Smell Smoke

Well I was glad to find this page that gave me some idea about what may be going on with me. I have been smelling smoke very heavy for over a month and it started aftr a bad cold, I did go to the dr and get some cough medicine and it stopped the smoke smell for a bit then it came back and it was worse and I was getting terrible headaches and very sick to my stomach.

I went to the Dr. Again and got more of the cough medicine and we talked about the problem and he had never heard of it and said he would look into and see if he could find any information about it. When I went back he hadn't found anything but then I had found this site and printed out a couple of the stories and he is going to do a more in depth look.

I got nasonex and he told me to try claritin. Non drowsy formula. Just sense the nasonex and cough medicine I have been releived of the smell. He did say that I didn't have an infection in my sinus' but that they were swollen and could have caused the same reaction as an infection. So he is trying to shrink the sinus swelling.

I appreciate that so many have written in and posted on this subject. I also think that at some time I may look into getting a cat scan to see if I also have palups. I will check back here to read everyones replys also.

Thank you all.

I have been smelling cigarette smoke for about a year. I am a sufferer of migraine headaches, but am a very 'headach-ey' person anyway. Just recently I have developed a twitching left eye (lower lid) and more or less persisent headaches, with a sort of cold (sneezing, nose blowing etc). I've today been to see my gp who has referred me to neuro consultant for further checks. Will keep you informed of outcome.

Just spoke to a family member last night and she too has been strangely smelling smoke, started last friday and continues...She says it is constant. She went to her doctor and he checked her nasal passages thinking possible sinus infection but he says all is clear. He couldn't find anything wrong with her sinuses.

She is also experiencing pain in her joints, and a cough and last night was running a high fever...She may have a virus on top of this strange smell symptom.....Her doctor is sappose to have her take a ct scan to eliminate any problems in her brain.

I've been trying to do some research online and found a site that a lady posted with the same symptoms and she suffers from a thyroid problem. Any insight would help.
Thanks!

I started to smell the smoke thing not to long ago, went to the doctor, and they had never heard of it before, but they said I had a sinus infection and perscribed me a antibiotic called bioxin to take for 14 days, I have been on it for 2 days, and no relief yet from the smell of cigarette smell, and it is driving me crazy, hopefully I will get some relief in a few more days, will keep everyone up to date.

Hi again, I have been to the Dr. And am getting back to you after two weeks. I had a good response to the cough medicine he gave me but sense it has run out I am back to smelling smoke.
My Dr.. Said I had no sinus infection but that they were swollen, I told him that the cough medicine he had given me worked. He gave me another now it has run out. He also gave me nasonex and I thought it was working too but now that I am out of the cough medicine I am back to smelling smoke again.
Now each friday night I am subjected to the smell of old ciggerette smoke and last friday I had a really bad reaction to it and again last night so the exposure probably set it off.
I need to find a permanant solution, it is so over whelming that it makes me sick.
Mine is a total physical feeling I feel it through out my whole body. Neck gets stressed.
Has anyone found a permanant solution.
Smokelessladay

This started for me about a week ago. I was actually in a room full of wood smoke, so it wasn't too surprizing to still smell it the next day. But now it's following some strange logic of it's own. I don't smell it outside, only inside buildings and cars. And it hurts! It isn't just an aroma. It burns my sinuses and the back of my throat, and stings my eyes so they water. Last night it got so bad in the car I opened the windows and sunroof, thinking I might have an exhaust leak, and that helped until I closed the windows again. I'm seeing my doctor next week.

I don't smoke, do have chronic sinus problems which have led to a mild kind of athsma. And like one other person posting this problem, I also have had unusual and fairly severe pain in my shoulders and wrists this last week.

And yes, bless the internet! At least we're not all alone in this question.

Wow! I thought I had a brain tumor or something, but seeing the common thread of allergies, sinusitis etc. Puts me at ease. Yes, I too have started to smell smoke almost constantly and I have been an allergy and sinus sufferer for all of my 48 years. And my wife smelled smoke on me the other night (and no, i'm not a smoker nor had I been near any smoke). I also have the eye-stinging thing.
Other than bronchitis/sinusitis that I read in these postings are there other medical explanations that have been tendered? I'll post what I learn.
Bummer of it is, I just had a check-up with my ent today but didn't think to mention the smoke smelling b/c I didn't know there was a connection, but I have a check-up with my gp tomorrow, so we'll see what she says.

Thanks to all who contributedto this--think of it, if this many of us posted the problem, the actual numbers of sufferers must easily be thousands.
I will say this--my "smoke" isn't cigarette-like; more like a wood fire and it is pleasant. It just bothers me that if, g-d forbid!, there ever was a real
fire i'll be the last to know.

I lived in apartment for 3.5 years when I started to smell smoke (cigarette and cannabis). My landlord, an hvac and a restoration specialist swore there was no trace of smoke in my unit or my neighbor's (doubtful). I moved to another unit, and once again i'm suffering.

Symptoms: runny, congested nose. Loss of smell. Headaches and sinus pain. Burning throat, and watery eyes. Chest tightness, wheezing, uncontrollable coughing.

Arsenal: nasal spray, 2 inhalers, chapstick, vicks vapor rub, face mask (osha approved n95), hepa filter, boxes of tissues.

Nothing helps!

My doctor has confirmed that I have bronchial asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

My friend says he smelled nothing, especially when my sypmtoms begain to kick in. I smell smoke outside my apartment even when there is no smoke around. Is this psychosomatic? Am I losing it? As many of you have, I probably will have numerous sinus infections. Can longterm, even imagined exposure to invisible smoke, cause emphysema? Could it be mold and dust?

All suggestions are welcomed. Thanks for being here.
:oops:

Hello all, it has been about a month for me, and I was given the z-pack, for a sinus infection, that worked for about a month, and it was a great month, I was smoke free, but about 3 days ago, it returned, and now I am back to smelling the smoke just as strong as before. I also had an mri done during this time, about 2-3 weeks ago, just to rule out any serious problems, and everything was normal, even sinus cavities, so I am out of answers as are the doctors.

Wow, I thought I was going crazy when for a couple of days I have been smelling smoke. I asked people in my home and where ever else I have been if they smell the same thing. They look at me weird then tell me no. I asked my husband to smell my nose to see if he can smell smoke and he stated no. This smell was driving me crazy because I hate the smell 24/7. Last night I tried a trick our doctor told my son to do for nose bleeds at night sometimes because his nasal passage's are really dry. I placed alittle vaseline on the inside of my nose and didn't notice the smoke smell at all. So today I am also trying it. So far so good. I am beginning to think since it happens in the winter maybe my nasal passages are extremely dry and somehow produce this smoke smell. I just went to the doctor for a physical and had nasal activity and the doctor told me I had a cold. I am thinking it was and still is a sinus infection. I hope if others try this it works for you because I know I hate the smell as well.

Dfeder again (see posting of 2-20-06):
i got a rx for nasonex and a z-pack from my Dr.S. The nasonex (steroidal nasal spray) worked well enough to have the smoke smell reduced by 85% after the third day. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to the steroids and had to stop and the smell came back in full force. I followed with the z-pack antibiotic and the smell has been reduced by 85-90% again. If it stays at that level or gets worse, i'll see about a second z-pack. I have an old high school buddy who is one of the top otolaryngologists in the country, but he's been away in brazil. When he comes back i'll ask him what he knows about this and post another follow-up.
D

I had this happen to me several years ago .... And it went away, or so I thought. From time to time it comes back. The last two days has been terrible. I am on flonase and claranex (yeah, I know I cannot spell). I do not know what to do from here.......

Since I last addressed this i've had the symptoms on and off, but have also had the sinusitis and allergies on and off. There's a definite connection. I also notice it is stronger after I drink coffee--i'm guessing aromatics from the coffee get trapped in the sinuses and exacerbate it.
Anyway, entex is a good prescription decongestant that doesn't dry you out or make you loopy and it seems to help me with this.
Anybody out there have any doctors that did know about this? With the thousands of us dealing with this problem are there any doctors who are not
totally clueless?
Good luck all.

I also have smelled the "mystery" smoke for a couple years..And I also have new smells..Like the smell of exhaust from a car..And the new one is metal.
My nat. Doc told me I needed molybdenum chelate-s. It is an essential trace element. It has helped me tremendously- I used to go weeks smelling smoke. I still smell the smoke..But it is for usually for only seconds, and it lets me know that a migraine is coming.
I know that these "phantom" smells are called "olfactory auras" they can also happen with seizures.

I have been smelling smoke for over a year. I have recently been diagnosed with asthma and put on inhalers. I also have sleep apnea and have been on a cpap. I can even smell the smoke at night through a filtered breathing machine. I smell it all the time now. Sometimes it is so strong it burns my nose and stings my eyes. I have become short of breath and had an extensive breathing test. They said I had an obstruction in the small broncials. The smell is not cigarette smoke, it is more like the smoke from camping fires. Nevertheless, I tend to inhale a little more shallow than normal these days as I feel like I am goind to have an asthma attack if I breathe deep. I was beginning to think I was becoming a hypocondriac, until I found this web site. I am sorry all of you have the same thing but, relieved at the same time. If I find a solution to this situation I will post it right a way.

I came to the internet the first time I began smelling the smoke, but could not find anything. Sometimes searches for this kind of thing take time. I am glad I have found this to keep me sane. I kept meaning to go to the doctor, but I was not sure whether this was related to my reflux or allergies. I did not think about my sinus infections and migraines. I think I will start with my internest and go from there. I am just relieved I am not the only one with this weird symptom.

Hi, thankgod - i'm not alone.
Had this problem of smelling smoke last year and thought I got rid of it, but about two weeks ago it came back. It smells like smoldering wood.
Yes, I have sinus problems and allergy related asthma and have had this problem for many years. It appears many other people have the same or similar problem. I'm very thankful that so many people are sharing their experience with this, so that others might benefit. I'm going to visit an ent and see what happens. I'm also thankful that this website exists.
Thankyou very much!

In november I developed an exacerbation of allergy related asthma. I had been diagnosed with allergy triggered asthma about 13 years ago but I can count on one hand the number of times I needed to use my albuterol inhaler in all that time. Since raking leaves one day this past november i've been in misery even ending up in the e.R. On one occasion requiring breathing treatments and i.V. Steroids.

My doctor has me on advair discus 2x a day and claritin-d daily and albuterol inhaler as needed for asthma attacks. Then the last week in march after a particularly bad allergy attack I totally lost both my sense of smell and taste (though I can taste sweets slightly.) the doctor added nasonex 2x a day and singulair daily and zyrtec daily for 2 weeks to try to get me through this absolutely awful allergy season. It helped but I still wheeze and occassionally need the albuterol.

Over the weekend on 2 occasions I experienced smelling cigarette smoke upon going into 2 different stores from an outdoor parking lot. It only lasted a couple of minutes each time. Now keep in mind I haven't been able to smell anything for almost 2 months. Then yesterday (monday) the smokey smell came back when I got to work and has been constant since then. The only relief I get is from putting a tiny bit of vicks vaporub in my nostrils....I can smell the vicks for 5 minutes or so then the cigarette smell comes back.

I'm so glad I found this forum; it helps to know other people are going through the same thing. What I wonder is "why smoke?" I work in a hospital which is totally smoke-free and none of my friends or family smoke.