COVID 19 Phantosmia

Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to smell odors that aren’t actually present. When this happens, it’s sometimes called an olfactory hallucination.

The types of odors people smell vary from person to person. Some might notice the odor in just one nostril, while others have it in both. The odor may come and go, or it may be constant.

www.healthline.com...



I not even knew this thing exists. It started about 2 weeks ago, sporadically. Just when I began to recover from the virus. Now it's all the time. Something I'd tell my doctor in next telemedicine appointment. I will buy some nasal rinse solution meanwhile, I heard it helps.

Phantosmia has been described as a sense of smell without a true stimulating odor and not been reported with COVID-19 disease. Nine patients admitted to Ear Nose Throat (ENT) Clinic with complaints of a phantom smell sense after an average of 33.5 ± 9.5 days after the initial PCR diagnosis. According to the Sniffin 'Sticks test, phantosmia was associated with objective hyposmia in three patients with the persistent phantom smell, and other six patients were detected normosmic. Phantosmia or olfactory hallucinations have not been previously associated with COVID-19 disease.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

I hope it goes away soon because there are more serious causes for Phantosmia. Initially I thought neighbors were burning charcoal or wood for barbecues. I have asthma and smoke is one of my enemies. But my asthma didn't get worse, it's just the smell, it's mild but it's there all day long.

I thought that if you have the cov, you lose your smell and taste, not have phantosmia? As a matter of fact, I am quite sure of that.
There are indeed worse reasons for this and I would always check those out first.
My husband lost his smell and taste last year, but had absolutely no other symptoms, but he thinks it may have been down to have this raging plague [sorry, cold with no symptoms]. It lasted about 3 days and then came back.

However it doesn't have to be the worst cause. Sometimes sinus infections can cause phantom smells. I personally have those under very strange conditions and they come in waves when the conditions are met [usually co-codamol with alcohol etc, during the night]. I can smell stuff that evokes incredible memories that I never had and it feels almost like a very small epileptic fit 'petit mal' [which could be, my mum had them], they last for about 20 min and are on and off.

Turns out I am only more susceptible to normal smells around me during these times and mis-smell them, then getting anxiety and boom, I feel as if it's something worse, when in fact my brain just mis interpreted the smell.

Still, would check it out if I were you. Lets go with that it isn't anything bad, but you sure need to know. Good luck!

My daughter had covid back in November. She compete lost all sense of taste and smell for about a month, and has been experiencing these phantom odors ever since. Almost 6 months later, and she's still experiencing it.

originally posted by: LordAhriman
My daughter had covid back in November. She compete lost all sense of taste and smell for about a month, and has been experiencing these phantom odors ever since. Almost 6 months later, and she's still experiencing it.

Can I ask you if she didn't get any treatment for that or if treatment didn't work ?

a reply to: Trueman

Can you smell regular smells as ususal as well as the phantom smells?

I mean-does coffee/gasoline/flowers still smell "normal" ?

Just wondering,because if regular smells smell different to you-you should find out what burning wood/plastic smells like to you now-just in case there is a fire in your house so you know what to look out for(smell out for).

What worried me about people who lose their sense of smell was not being able to detect such things as a fire/gas leak-as the smell is often the first warning you need to act/run.

a reply to: Trueman

I had a problem earlier smelling car exhaust all the time.
I finally went to my dentist and had a tooth pulled,problem
solved.

People don't realise that there are a vastly more smells about than they can't smell. This is a human factor. The most glaring example is smells that only dogs can smell The smell is there but we can't register it.

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
a reply to: Trueman

Can you smell regular smells as ususal as well as the phantom smells?

I mean-does coffee/gasoline/flowers still smell "normal" ?

Just wondering,because if regular smells smell different to you-you should find out what burning wood/plastic smells like to you now-just in case there is a fire in your house so you know what to look out for(smell out for).

What worried me about people who lose their sense of smell was not being able to detect such things as a fire/gas leak-as the smell is often the first warning you need to act/run.

Good question. Strong odors/aromas are now very mild, I just tried to smell a bag of chocolate chip cookies, barely detected. But I can smell the soap in my hands after washing them. It's like the whole sense needs a "tune up".

The taste is somehow better but not 100% reliable. Last week I made a soup, I wanted it little spicy. I tasted 2 or 3 times while cooking it. That thing was molten lava when it was done. I had to throw it to the garbage. Yesterday I made fried chicken, it was delicious according to all my family but all the time I thought I was burning something.

It seems like there is not a pattern for this anomaly.

An Aromatherapists dream client!
Seeing more of this phantosmia rather than the usual anosmia in my Clinic now. Have been wondering if it has to do with the new variants. Kinds of smell's reported are always smoke, cigarette smoke, bonfires, in other words smokey smells.
Also wondering whether it is another sign of lack of zinc after an illness.

Rainbows
Jane

that is a really weird symptom, i don't know what to think about that in relation to covid but we really don't understand all the ways this virus effs with you yet, either. i hope you have some relief from the symptoms soon!

a reply to: Trueman

Hopefully you aren’t a “long hauler”. My cousin is one. She had covid in June of last year and is still having problems. Problems with smell, fatigue, and constant body aches. It’ll be a year in June that she’s had these symptoms.

The scary part is that no one knows whether it’ll be permanent or not.

a reply to: underwerks

I believe it's time to accept the possibility that this virus changed some of us permanently and we might find more changes in the future.

I'm not planning to have more children. I think soon I will need to find a less physically demanding job if breathing doesn't come back 100% too.

I've had this happen to me many times before, before Covid.

It's infuriating at times because it's usually the smell of a food that I love. Then I get the craves. Then I have to go to the store to get ingredients. Then I spend half the day cooking.

Not really complaining though and this is the first I've heard of the term. I always referred to it as "olfactory hallucinations"

a reply to: Trueman

I have 9 high school and college students who tested positive for covid-19. They had to be tested for school/sports activities, otherwise they would have been completely unaware that they were infected.

Anyway, they all started smelling odd things after they had “recovered.” Most of them report metallic type odors, especially in their body care and hair products.

a reply to: KansasGirl

That will be the zinc issue I suspect.

Rainbows
Jane

a reply to: Trueman

Meh I had a cold last week and my sinuses still have the scent of infection and decaying death occasionally inside them. It happens.

originally posted by: Trueman
a reply to: underwerks

I believe it's time to accept the possibility that this virus changed some of us permanently and we might find more changes in the future.

I'm not planning to have more children. I think soon I will need to find a less physically demanding job if breathing doesn't come back 100% too.

That’s the scariest thing to me. If it was just like the flu I wouldn’t be near as cautious. But all of these lasting effects are something completely different.

I have had it where I have smelled phantom smells in the past for a week or two. I never paid attention to what caused it, most times it is something like a natural gas/propane smell but sometimes it is a fruity smell. Not always a bad smell. I think the fruity smell is caused by too much ketones in our bodies. But I cannot understand the sulfur based smell like in natural gas, taking a shower does not help, neither does changing areas. A couple of times I did smell phantom smoke smell, and because I use a lot of tools, that smell does cause a little concern. If it is just an hour long smell it is real, but when you smell the burning smell for a long time everywhere it is just your nose acting up.

I never considered a virus causing these smells, although I know bacteria in the body can cause all kinds of real smells and some cannot smell them. Like Asparagus pee, I can smell sweat on people that smells a little like that. People's sense of smell varies a lot, just like people see colors differently, but we are taught that green is green and blue is blue...so even though people see a different color does not mean they are seeing it as intense or of the same way.....but we learned to communicate it so everyone calls them blue or green.