you crazy? No, I’m not. Well, I don’t think I am. But phantosmia is actually an olfactory hallucination. So, could I be?

I am imagining a smell that isn’t there and it is making me feel crazy. But you’ve experienced it before?

It doesn’t matter. Imagine smelling something that’s just not real. It’s nuts.

It feels like I’m close to getting my sense of smell back, but then I realize I’m actually being “punked” and my sense of smell is making a fool out of me. On top of the smoke smell, I have chest pains like I’m standing right beside someone smoking a cigarette.

And of all smells, why smoke?  Like, why can’t it be flowers – something pleasant? Well, this specific phantosmia is called cacosmia – a hallucination of unpleasant smells. It’s annoying.

I’ve read lots of online forums (I’m not alone!) about smelling smoke and have linked the cause of it to head trauma, olfactory nerve damage, seizures, and a sinus infection. My nasal polyps can also be a contributing factor.

I have a habit of diagnosing myself – Yes, I’m a hypochondriac who googles the crap out of symptoms that appear. I’ve heard too many “I don’t know what caused XYZ” and been through four surgeries and a false diagnosis, so it’s hard not to panic about my health sometimes.

Since the beginning of the month, I’ve been experiencing intense sinus drainage, headaches, body aches, fatigue, the usual congestion, and lots of phlegm in my throat. I’m used to all this so I didn’t see a need for a doctor’s visit, but the smell of smoke was my last straw.

Rather than wait for symptoms to persist, I called my doctor’s office to make an appointment.  My usual doctor is always in high demand so I just see my Nurse Practitioner (NP) when I want a same-day visit. Thankfully, the office had an opening in the evening. I then called my ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) specialist who didn’t have any openings until January. 🙄

At this point, I’ve already self-diagnosed myself – sinus infection (sinusitis).  This is the second one I’ve had this year. 😡 I’m so over 2016.

Anyway, I went to my appointment and did the routine questionnaire with the Nurse. I answered the usual questions, and then we got to why I was there.

Nurse: “So, what brings you in today?”

Me: “I smell smoke and feel like something’s draining in my head. I think it’s a sinus infection.”

Nurse:  “So you think you’re smelling smoke?”

Me:  😒 “I am smelling smoke.”

I gave her all types of side eyes. 👀 She was definitely trying to play my life like it was my imagination. It is but still.

Finally, my NP came in, checked my breathing (since I’ve been wheezing), and looked in my nose. She noticed that it was swollen inside (of course) and told me that I had sinusitis (confirmation). She also kept asking about my congestion which I didn’t even mention or come in for. I’m always congested…it’s nothing new.  Then she tells me to keep doing nasal rinses, which I barely do. All I wanted was some antibiotics for the sinus infection.

After my less than 15-minute appointment, I got a prescription for Amoxcillin-Clavulanic Acid (AMOX CLAV) to take for 10 days. I went to the pharmacy and also got some Aleve-D to ease the headache, body aches, and sinus pressure. After I took some AMOX CLAV, Aleve-D, and Zyrtec, I was knocked out.

Thankfully,  I don’t smell smoke in my sleep. Let’s pray that these antibiotics start kicking in sooner rather than later.