Smell Smoke

I went to the doctor and was put on 2 weeks of augmentin and 6 days of steriods in case I have polyps. Within 2 days the smokey smell was gone. It had plagued me for months! I also had a ct scan last week which I have not gotten results, but I think it is clear to say that the smell is related to my sinus problems. Anyone else still smelling smoke who has not sought treatment from the Dr. - I highly recommend you go.
Has anyone received treatment, and continued to smell smoke?

For about 1 1/2 wks. I've been smelling cigar smoke. I've never smoked and no one in my house (or at work smoke).
Last night I was at the theatre with friends and mentioned that the smell of cigars was a little bothersome, and they responded that they didn't smell it at all. It was then that I realized I had been smelling the same aroma everywhere for about 1 1/2 wks.
I have no other symptoms (no sinus issues that i'm aware of) and feel well.
Anyone else have this?

I started smelling smoke about two weeks ago. I have chronic sinus trouble and think I have a deviated septum. I have been taking a cvs version of the nasal passage moisturizer ocean. Could there be a connection? Also, nasll passages are temporarily relieved by ocean -type product but could there be a build-up of saline in nasal passage that is drying them out, causing this phantom smoke smell. By the way, it smells like soot or fireplace ashes to me.

Your thoughts?

Having the same problem...Ongoing about 3 weeks now, although I had it once before (a couple of years ago) and it lasted for several months. Unlike most of you, I don't have any sinus problems and never have. The last time this happened I contacted a number of doctors who seemed to think that "phantom smells" could be related to a brain tumor or disorder and suggested further diagnostics. Once it went away, I did not pursue it further and I thought it was gone for good til recently. There is some consolation in knowing that it really does exist and that others are experiencing the same, but wish we had some help in determining etiology.
Has anyone else contacted or been tested by a doctor for this specific condition?

I've been smelling smoke(woodsy,cigarette kind of smell)on and off since last year.It went away and I thought it was gone for good.I also have a problem with one of my eyes.It started out as very irritated,pressure and it was protruding.I went to the opthomologist and he suggested I may have grave's disease.I still have to be tested further.My eye is better but still protruding slightly and now have this irritating smell of smoke.I think the worst(of course)brain tumor is what first came to mind.I do feel alittle better afer ready the posts on this site.I will keep posting and everyone else w/this problem please do the same.Thank you.

I see many have the same problem. I am 43, healthy as a horse, have always had an exceptional sense of smell and haven't been to a dr for over 20 years for nothing. In the last few months my smell has been diminished, I can still smell and taste most things but, I smell a campfire all the time. No matter where I am I usually smell smoke and sometimes it's worse with slight burning eyes. I tried the "girl friend sniff test" - negative-she didn't smell smoke in my nose like some posts say they did. When I cover my nose with say..My shirt, I don't smell the smoke at all......Very strange. I would think that if it was inside my nose/nasal cavity it would still smell of smoke. There must be something causing our senses to smell smoke in the ambient air. Antibiotics, steroids, irrigation....Nothing works but may reduce the smell for a month according to most posts. Many doctors like giving bandaids and having you return to get them freshened up. I am pretty sure I know what it is, i will find an answer and post it here as soon as I do...Promise I will.

I also have been smelling smoke for a few weeks now. I have two people in my family who have very good smellers and neither of them smell smoke. Nor do others when i'm not home.
I, myself, do not have a good sense of smell. Never have. I've had allergies and asthma most of my life and now have many other health concerns. I had no idea there were so many others with this problem.
As I have searched about this problem I did a search for <phantom smells>. I found the following helpful, albeit scary, source, http://www.Doctorhoffma n.Com/wwphant.Htm
perhaps for those who are not getting help from the ents or the antibiotics or natural antibiotic therapies might want to set up an appointment with a nerurologist. :?

As promised.....This is only my opinion but it worked for me.

For years I have done work for environmental agencies with epa rules and regs for hazardous waste and municipal waste, or sludge. I have fought to keep the spreading of sewage sludge (disguised as fertilizer) off of the farm fields, highway right-of-ways, medians, city parks and property, and out of commercial bags of fertilizer sold as "organic fertilizer" but no, if you live in america you are exposed to this in one way or another. It is mixed with potent levels of chemicals, hormones (from pee pee that contain medications), and mutated viruses, fungus, bacteria, and mold. I have seen some scary data of the effects on wildlife, pets, and yes...People.

The cause of this smoke smell? It is my opinion that this is a mutated form of fungus/mold that people can usually fight off without a problem but since it is genetically mutated, it has been able to attack and survive in some people that have been unfortunate enough to have gotten it lodged in their sinuses. It is not actually smoke but the sensation of smoke when it irritates the nerves.

I have tried every anti-biotic/anti-viral available with prednesone, irrigation, even potent doses of cipro with no cure.

Here is what I did. I bought a pack of allergy pills and a bottle of nasal spray at wal-mart. I emptied the spray bottle and mixed 1 tbls of warm water with 1 - 100 mg pill of the anti-fungal medicine fluconazole. Since the pill didn't entirely dissolve, I had to open the end of the spray bottle a little with a common sewing pin. I sprayed just a little bit in each nostril and waited to see if any negative effects occured. After a few hours or so, all seemed ok, so I sprayed 3 good sprays in each nostril and did not inhale. I took two of the generic allergy pills and went to bed. I woke up for the first time in months with a clear smell, open sinuses and no smoke smell !

I sprayed once a day for a week with a new solution and I have been 100% great since that first night.

I would recommend you all ask your Dr. To prescribe fluconazole and see how it works. Don't take the anti-fungal drug nizoral (ketaconazole), it is way too potent and could cause liver damage or failure.

I don't recommend doing what I did...I'm goofy and was a willing guinea pig looking for a cure........go to your Dr. and ask for the anti-fungal fluconazole, hopefully if taken orally it will work for you as it did for me :) .

I'll write back in a month to let you all know if it stays away but, I am pretty confident that this is the cause and cure.

Mn mike

I too have been having this smoke smell on and off for a while. However I noticed this weekend when I did not take any of my supplements the smoke smell eventually went away. Monday came and I again took my supplments, went to the gym and lo and behold the smoke smell was back. So tuesday and wednesday morning I eliminated one of the supplements I had just started to take and the smoke is once again dissipating. The supplement I stopped was hylauranoic acid (ha). I'm sure not many of you may take this but i'm going to give it a test for the week and see what happens.

This is my 1st post on a website, but had to join the discussion w/all you fellow phantom smoke-smellers. Mine's been off & on for months. I'm not an allergy, asthma, or migraine sufferer. The fact that there are so many of us makes me wonder about the environmental aspect some have mentioned. I also think it is odd that when I put something over my nose, the smell disappears.
I have refrained from going to a doc because one of sigmund freud's early "breakthroughs" was diagnosing a woman who smelled burning pie from the minute her sister died. Didn't want to hear it was all in my head, & have been encouraged that it is not by all your posts.
Thanks & I hope together we can find a solution.

I suffered from a constant smokey smell that accompanied a good amount of stress. I'm not sure if the stress was a result of a physiological problem as indicated by the smokey smell or if the smokey smell was a mental symptom of the stress.

Has anyone else suffered from debilitating amounts of stress along with the smokey sensation? In college I did poorly in at least a couple of classes because I was overcome with feelings of anxiety that I could not control. I would sit down and try to relax and focus and do my work but I found it impossible. All the while, I suffered with that horrible smokey smell.

Its been a couple of years and I only recently experienced the smell again and have had sinus pressure as well.

So I just want to know if this scenario is familiar to anyone. Lyme disease could explain some symptoms at least, maybe it's all sinuses, or maybe it's all in my head. Any insights?

Well I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I thought it might be a particular supplement I was taking. I have not taken the supplement andl now 2 weeks or so later it has started again. Milder but definitely there. The only thing I did differently this time was to drink red wine on friday and it started again on sat. I had more red wine sat - not thinking there was any connection. I don't think I have done anything else that was different from the past 2 weeks. So now another time test is in the works!

I started smelling smoke about a month ago. This followed an episode of my right ear feeling clogged up and a few days of nasal drip. I do not suffer from allergies or sinus problems. Did and google search and, thank god, found this site. I went to an ent, he didn't see any sign of infection, ie pus, but said my sinuses looked inflamed and were very dry, which I could tell. He gave me some levaquin and nasonex and also had me aspirate my nose twice a day with a mixture of salt water and baking soda. It did go away, but the other day my ear felt clogged again and last night the smoke smell came back. I just tried someones suggestion of vaseline and my nose doesn't feel so dry, but I still smell smoke. I will be calling the Dr. Tomorrow, hope this isn't going to be an ongoing problem.

Went for my yearly physical the other day and although my doctor did not seemed alarmed about this smoke smell problem he suggested I get an mri and mra just to be on the safe side. This is what Dr. Hoffman's site suggests -

http://www.Doctorhoffma n.Com/wwphant.Htm

since I have had this problem for 6 mos or more I don't think there's a real problem since I don't have any other symtoms. Sometimes it's just a disconnect in the olfactory area of the brain - sort of like an epleptic thing. He said it's possible I might have inhaled something very caustic which might cause this. When I told him I could take a deep breath through my nose and it would go away he said that was like an over-ride. I haven't had an episode in about 5 days so now of course I don't know why I need the scan. But will probably do it.

I too smell smoke and I have had allergy and sinus problems my whole life and also bronchitis several times but I had never smelled smoke before, I also become kind of choked up as if I am breathing in smoke at times. What in the world is this all about, I am going to the doctor next week because I seriously cant handle this much longer. I am in the middle of a divorce because my husband confessed to me he is gay and ran off leaving me to raise two children by myself and he is not helping me out nor seeing his kids which is causing a giant stress factor here. I dont know maybe this is due to stress, I am having severe headaches, stomach aches, dry burning eyes and I feel like I will have an anxiety any second most of the time these days. What is wrong with me??

It's so strange !

I also have this problem with my sinus/allergy issues. Had it for a number of years already. I believe it is due to bacteria in my sinuses because after I irrigate my nose, I smell a bad ammonia odor.