Olfactory Hallucinations Revisited

[mdbrownmd]

A year ago Morgan, tearose, and Roselover discussed their olfactory hallucinations. My wife gets these as well, and they can last several hours. How long do yours last? Do they correlate with any of your other POTS symptoms?

Thanks,

Mike B.

[Beccapooh]

NO FREAKING WAY!!!!! I've had olfactory "hallucinations" for years. I always smell something nasty, too. I smell garbage, poop, rotting meat, etc. Obviously, no one else smells these things. I just assumed that I was crazy.

I had gone online and couldn't figure out what to call it. LOL.........so, clearly, I never got anywhere with my searches.

Do other POTS folks have these, too? IS it a symptom? Should I tell my Cardiologist about it when I meet her on Thursday. I need to start making a list because I've been sick for so long and I've just gotten used to all the weird things that my body does (that other's don't) I'm afraid that I'm going to get in front of her and not have anything to say. (Score one for BRAIN FOG, aye??)

Rebecca

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

I do too, I still blame it on the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Miriam

[Cheryl]

I had olfactory hallucinations for a while. I would get whiffs of stale cigarette smoke. This was before I figured out that I had POTS. My doctor had no idea where the smells were coming from, but put me on prednisone and asthma medicines for breathing troubles. The smells went away after a week, and so far haven't come back.

While I was going nuts with the smell of smoke, I found this:

Parosmia involves a distortion of the sense of smell -- the affected person reports smelling something other than the scent which is present -- for example, the person sniffs a banana but it smells like rotting flesh instead of a banana. Phantosmia involves olfactory hallucinations -- that is, there is no odorant present, but the affected person reports smelling something, usually something unpleasant.

The rest of the article is at http://personal.ecu.edu/wuenschk/Parosmia.htm

[Dawg Tired]

AAACCCKK!!!!! This comes up the same day I accused the kitty of doing something in the fireplace.... Fortunately, He didn't get punished, I just cleaned out his litter box really good.

About a month ago I kept thimking I smelled something dead in the kitchen.

Hubby is convinced (Okay, I am too!) that I have Olfactory hallucinations....

[MomtoGiuliana]

I notice strong ammonia smells from time to time--it can last as long as a couple of minutes. I haven't noticed any correlation with other symptoms--it can come on its own or in a cluster with other POTS symptoms.

Katherine

[MotleyLori]

I confess to these also, in dreams. It is the same smell, which I can not identify, and I always wake up that day with bad symptoms.

Lori

[calypso]

Katherine,

That is so, so weird -- I also get these strong whiffs of ammonia. My husband thinks I am totally nuts. I wonder what this is? It tends to happen when I am about to have a flareup of my POTS symptoms.

Amy

[MomtoGiuliana]

calypso

that is so interesting that you get the same symptom. It must be related to POTS--what is it, I wonder. I will mention it to my POTS doctor next time I have a check up!

Katherine