Does Dysautonomia Give You Sensitive Sense Of Smell And Other Senses?

[artluvr09]

I have dysautonomia and I have a really sharp sense of smell. I am so sensitive to smells especially chemical smells like nail polish remover. My sense of smell is so strong that I can tell what flavor of jolly rancher people are eating and when someone is cooking in the kitchen and I am up in the shower I can smell it. Also I am sensitive to florescent lightingin which gives me anxiety and I cant focus in stores. antoher issue I have when shopping I get very disoriented going down an aisle because I feel like I am being closed in and when I look at an aile I have to lolk at ey elevel or I get dizzy looking up. I have been lightheaded all morning because of the hot shower ii took and it finally started going away after I had ramen for lunch. but then my stepdad had to go paint the basement and it reeks of paint in the kitchen and living room. the smell btohers me so much that ii was getting lightheaded again and agitated. I am outside now but it is so stinkin cold outside. what are symptoms of paint inhalation? I don't want to get fume poisoning but I have knowwhere to go because I don't drive yet. my parents don't believe me with my sense of smell. is being in a house with paint fumes dangerous?

[Hope]

I know a lot of people here are sensitive like this, including me. Fragrances can drop my blood pressure pretty quick. I have a cousin that passes right out from smelling quite a few different things. I don't know if it from the dysautonomia or not. I would think any time somebody is painting though, that the area needs to well ventilated.

Maybe you could do some research on it and present it to your family so they are more understanding?

[gertie]

Is he using "no voc paint"? If so, if there is a smell it will be gone in a couple of hours after opening windows & airing. If it's regular paint it will be a long time before scent is gone. Fumes from paint make me very ill. Dizziness, headache, breathing problems, fainting, seizures are problems I have but it may not bother you as bad. Do you have a room with an open window where you could get fresh air without being in the outside cold?

I am hyper sensitive to all chemicals & odors, paint being one of the worst. It is full of chemicals & usually has warning on the paint can not to breathe fumes. Be sure you wear a heavy mask until odor is gone.

[kayjay]

I personally think the smell sensitivity you describe is genetic. My mother, son, and I are "super smellers".

I can smell like a blood hound. It's a curse:(... On the upside I won a game once where you had to name different kinds of candy melted- I got every one correct using only my sense of smell and even got the brand name for each one.

Of course I won a candle that smelled terrible... I regifted!

IMO reacting to scent or light negatively is another issue entirely. I have had trouble during "flares" with lights, sounds, and smells.

Regarding smells and your family, I've come to realize that most people think they can smell well because they CAN smell. We don't take smelling tests like we do for vision and hearing. My husband knows that my sense of smell is ridiculous. I can sometimes smell where he has been or where he had lunch.

Last time we were on an airplane together- he looked at me and said "I am so sorry". Airplanes smell disgusting and filthy anyway- but the man in the seat behind us had horrible halitosis. At that moment he realized it's not fun to be me sometimes.

Reacting to lights and chemical fumes is a separate issue for me and I believe it may be because of dysautonomia.

[sue1234]

I also have a sharp sense of smell. I can't handle any "perfumey" scents, such as air fresheners, perfumes or scented laundry detergent. Believe me, as dusty as my house gets when I go through periods of not able to clean much, something scented would be preferred to the dust smell. Yes, when we leave the house for the day and I come home, sometimes all I smell is dust. My husband always says, "what does dust smell like?!".