Pnumothorax update/questions

[Tinkerbell801]

I posted a few weeks ago about my husband, he had a SP around five weeks ago. He was told that on top of that he had a really bad chest infection which he was given a nebuliser and IV antibiotics. He was also sent home with oral antibiotics (2weeks) which he has now finished. He seems a lot better and has just had his follow up appointment at the hospital where they did another scan, blood tests, checks etc. They were happy with his progress and answered all his questions he had regarding his work etc. However there was one thing that was bugging me (that I asked him to ask) I've noticed that there is a strange smell on his breath every now and then, it's not in the mornings and it's not as strong as it was but it's still there slightly. The only way I can describe it is it smells like glue or something. He did ask the doctor about it and she didn't seem bothered or concerned and said it was probably just the rememants of the infection. But I still worry about it a bit 😔

[Ergendl]

Hi, Tinkerbell. When I was a practising dietitian I used to note if a person's breath had an odour as it would help me diagnose and treat. An acetone (pear drop) smell is related to burning fat and can mean severe undernourishment for some time or even diabetes. A faecal or sour smell suggests digestive problems. A rotting smell suggests dental problems. There are others, and it's hard to describe the different smells but easy to recognise them once you've experienced them a few times.

Your GP will know all about using her sense of smell to help diagnose a problem, so if she thinks it is related to the infection, it probably is. However, if you're still not convinced, note when you notice the smells and what has been happening - time, food or lack of food, activity, etc, and see if there is a common thread. Then you can take that back to the GP and ask for more support.

[Lillian12]

I know when I was taking metronizadole I had a metallic taste and smell from my mouth. It could be the last remnants from his chest infection or diet maybe xx

[Sjf129903 in reply to Lillian12]

I get it from thrush from the steroids in my breathing treatments

[Dedalus in reply to Sjf129903]

May I ask what you use to get rid of the thrush - mine seems particularly stubborn after taking steroids (I did ensure I rinsed my mouth every time I used them). Thanks

[Sjf129903]

My Dr wrote me a prescription for nystatin that you rinse in your6mouth and spit

[janice01]

Was going to mention diabetes myself...

I get a metal taste and its unpleasant....

Sweet smell would be needing investigation for diabetes asap.

Good luck to you both...