when my other half was on the ward when admitted to hospital, there was an unfamiliar smell on entering the ward and was very noticeable when I brought his washing home.
After being home a couple of months ( and progressing nicely) i keep having wafts of this smell again and unsure if my mind is playing games with my senses.
Has anyone else experienced this or an smelling something non existent?
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Semiskimmed10
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How would you describe the smell? There is indeed a smell that can arise in cirrhosis and it occurs due to toxins leaching out of the skin and even from the GI tract. It's called feator hepaticus.
Whilst my hubby was awaiting transplant it was very noticeable on his breath and his skin .... at one point nurses on the ward didn't believe my hubby had showered so I showered him myself whilst visiting and got him in all freshly washed pj's etc. The smell was still there after all that.
Another potential symptom to add to your list for the next consultation.
Thank you for replying. Yes I do think this is something to bring up. Firstly I need to bring it up with my other half as he is so sure everything is fine and I am a little laid back since smelling this. All is not well.
I have read over the years that various conditions can have a smell associated with them. Good medics can pick up on this sort of thing which is why face to face consultations are so valuable in appropriate cases. We have all read about dogs being able to detect medical conditions, and as far as I know they do that by smell. I think you should trust your instincts on this and raise the issue.
I think there is definitely a smell - before I found out my husband was ill, I kept noticing that he had a very odd smell days after extremely heavy drinking. It smelt a bit like he hadn't brushed his teeth that day mixed with a very sweet smell (liked boiled sweets). People started to comment to me that my husband smelt - it wasn't alcohol, something different. I would recognise that smell anywhere now.
Very interesting read. I am convinced it is a smell associated with this disease. However the nurse from the hepatology dept says there is no smell only on the ward from the yellow Thiamine that is given interveniously when admitted to the ward. Thanks you for replying
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