Wow, kind of a relief to discover there are many others out there who are experiencing the same thing (loss of sense of smell and smelling wet soot/smoke frequently). I'm 44 yrs old and noticed this for the first time about six months ago (finally got around to Googling the symptoms). Interesting to discover the ENT community, as a whole, doesn't necessarily have a grip on this thing yet. Seems a common thread is sinus distress of some sort (which certainly sounds more plausible and less frightening than a brain tumor!). Also, I note a few linkages to brief/momentary dizziness/spatial disorientation, which I've experienced on occasion. I've also noticed an associated loss of sense of taste (obviously, smell and taste are closely linked). Usually when the effect is most pronounced, I am experiencing a sort of dry nasal congestion. I also suffer from seasonal allergies (hay fever and pollen). I guess my first step will be to see if there might be some OTC sinus remedy. Next step will be to see a doc (and I'll refer him/her to this web site). I'll continue to stop by this page to find out if anyone has had a breakthrough.

If we can get this thing figured out, maybe we've discovered a cure for smoking

OK - it seems to me we have been given a few answers for this phenomena. I would like to see if everyone agrees with what I have procured from looking back over every single post.

1) anti-fungal medicine might cure
2) certain vitamins might cure
3) discontinuing deodorant might cure
4) I think for some OTC saline spray cured?

Did I miss anything? Vitamin takers, so I do not have to go back through again can you say which ones helped or hurt?

I posted several times over a year ago. I thought mine was cleared with a sinus infection treatment and steroids; however, though I have not had time to post - mine came back within months and is always just around the corner. Allergy medicines help but do not cure. I am beginning to think the nasal sprays - Flonase, Nasonex, Nasocort etc. are permanently impairing my sense of smell - anyone else find this to be true? If you do take these it has been recommended to me that you switch to a different one every few months.

I am dealing with a thyroid things right now which seems to be a bigger issue, and I am cursing myself for not saying something to the doctor about this again. I go back in six weeks and will ask for the anti-funal things. If it works for me, I will let you know. Meanwhile I am going to check here occasionally to see if we have collectively found any other cures. Thanks!!

I typed in google, "I smell Smoke" and this is where I found myself!
I really can't believe that I found that other people have the same problem. I really thought I was going to, what do they call it, self combust!
Everywhere I gone in the last three weeks or so, I smelled smoke. Noone else could smell it. Very strong at night before sleep. What's going on here!
Am I gonna be abducted by aliens? Are they basting me before a BBQ? Has my Aramis gone stale? Is the city on fire and I'm the only one who can smell it? Come on....Someone, Anyone, What's going on?????

Well, just like everyone else, I was AMAZED to find this message board! Here's my story.... First, let me say I have never smoked in my life, and can barely stand to be around it....soooo....

I had gone to Las Vegas for a weekend. Yes, I was in the casinos, and we all know how bad the some can be inside....it's terrible sometimes, but if you wanta play the slots, you gotta deal with the smokers!

Well, at any rate, it may have been just a coincidence, but after the 2nd day there, I asked my friend, while inside my condo, where there was no smoke, "Do you smell that cigarette smoke?" He looked at me as if I was crazy, and said nope.... I said, "Well, someone must be smoking cigarettes around here, or something..."

So, there it began... Once I got home, the cigarette smoke smell continued....I work from home, and it seemed like the smell of smoke is always present when I'm at my computer working....

I seem to be fine when I'm up doing something, yardwork, shopping, whatever... but when I'm somewhat idle, it seems I can smell the smoke!

I literally thought I had leftover smoke from Vegas stuck in my sinuses or nose or SOMETHING.... I just couldn't figure it out.... It's crazy because when I smell "real" smoke from a cigarette, it sometimes takes my breathe away, and I kinda gag......and THIS even happens when I'm working on my computer with my 'nose smoke'!!!

Well, it seems like most people who have posted on this board have not found a PERMANENT cure to this.... I like the info from the user MN-Mike -- I think I'm gonna try his 'potion' lol --

I hate flooding my body with antibiotics, such as with a zpack, especially since it seems like that's not really a permanent cure....

Well, I will check back for more info, and let you all know if I find or hear anything new

Thanks everyone!
Chris

I too suffer the smelling of smoke for 6 months. Has any one considered dry air possibly affecting the nose and maybe trying a humidifier. I'm new to my area and without a doctor so appreaciate everyones input. Vitamins are easy to take, and the anti-fungal remedy by MN-MIKE was sound. Our new house is next to 60 acres that used to be a corn field but was recently plowed under for a subdivision. Lots of fertilizer remnets in the air. Besides that, they do a lot of crop dusting here too. (I never experienced this before moving here)

Thank you, Rayleen

Wow so I'm not crazy?! I Googled " disease constantly smelling ashes" and landed here! Thank God I found this board! I just started smelling cig smoke/ashes about month ago and it's been driving me crazy! Thanks to you all I just made an ENT appt for tomorrow!

I just had blood work done at another dr. that showed my white blood cell count was slightly high, I got dizzy when I spun my head quickly and my ear popped the other day...it does sound like a sinus thing even though I don't feel stuffed up. I'm going to print out some of these pages and show him and we'll see what he says!

Update:
Nasal polyps!!!!! Doctor called it parosmia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parosmia) and has to do with disease or injury to the nasal cavity. So I'm to take nasonex to hopefully shrink them and go back in 3 weeks. I'm also getting a CT scan next week. No cancer or tumors so hopefully easily cured!

I have been smelling phantom smoke for over a week now. My family is tired of me asking if they smell it too. I take no prescription drugs, alcohol or chemicals. I am in good health . No one in my home smokes, and it really doesn't matter where I am. The smell follows me.

I have read all your postings, and I have a question for you. Do any of you have a close relative or friend who were smokers that have died recently? I think this phantom smoke may be caused by something that is spiritual rather than organic. Please let me know.

First of all let me say what i have read on here over and over, Yay i am not crazy!!! I have NEVER smoked a day in my life and a cpl of months ago i started smelling cigarette smoke, i attributed it to the guy in the office right outside mine since he has a sliding window, i got headaches from it and thought nothing of it since harsh smells usually do this to me, bleach, perfume/cologne, smoke. It wasnt utill i was driving home that i noticed i still smelled it, and it seemed worse once i got home, i found myself checking the AC filter, the vents, my clothes, my hair, nothing, i am constantly asking ppl do they smell smoke, and no one does. At first it was accompanied with headaches, now not so much headaches but the burning watery eyes, i wasnt worried until i read it might be a brain tumor??! I grew up with a bad case of asthma that as i have gotten older turned more into allergies, i am allergic to everything, according to the test from the allergist years ago, it was nothing new to me to live every day of my life stopped up, sniffling and sneezing, it became normal to me, the only way it would go away is to get allergy shot, and for the next 6 months i would be fine, something strange is that several months ago i noticed that i have not had any sneezing, sniffles or anything, and thought it odd but then i noticed the smoke smell and figured it was another transition that now i was going to have headaches along with an extremely magnified sense of smell. I wasnt so much looking for what causes this as i was looking to find out what to do to get rid of it when i came across this site....In response to the dead relative who smoked, no, i dont have one. Also i am not sure how the deodearant would relate but if it worked it is worth a shot, i too use right guard spray, and have for years, i tried a solid long ago for two weeks and loved it untill my whole arm swelled up, turns out it WAS a fungus!! I am also NOT a hypochondriac (which was mentioned to me) i rarely go to the Dr. and i am not one who always finds things wrong with me.

I have been smelling smoke for several weeks now. I am not around smoke or do I smoke. Sometimes the smoke is so bad I feel if I am going to smother. What can this be. It comes at different times. It wakes me up in the middle of the night it is so bad. I satting here now and I am smelling it. Please help! what can this be? Is there treatment for this? My primary care doctor is puzzled.

Update: My CT scan showed a large mass in my whole right sinus cavity. My eye socket bone has been eroded too. I have a biopsy scheduled for next week and am clinging to hope that it's polyps. I thought there's no way it could be a tumor when I first read these posts - but now who knows. My only symptom was the smoke smell...no pain or stuffiness at all.

I've had this problem on and off for about 5 years. It started when I started spending long hours at university and I was sure people were smoking in the building every night... but the smell would follow me home and keep me up at night.

I find that I generally get the smoky smell stuck in my nose when I am overtired. If I don't get enough sleep for a couple of nights I smell smoke until I am well rested. Sometimes it takes a couple of sleeps to catch up, but it always goes away. I have never seen a doctor for this problem, but have always found my nasal passage susceptible to colds and infections.

I was surprised to see so many people with the same problem, I hope some of you are easily cured as I am by a good night's sleep

For years I have been smelling smoke, which gets in my eyes, causes me to have trouble breathing, and makes me think that people are burning their fireplaces, even in the summer time. It is a very woody smell, which causes me to choke and fight for my breath! I have asked my wife many times if she smells it also, and she tells me no. Sometimes I believe she thinks I have a psychiatric problem, as it seems so unreal to her. I found this forum and for the first time in years, I can prove my claim, as apparently I am not alone. I will keep watching this forum, hoping someone can share a solution, which I can use

What an encyclopedic anthology of anecdotes and reliefs for this subject! After reading so many peoples’ experiences, I would summarize my smell context this way:

Never smoked, only take prescribed drugs, non-asthmatic, had a really super-mild heart attack five years ago, and take a number of medications for blood pressure and such. I have virtually no work- nor school-related stress, little social stress, but above average emotional stress. One-time vegetarian, but I eat meat again now, but in my opinion not enough fruits and vegetables. Is the Smell more likely with carnivores than herbivores, or is it equal-opportunity? Medicinal (prescribed) (!) wine each day, which is sometimes skipped.

I live in a high, dry area, near the Rocky Mountains. I rarely drink coffee, but drink various teas. None of these seem to be a trigger for the Smell.

My Smell comes unexpectedly. I usually think it's a "real" smell, then recognize the familiar odor. The last couple of times it has come, it has been much milder than the other times. Right now I have it, and have had for about three or four days. So it should be gone again by Monday. It's so mild now, it's almost ignorable.

I've read all the posts. I would like to reply to:

Smoklesslady, I have never had herpes or any such disease, and there is no increase of temperature in my head or elsewhere, so far as I’ve noticed, when the Smell attacks.

M_egan, thanks for the suggestion of clarinex and nasacort. Although I cannot take “decongestants” due to other problems I have, I am going to look more into these. I do not recall if I had the Smell before moving to my current residence, which is nearly one mile above sea level, so that could be a factor, though personally I doubt it is the cause or a strong factor.

billielengal – “phantosmia” – it’s nice to have a name for our enemies. In my case, I just like words. -- This should make it easier to find at medical sites and in medical journals, right? Right!

Suppers – Thanks for the clues about foods. I’ll watch to see if I eat some particular category of food just before the Smell returns. However, I do know that neither skim milk nor cereal is the cause of my smell-distress. Nor does salami. But there may be another food related to this. I realize different people react to the same foods differently; so you could still be on the right track for your Smell.

catlvr14 and others who mentioned congestion and infection – I have allergies but haven’t experienced them heavily this year; years they have been worse, I experienced no Smell. However, I realize that as time passes the symptoms and reactions to a commonly established order or distress can manifest themselves in new ways. So although my allergies are mild this season, there could still be a connection. I have had my share of nasal problems, all very very minor. However, I do experience that weird clicking in the ear now and then, and sometimes it is also when I have the Smell. but both the Smell and the Clicking also occur alone without the other.

Now it’s levaquin and nasonex. Will have to look into those, too. However, I am not going to get into the habit of using a nasal spray on a regular basis. Although I’m old enough that I shouldn’t worry about the long-term effects, I am nonetheless not comfortable with that practice. I do have a very sensitive olfactory organ and sense of taste; don’t want to risk compromising them.

wepst – my Smell comes when I skip my vitamins as well as when I take them. Neither taking nor avoiding vitamins seems to help, in my case. As far as red wine goes, I have been prescribed a few ounces each day. I don’t always take it. But the Smell occurs whether I do or not.

MN-Mike – thanks for the information on sewage sludge. Are there “journal articles” you can refer us to??? I cannot take the usual kinds of allergy pills, and I intend to avoid nasal sprays. I would rather suffer the Smell, though I would even more rather it go away. Fluconazole, but not nizoral, you suggest, as the latter can cause liver damage; and I am already taking liver-harming medications for another ailment, so I avoid everything that warns of possible liver damage. Thanks, MN-Mike.

mistymiztee – I have had “chest congestion” with “productive cough” for decades, without accompanying Smell. I may have something like bronchial asthma and even also allergic rhinitis, though have not been diagnosed as such; doctors just say they don’t know what it is. As for your other symptoms, I don’t have them. And no you aren’t losing it. This “Smell of Smells” really is a “concrete” if intangible problem.

noahemirae – Sorry about lyme disease; I hear that’s a real bear to deal with. My Smell-episodes are rarely more than a week at a time. Thanks for putting it in perspective. The Smoke-Smell is much to be preferred over the other pseudo-smells you mentioned – dead things, feces. I am blessed. (For having the ‘smoke’ version rather than a worse one.)

May the day come that we all smell nicely!

I'm working on something now that I hope will help. Since reading this forum, my mind has been really busy, trying to find a solution, for our problem.
The thought occurred to me that I may be simply smelling the encrustations in my nose which are present from dried-up mucous (boogers for want of a scientific name) which may take on an odor as decomposition takes place.
I have begun using a q-tip dipped in sweet oil to lubricate my nostrills, and so far the smoky smell is lessened. After a week of this experiment, I will report back with the results.

I have read most of your questions and responses, as I tried to figure out why I was continuously smelling cigarette or some type of chemical smokey smell up my nostrils that made my eyes tear and made me physically ill. In addition I experienced chronic fatigue, weight gain, joint pain and other symptoms and was going crazy trying to figure out my problem. I mainly concentrated on the smokey smell in my nostrils since this seemed the scariest, especially since there was no smoke. Like many of you I researched everything on the internet which led me to phantosmia and other things that I refused to accept. Like many of you I went to the doctor, they did a neurological test, brain cat scan and sinus scan and said that I had mild nasal polyps and nothing else. I was given nasonex and claritin to treat sinusits, which I do not have. Being a Christian, I turned to God for help, and did this in the very beginning. However, he put the answer before me way before now but it is now that i have finally heard him and have decided to share what I wholeheartedly believe all of our problems are.

I have been using "Equal" for many, many years now. Sadly, I paid no attention to the label which has a warning about aspartame. I believe the root of my problem is aspartame poisoning and I believe it is yours too.

Please google aspartame poisoning and you will learn of the many complaints to the FDA about this neurotoxin. Yes, I said "neurotoxin!". My pharmacist told me more than the doctors long ago. He said it sounds as if I have olfactory nerve damage if I am smelling smoke but there is none. He said the problem is "what caused it". So, if you eat and/or drink a great deal of sugar-free products or use "Nutra-Sweet or Equal", ASPARTAME IS YOUR PROBLEM.

Please research this. There is doctor who wrote a book on detox who also provides hair tests to let you know exactly the toxins and how to treat them for about $180.00 or so. I forget her name but she almost died from this. She has also treated a woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumor which most of us probably believe we have from our symptoms and the woman followed her instructions for detoxing and the brain tumor disappeared. I forget her name but she is the author of the book "Sweet Poison". Look at her website and you will finally be able to exhale today from finding out your problem.

Praise God for giving us the answer to this problem!

DeeDee

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum.
In sheer desperation I googled "smelling smoke" and up came this forum much to my delight as I thought I was going mad. Like so many of you no one else around me can seem to smell it at the time.
My smell also smells like forest fires, not cigarette smoke. When I smell it, my breathing becomes shallow and I have to use my ventolin. I am not normally a regular ventolin user, but this smoke smell triggers an asthmatic reaction.
I have smelt smoke on and off for many years now. I had NO idea there were other people out there with the same problem.
I am having trouble with stress levels lately and I was wondering if anyone else put smelling smoke down to stress?.
Interesting to read that smell odours can be due to sinus infections. My nose seems to always be blocked. So, I am off to the Dr ASAP. I have read all your forums and I feel somewhat liberated knowing it's not JUST ME.
Thank you all so much for sharing.
Debbie

It can stay in your nose if you are around it. Just like when I use clorox, I can smell it in my nose long after I used it, no matter where I am. So yes, smells can stay in your nose.

greenmom wrote: “Vitamin takers, so I do not have to go back through again can you say which ones helped or hurt?”

I wish I could name a vitamin for you, Greenmom. The vitamins I took were a multi-vitamin. When I first took them, The Smell disappeared by the next day. However, even though I continued taking them, The Smell returned.

smede wrote: “Do any of you have a close relative or friend who were smokers that have died recently? I think this phantom smoke may be caused by something that is spiritual rather than organic.”

I do not discount the fact that some manifestations of disease may have a mental, emotional, or even fully spiritual cause. However, in response to your direct question, no close relative or friend of mine died preceding the onslaught of The Smell.

jsmith7 wrote: “I find that I generally get the smoky smell stuck in my nose when I am overtired.”

Hello, Jsmith7. I am overtired about 8 days out of 7. My particular situation for the past five years has been demanding. In my case, The Smell started far into that pentad. And even without getting extra rest, so it seems to me, The Smell has gone away on its own each time. I am always up till midnight at least, often till 1 or 2, get up at 5 or 6, and take a one or two hour nap during the day a couple of times per week. Neither sleep denial nor sleep excess seems to help. Fortunately, my episodes have become rare. But as with everyone else, they are just so disturbing when they do occur.

lequs wrote: “q-tip dipped in sweet oil to lubricate my nostrills”

I like your idea, Lequs. I live in a very dry area. I’ve “snuffed up” water to rinse, but that hasn’t worked. I’ll try your oil-treatment next time.

deedee1309 wrote: “I have been using "Equal" for many, many years now. Sadly, I paid no attention to the label which has a warning about aspartame. I believe the root of my problem is aspartame poisoning and I believe it is yours too.”

Thanks, Deedee 1309, for another great suggestion. I don’t think I get aspartame in anything. I don’t add sugar to anything, and I only occasionally add Splenda to some kinds of teac. Splenda’s ingredients are dextrose, maltodextrin, and sucralose. I know that I have not experienced The Smell when I have taken it, at least most of the time. In the future, I will see if The Smell is preceded by my taking Splenda with my ttea. Thanks.

I originally described my smell as seeming like “cigarette smoke”. After reading other descriptions, I have to say it is not. It is a rather unique smell, not quite like cigarette smoke, not quite like wood smoke, but sort of like them.

I have not experienced The Smell for a few weeks now. That convinces me there is a specific single cause – it’s not just some vague, multi-causal change in body chemistry or condition. And since it recurs independently of other specific symptoms that would suggest a “cold” or “flu” or other common ailment, I lean towards believing the cause is a food or drink (cheese, spices, some kind of meat or seafood, particular kind of wine [I am prescribed red wines]), or lack of some natural food or drink (water, fruit, etc.). I continue to read the comments here, with great interest

Oh that's great ....... NOT!!. Now it can stay in my nose. I know what you mean about clorox or bleach as we call it here in OZ.
Has anyone heard of STRESS causing the SMELL OF SMOKE?. I am going to take more notice of when I smell it now.
I think I will feel pretty silly telling my Dr all the same.
Thanks for the reply.
Debbie