Does anyone else seem over sensitive ... - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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Does anyone else seem over sensitive to smells

Extremelygrumpy profile image
9 Replies

I have been for a long time but it seems to be getting worse... Have just had to boot the kitchen bin out into the conservatory as the smell, although the bin is clean and practically empty is driving me mad.. And tuna... I love it but the smell makes me physically sick.... Does anyone else suffer with this or any ideas how to overcome it apart from filling my nose with tissue

VGx

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Extremelygrumpy profile image
Extremelygrumpy
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9 Replies
ladymoth profile image
ladymoth

Hi VG

I've had this for years - it started when I was pregnant with my first child, tho' I've always had a very keen sense of smell. My husband used to like sardine sandwiches, and I had to suck a peppermint when I was making them!

I guess there's not much you can do about it, though I find a hankie well-dosed with pure lavender oil is very helpful. I just wave it round a bit, and have a good sniff if I'm doing any whiffy jobs. I also wipe bins and stuff with Flash or Dettol, both very strongly scented.

I'm not sure such things are healthy, but I love a nice clean pong.

I wonder if this problem is anything to do with fibro? It probably isn't, but who knows?

Yours stinkily ...Moffy xxx

Extremelygrumpy profile image
Extremelygrumpy

Hi moffy while I was awaiting some sound advice I went to check the web for smell and fibro and guess what.... Yes it can be linked to fibro.... Ultra sensitive to sound light or smell, so thank goodness it's only smell I seem to be affected by... Thanks for replying ... I have some lavendar oil good idea.......This is getting scary.. We are so alike.....

Your fat clone and stunt double

VG x

ladymoth profile image
ladymoth in reply toExtremelygrumpy

Not doing any stunts today - bad knees! :(

staceymarie76 profile image
staceymarie76

From the FM association web site:

In addition to widespread pain and fatigue, fibromyalgia can be associated with:

irritable bowel syndrome

fluctuating stiffness

numbness

a feeling of weakness

cold intolerance

poor sleep

headaches

chest pain

cognitive difficulties

sensitivity to light, smells, temperature and sound

dizziness (balance problems)

fmauk.org/useful-informatio...

Someonesmother profile image
Someonesmother

I amsensitive to smells, light, hot cold, sound, medications....... makes life fun to say the least

bumblebee57 profile image
bumblebee57

I dont know if its linked to Fibro, but I dont cook much these days because I cant stand the smell in the house after. Ive got to the point where Im almost afraid to cook because of it. I stopped frying chips years ago (not only because its "unhealthy"), just couldnt seem to get rid of the smell, even tho I think I have an almost non existent sense of smell to most things. Always have. Sounds a bit contradictory and I dont understand it myself. But its definately got worse over the 30-odd years of having Fibro. I still find it hard to believe that there are SO MANY symptoms of Fibro. How can one person suffer SO MANY horrible things at once?? Perhaps thats why "THEY" think we're faking, coz it cant be possible to suffer all those different things. OH YES WE CAN... and DO.

Al10 profile image
Al10 in reply tobumblebee57

Ew post cooking, stinky house syndrome. It's the living end, really it is. Other people's perfume, deodorant, aftershave, febrese washing powder smell, covering sweat or not, it's overwhelming. If it walks into my house, it wont leave after. It lingers in the air and on surfaces, It makes me feel ugh!

Never been able to cope with smell. Polish, disinfectant, overcooked cabbage, wee, yes my school days were a trial. Had fibro since a kid too. Are Fibro types on almost constant overwhelm I wonder? Add in a little stress and we are pushed OTT. Or does the sensitivity come after? It's too long ago for me to remember now.

Being sensitive to sound, lights, touch, taste and smells is common with having Fibromyalgia. Our senses can be significantly heightened making us intolerant to things we wouldn't have noticed before.

Please see some information taken from our main site at FibroAction on Sensitivities and Intolerances, scroll down for the relevant part of the article -

fibroaction.org/Pages/What-...

Here is the excerpt as well for others to see without the full article -

"People with Fibro often have sensitivities or intolerances to many things, from foods to chemicals. An exposure to something they are intolerant of can cause a flare in all the Fibro symptoms. If someone with Fibro says, for example, that they can't stay in the same room as a smoker, or someone with strong aftershave on, then they mean it and could be quite ill if they continue to do so. People with Fibro can be hypersensitive to almost anything, including sound and light.1 2 Some people with Fibro struggle with sensory overload, where they cannot cope with too many stimuli at one time - for example, they may struggle in supermarkets or shopping malls, where there are a lot of conflicting lights, noises and smells all at once - and this can have an impact on the cognitive difficulties."

Hope this helps.

(((hug))) xxx

Libs

reikilad profile image
reikilad

Yes...i have to avoid the washing powder isles in supermarkets as they burn my nostrils and then give me sneezing fits.. Also sounds...some sounds really get in my nerves.

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