Hi again,
In response to hev53, I also have ringing in the ears and had the ABR hearing test today. I had an MRI on Saturday. I will be going to my regular DR on Monday to see about the thyroid issue that was mentioned by another on this blog. I am covering all the bases here! I will let you all know!

Hi all,
Well, I had the MRI and everything came out normal. I also had the hearing test and that too came out fine. The ENT was useless, he gave me stupid responses to my complaints. He said I might be smelling smoke because I can now smell more things since the sinus surgery (?). Since my surgery I can smell things more clearly, but that doesn't mean I can smell them when they aren't around! He wanted me to wash my nose out twice a day. I tried to tell him that it isn't actaully from a smell at that time. He didn't listen.

But guess what? I stopped smelling smoke 3 days ago! I think having all the tests is what cured me (ha-ha).

You all might think I'm off the wall here, but I think my burning smell might have been from the surgery. I think it might have been a repressed sense from when I was under. That's the best reason I can come up with.

It sure is nice not to smell it now. (I had better enjoy it, who knows when it might come back!) Hope you all get a solution soon.

am glad to hear some of you are doing better. Although I have not had anymore of the 24 hour episodes I still smell smoke a couple of times a day.

I saw my doctor again and he said I could try some antibiotics and if it didn't go away after that we would try something else. I am not sure I should start with the antibiotics when so many of you have not had any sucess after taking them.

Had this smoke type smell for 6days now.I have read most of the replies and can only relate to a few.The only thing that has changed in my house is that I got a new LCD TV a few weeks ago.The smell I get is like when the set gets warm.
It would be interesting to hear how many more people can relate to this.

John

Well I can't tell you all How relieved I was to find this site. For me the smoke smell started 2 weeks ago and is getting stronger and stronger. To me it smells like burning green wood. When the smell is at it's strongest my voice gets raspy, my eyes burn, I can taste it in my mouth. The evenings are when it is the strongest.
I am a 53 year old female ..I suffer from Grave's Disease which is a thyroid condition, have had tinnitis for about 7 months. I had a slight stroke 6 years ago and was diagnosed with rhuematoid arthritis which has now gone into remission. I haven't had a recent cold or anything that has changed in my life.. It just appeared one day.
Earlier today I was golfing and mentioned it to the women I was golfing with and I blew into their faces to see if they could smell it as it was very strong at that time. 2 of the 3 women said yes they could smell it on my breath.
My Doctor has referred me to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist to see if they can find a cause. Thank you for sharing your stories and I will post any new info I discover.

HI all. I've been worrying that my experience could signal some sort of brain tumour. I've been smelling a smoky (rather greasy and chemical/electric) for the past month or so. Sometimes I thought this was due to bad traffic fumes on calm days, and others I thought we might have a slow electrical fire in the house. But the thing goes with me wherever I go and nobody else smells it. So anyway, finding out that you all get very similar symptoms makes me feel less freaky; I guess I'll try to take some sinus clearing medication and if that doesn't help have a word with my GP. Many thanks for all your insights.

I just started this phenomenom this week. I just got back from vacation and thought that something in our A/C was burning in the house, but my husband didn't smell it. It has continued for the last 3 days, and I still thought it was something in our home until I went to work yesterday and smelled it in the car and then at work...so I knew it was something within me. I am so glad that I am not alone with this, because it is really annoying. I, too, have severe mold allergies, dogs, trees, leaves, etc., and have constant problems with my sinuses, so I'm wondering if this might be a link since so many people report allergy and/or sinus problems. Appreciate the parosmia and phantosmia info and will ck this out. My only worry is that I have read somewhere about people who experience a smell of burning is related to brain disorders such as tumors, but after reading everyone's comments, I think we all have something that most MD's are not aware of yet. Question: "How many of you also suffer from migraines?" Just wondering if that might be a link. I also have hypothroidism, and wonder if that might be a link, too. Good luck everybody!

hello friends..i too have been experiencing this dreadful smoke smell...everywhere, outside, in my car, in the house, at the store; it sucks. Today i went to the ENT and he had a lady with the exact same thing about a week ago he said sometimes its allergies, there is no known cause, it just happens! anyway so he prescribed Predinsone 10mg for like a week (as he did this other lady and her smell is pretty much gone!) He also ordered me a sinus scan to see what's going on with my sinuses. I will post a week from today to see if this horrid smell has subsided or I will be taking a trip to the radiologist. Hope this helps!

I think you should get more options from different doctors depending on where you live,

Check with a neurologist it could be something wrong with from your nose to your brain how they perceive smell wiring if that makes sense? Also are you sick ?like bronchitis. Steroids --- thats what Prednisone is. You could go to an allergist

Hi there.
thanks for the further information you're all posting, which is really interesting and gives lots of ideas. Just wanted to tell you that last week I started taking a daily decongestant tablet and gradually the smoke smell appears to be disappearing, although I still get intermittent 'revisits' of the sensation. It's a lot less strong each time, as well. All good stuff... might it work for everyone else?
ere's another thought: I'm wondering whether different conditions can have similar (but not identical) effects? My smoky smell is more like electric fires/burnt hair/greasy, whereas many of you are reporting a cigarette smell. Also my eyes don't burn and/or stream and I have never had a history of hypothyroidism or anything like that. What does everyone think?
Cheers for now. Dani

I have had this smoke smell in my nose off and on for about 2 weeks. Has anybody figured anything out about it. Everyone that has written in this blog has described my symptoms. Mine started like this- I was dizzy for 2 weeks (all day long) and the smell came about at the same time. So far the doctor has discovered that I have high blood pressure and my blood test showed my thyroid count was too high. I am now on blood pressure medicine and thyroid medicine. I still have the smell off and on during the day (every day). Does anybody have ANY ideas??

I just wrote on this forum a minute ago and then went back and read some more comments. I have noticed that several of us have mentioned "thyroid".
Any comments from anyone else that noticed this connection?

I just wrote on this forum a minute ago and then went back and read some more comments. I have noticed that several of us have mentioned "thyroid".
Any comments from anyone else that noticed this connection?

rabbit hash-noticed we both wrote about migraines and thyroid
I have had migraines for years, just found the thyroid problem this week
How about you?
68241

rabbit hash-noticed we both wrote about migraines and thyroid
I have had migraines for years, just found the thyroid problem this week
How about you?
68241

I have been reading this post, trying to figure out why I smell smoke in my nose. I've been having this problem for about 6 months and I think I finally figured it out today. We have a person in the office that smokes and she used my office phone today and then when I went to use the phone I instantly had the smoke smell in my nose. It's so bad that I got my vicks nose inhaler out to try and get rid of the smell. I am going to wipe off my phone and hope that the smell will go away.

I know that I have answered the phone up at her desk from time to time and I really think it's my answer to the problem I'm having. Note to self.....DO NOT answer the phone at the front desk and DO NOT let her answer my phone.

Many of the descriptions here match my experience. I am 36 years old. Not a smoker, but my father smoked. I have always considered myself sensitive to smells. I hate cigarette smoke. I have a history of migraines, sinus infections (last one over a year ago) and allergies to mold, dust, and some pollens (taking meds for that.) I have post nasal drip much of the time. No one in my home smokes. There is a no smoking law in my state, so I'm rarely around smokers.

After taking prednisone for dental nerve pain last month, I started noticing a smoke smell. It's been about four weeks since I realized that there was no "real" source for the smell. My dental x-rays did not show sinus infection. I did take antibiotics for a bladder infection three months or so before I was plagued with the phantom smoke. I've taken predinose and antibiotics before without developing a noticable phantosmia, so I don't think it is the medication that is the problem per se.

The phantom smell comes and goes throughout the day and night and may be subtle or strong. It may smell sweet, like a cigar (or like antifreeze,) or stale like an ash tray or start sweet, then turn stale. At worst, I "taste" smoke or a metallic taste, like blood, with burning eyes/throat. Sometimes a breeze (eg. from the fan in my bedroom) hits at the same time, and the sensation is very realistic.

The smell can last a split second or what seems like hours, although I have not timed it. Sometimes I wake up smelling smoke, sometimes no smell until evening. I almost always notice it at some point while driving, at the computer, and while reading. The type of computer monitor makes no difference. I can also be outside and/or smelling other smells at the same time.

During an "episode," I can smell it inhaling and sometimes when holding my breath, but not when forcefully exhaling. Sometimes I can relieve it or mask it by covering my nose with my shirt or holding scented was under my nose. I've tried a nose rinse to no avail. I made my daughter check my breath after reading these posts, and she says my breath smells does not smell like smoke.

MRI showed nothing abnormal. I go for an EEG tomorrow. Last Tuesday morning, I had a sneezing fit, used Flonase, and only had one small episode that evening then no smoke on Wednesday. But today (Thursday) it was worse than ever--so bad I can "taste" it and my eyes are burning. I'm trying the Flonase again.

If that doesn't work, and the EEG does not show seizures, I'm going to ask my doctor about the antifungal medication. It makes sense that if you are on an antibiotic, a fungus could take advantage and move in. If that doesn't work, I'll ask for the antibiotics some of you mentioned. Thank you all for posting. I'll let you know if something seems to cure it.

wow, just thought I'd type it in and see if I could find out what's going on with me and there you all are!! so now that I know I'm not alone or going crazy, has anyone found out what it is???? It's so bad sometimes, my breath catches, like if I walked into a room filled with smoke and it chokes you. my husband and daughter smoke, but I smell it when I'm away from home for long periods of time and outside...it just comes out of nowhere. I also have a thyroid disease and has that been connected??? I'm due for a check up but wanted to try to get some info before going...I know how frustrating it is when I have no clue and neither does she (the doc). I need answers!! keep posting!!!

Hi all, Had this smoke type smell for about two weeks.I posted on this forum and was surprised how many of you suffered the same thing.I had a sneezing bout after the two weeks and the smell went. I still get it now and again but it is very faint and doesn't really bother me like it did before.If it comes back like the first time i will try to induce sneezing to see if this is one way of getting rid of it if only temporary.Good luck all.

I have had this problem for about 7 years. At one point, it was driving me crazy, and I couldn't find any answers for some time, even after what I felt was extensive research. I kept being led to smell disorders or scary conditions like tumors. Anyway, I began to notice that the problem only started occuring after taking Ambien (I took this drug for 2 years--an awful long time when it is really a short term drug). I stopped taking it, and the problem went away for a little bit. It happened again after I gave birth to my son while I was in the hospital. Then I remembered they had given me Ambien when I was having trouble sleeping. Well, I thought I had it all figured out. I believed Ambien had caused some damage to my olfactory nerves and I even found evidence online that supported my theory that various medications (not specifically Ambien, which is a newer drug) can cause this kind of damage. I completely stopped taking Ambien or any sedative, convinced they were the primary culprits. Months later, the smoke smell came back!! I was so upset! I had to start from square one, or so I thought. When I gave birth to my daughter, I noticed the smoke smell was very prominent. I also was suffering from a cold that I could not kick in the last trimester of this pregnancy. One doctor told me I was suffering from a URI that exacerbated my asthma. I began to think back to all of the times I could remember smelling smoke. Was I sick during those times? What was the weather like? Was I suffering from allergies? Finally, I went to my new PCP and asked him what was going on and gave him my theories. I asked if he thought medication and/or sinus problems/illness could cause this smoke smell. He actually heard of this problem! He told me in my case, it was probably both. He gave me a neurological exam, just in case, but when I passed, he told me my medication could have caused some damage to my sinuses, and the recurrent sinus problems caused by the weather, allergies, and illness also contributed. He was confident that if I started taking Flonase, my current bout of smoke smelling would resolve within a week or so. He was right! After this appointment, I carefully noted every time I smelled smoke. Now I notice the trends: I will often smell smoke at various times when the winds shift (Kona winds here in Hawaii), when there is a higher concentration of vog (volcanic fog) in the air, when I have certain allergic reactions, and when I have head colds that take a bit longer to go away. I take Flonase when it happens, and the problem is resolved. And you what? I only recently mentioned this to my sister, who is a nurse (I didn't tell many people because I was so weirded out about it), and she has the same problem! She also treats it with Flonase.

In summary, this problem appears to happen to people who have had some damage caused to their sinuses over the years, whether it was caused by medications, chronic illnesses like sinusitis or allergies. Weather changes, colds, allergies, etc., can cause it to rear its ugly head, but once this factors are elimated, the smell usually goes away. To make it go away sooner, talk to your doctor about Flonase. If it lasts for a really long time, you probably have some type of chronic allergy or sinus problem. If you treat the core problem, the smoke smell, which is just a symptom, should resolve. Hope this helps!!