Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with anosmia

Anosmia - is it forever?

terrierhead — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:06:14 -0800

Getting over a lousy cold/flu, can breathe again but can't smell anything. Is this permanent? I'm a 37 y/o female who until recently had an extremely good olfactory ability. My toddler twins brought home the superflu from their daycare last week. After more than a week of illness the whole family's on the mend. I ended up with an ear infection and am being treated with antibiotics.

Two days ago, I noticed that although my stuffy nose was clearing up, I still couldn't smell anything. A sip of wine tasted like acetone, and my toddlers' dirty diapers, which I usually identify from afar by their odor, became imperceptible by scent. My nose is still running today but I'm breathing through it just fine. And I can't smell a thing.

I've looked up information on anosmia (loss of sense of smell) and found that colds and flu can cause this to happen - but from a stuffy nose, which I don't have. I called my doctor's office and the nurse their told me not to worry, but I was still stuffy this morning and am not now. I called a local ask-a-nurse hotline and they freaked the hell out.

I'd like to refrain from freaking for a bit but also would like more information. Has anyone heard of this happening and then going away? Or should I start selling off my perfume collection? (I was a BPAL collector before the kids came along.)

Smelling-Nose Dog?

Robson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:19:12 -0800

My fiancee and I are both anosmic. We've joked about needing a smelling-nose dog, but is that possible? Could you train a dog to recognize and alert you to certain smells? If so, how? Some examples: Dirty diapers; gas from a gas stove; sour milk; expired foods such as deli meat; smoke from a fire; clothes that are past a certain threshold of BO-saturation...

I ask this knowing relatively little about smell or dog-training.

Anosmic reversal--can you smell again?

emhutchinson — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:33:16 -0800

Are you or your child anosmic? As in can't smell anything? Have you found a way to reverse your condition? My son can't smell anything. He is now ten and can't remember ever smelling. It doesn't bother him, but it does affect his eating habits. Fruits and vegetables "taste like cardboard," with the exception of Granny Smith apples and broccoli (anosmic faves). His condition is not genetic, it is apocryphal. Is there anyone out there who has grown up this way and seen a reversal?

What are the best delicious-if-you-can-only-get-past-the-godawful-stink foods?

cog_nate — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:49:14 -0800

What are the best delicious-if-you-can-only-get-past-the-godawful-stink foods? I'm congenitally anosmic. Doesn't really bug me, but due to a recent discussion with a friend I'm curious to try a bunch of foods that smell awful but taste really good if you can get past the stink, because I won't have that problem. Cheeses, meats, vegetables raw and cooked, fruits, fermented foods of every stripe, drinks (?), baked goods (?) -- give me all you got. The more fully described, the better.

Thanks.

Why do some men hang out to talk in office restrooms?

kittyprecious — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:06:46 -0800

Men: Do you socialize in the restroom at work? WHY? I work in an office building where various companies on each floor share a single, fairly-big men's room (four urinals, five stalls). I drink a lot of water at my desk, so I'm in there fairly frequently and I've noticed a number of times that random groups of two or three guys (who I assume work together) will be in there at the same time, chatting, doing their business, and then stand by the sinks and talk for a good few minutes after they've finished washing up.

Granted, it's not a dirty place, but why would anyone stay in the restroom longer than necessary when there's a nice wide hallway right outside that doesn't have a vague odor of human waste and ring with the sounds of waste elimination? Clearly, this perception isn't universal, and these guys are mostly government contractors and assorted ex-military types.