PA and palms of hands

[RLG99]

This is probably going to be one of the stranger questions asked on this forum, however, seeing as I've read on this site about sensations and symptoms I didn't even know to attribute to PA, I thought I'd reach out to the group to see if anyone else experiences this.

I was diagnosed a couple months ago with PA. I've been symptomatic for probably about 4-5 years. Over that time, around every few months the palms of my hands smell similar to graham crackers. It's a really strong smell, strongest at night and when I exercise. It's not what I'm eating nor is it from not washing my hands. My doctor has never heard of this. I've searched on the internet, the only thing that comes up is maple syrup disease which I definitely do not have. If from PA it's obviously a benign symptom, but I'm just really curious if anyone has experienced this.

Happy to say I am doing much better, many of my symptoms have dissipated, having more good days than bad.

Thanks.

[fbirder]

I've heard some dog owners say their dog's feet smell like digestive biscuits (the UK version of a Graham Cracker). Personally, my dog's feet smell like popcorn.

Some pet owners say it's a fungal infection.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

B12 is involved as a co-factor at some point in the Krebbs cycle which is the process your cells use to produce energy. If this process isn't working properly your cells can start burning fats rather than sugars. If it goes really wrong then the patient ends up with ketoacidosis but this is extremely rare as a consequence of B12 deficiency and more common in diabetics where blood sugar levels haven't been controlled.

Possible that this process going wrong could cause a sweetness in breath and sweat - have seen a number of posts in the past from people who know that their B12 is due because their body odour becomes sweeter.

Also, as fbirder says - that some fungal build ups can result in sweet smell.

[Nackapan in reply to Gambit62]

These odours are very distinct and sometimes very subtle only a trained dog can pick them up. For diabetes 'hypo detector dogs do a great job.

So your explanation makes perfect sense.

[RLG99 in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you for the response, I definitely do not have diabetes. I guess it will remain a mystery.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to RLG99]

RLG99, just for clarity ,this is an instance where B12 deficiency can mimic symptoms normally associated with diabetes - it isn't something that only happens when you have diabetes, though it is quite rare in relation to B12 deficiency

[Akashrajput in reply to Gambit62]

Even I mistaken b12 with diabetes at the start when I didn't knew anything about b12 I went for the blood check up n my fasting glucose came out to be 75 n later I googled and came across b12