I have a strange thing going on and it has me concerned enough that I emailed my doctor. I have been smelling a chemical solvent like smell with an accompanying taste in my mouth, but there is no source item to cause this. It happened once before and subsided after several days. It started up again yesterday while my wife was fixing dinner and I was wondering what she was cooking up in the kitchen. I did some online research which is why I emailed the doc. It is a very strange situation. Any ideas out there as to what's up?

Google: phantom smells

From what I briefly read, it could be nothing...or it could be something...and if it's "something," you need to find out right away.

There were a number of fairly anxiety-making causes that create this phenomenon.

If the doctor you emailed doesn't seem concerned, I would get another doctor's professional opinion (AFTER the relevant exams and tests are completed).

This doesn't seem like something anyone would want to mess around with...assuming that it IS "something," instead of "nothing."

ziller googled webMD

you have nose cancer

Yeah, I googled that stuff as well. That's why I emailed my doc. It's really crazy!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2015 03:33PM by michaelc1945.

Damn, getting old is an adventure all to its own self. Tomorrow I go get my hearing checked because everyone keeps having to repeat things and I've got a bunch of noisy crickets. Now I have phantom smells and tastes. Hopefully all is OK, I've got a long bucket list I'm working on at the moment.

Not necessarily.

Usually, you start with the smallest or least reason and go larger from there (so you don't immediately think cancer first). Or as "summer" puts it, it could be nothing or it could be something.

I don't really mean it's literally nothing, though. As others have said, it may be sinusitis, although you'd likely have other local symptoms like stuffiness or face/nose discomfort.

I would bypass email and go in person to the MD. (Besides, my doc doesn't even accept email. He's still back in the last century). I'm joking, as I think it's always best to go in in person for a real life consultation. Even if it turns out to be a "little" something, best to nip it in the bud, so to speak.

I'm with you on the bucket list. It gets more "urgent" as time goes by. I don't really have a list, yet, but just a vague feeling that I should be doing more. I've taken some "time off" to smell the roses lately and it feels strange, like I need to always be doing something. That's partly thanks to early parental guidance and partly due to religious influences to do good, 'n all that. It's how I (still) measure some of my worth and achievements (and that's an endless circle, achievements/worth, worth/achievements).

Good luck, michael. Seeing the doc - just one more thing on the bucket list - close to the top.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2015 04:39PM by Nightingale.

I get it every now and then and I don't worry about it -- a chemical smell, sometimes acetone. I figure that it's a few random chemical molecules floating around. My allergist told me once that on an average day in an urban area, there are more than 200 chemicals floating around in the air.

If it persists, it's probably worth pursuing.

ditto. As long as you don't smell almonds... That's when I'm going to panic, because that's supposed to indicate cya*nide, according to mysteries and cop shows...

I've had random chemically smells for years and I hold my breath for awhile and then start breathing again and I'm still here...

If you get an Rx, let me know, and I'll go pick some up in Tijuana!

Only a very small percentage smell almonds with cyande...like in the single digits...fyi

If cya*nide is present and kills 93 of 100 people, are you saying less than 10% of those present reported smelling almonds, which thus supports your observation?

Who would be crazy enough to do the research necessary to document your hypothesis?

Ok... I was wrong. Anywhere between 40-60 %cant smell it.... I was off by a log (huge) but still.. You can google it and find a ton of scientific journals about it. U don't have to eat the c*nide to smell it (or not)... Totally ethical.

Have you changed medications or even brands of OTC medicines?

Sometimes they leave a distinct odor and taste in your mouth and if you changed medications or changed to an OTC medicine there are some nasty things in some.

The Nyquil over the counter brands, seem to leave a very unpleasant taste/odor to me once the alcohol is drank or absorbed.

Course, there's foods that can cause the same thing, there's other serious things (tumors, strokes)... but it's usually just sinusitis or nasal infections due to colds or allergies.

Phantom smells can be a precurser to a migraine.

This perceived odor is like a paint stripper or some such solvent. It's weird.

It's probably nothing, but please get it checked out. My aunt had a metallic taste in her mouth. It turned out to be a brain tumor.

Oh yeah? Well, my uncle had a weird smell sensation after buying a lotto ticket and he got 5 numbers and won a little over $215,000!

So there!

Google 'pine mouth'

No pine nuts in my diet.

Have you been exposed to any radiation?

Get this fixed!!! We need you!

Do you notice this after any kind of workout or any activity that makes you sweaty? As your body burns protein and carbs it will often produce the smell of ammonia, especially if you are low on carbs.

YES!

I had this exact thing happen to me. It was more taste than smell, but I definitely smelled something odd, too. I thought I was going crazy, because everything I ate or drank tasted "chemical-ey" to me. I rewashed every dish and cup in my house by hand b/c I thought maybe my dishwasher wasn't rinsing well.

Turned out to be my allergy medication. I had recently started a steroid nasal spray. Worked wonders on my allergies, but the chemical taste and smell was too much for me so I had to quit.

It could be a chemical imbalance in your own body that is letting off an odor.

I've heard certain illnesses can have odors associated with them.

Some infections could cause this, or infectious diseases.

Paying attention to your body is a good warning system to let you know something is amiss.

Getting it checked out and diagnosed may be the bigger challenge.

Wouldn't worry too much unless you're having other symptoms. And make sure you're up to date on your physical checkups and all.

I've had that smell occasionally, it's been several years ago already. I was worried too, at the time. Still not sure what was causing it, and was not associated with anything I had ongoing at that time that I'm aware of.

Have you been losing weight? Are you thirsty? Ketoacidosis due to diabetes can cause this kind of solvent smell/taste.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2015 07:19PM by Devoted Exmo.

Could b ketoacidosis... Allergies, garlic sweat, asparagus pee smell, or ur menegies leaking... Saw it on some sort of undiagnosed medical show where they kept tasting metal and the had a tear in the lining surrounding their brain n kept tasting metal...

Or could be environmental... Or nothing at all... Dr should be able to help chase it down

Just as long as it's not 'burnt toast'

brain cloud.




Avoid volcanos at all costs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2015 10:38PM by Dave the Atheist.

I woke up this morning and the odor and taste are now gone. This happened once before but lasted for a longer time period. I go in to my doc on Tuesday for my wellness physical and I will bring up these two episodes while there. I want to thank all of you for your caring and advice.

Pass some gas and get new smells to replace the chemical ones.

Or burn a few scented candles.

Maybe the popping bills or cocaine snorts is acting up again.

I'd like to know how you find a doctor you can e-mail your questions to?

It sounds simple enough. Mine I still have to call on the phone and make an appointment to go in to see one. That's the only way I get any information, unless I call the nurse hotline.

Our doc has moved into the modern computer age and has a portal you can access to conduct a lot of business. Test results, prescription issues and questions, appointments,etc. can be handled online. When I go to the VA I can get info for my doc there from the site.