Odor from the Sinuses

Hello. My post is very long. I have tried Googling this condition and I know people out there have this, but with minor differences. Most times it is mentioned that other people DO NOT smell the smell, just the person "emitting" the odor. I am almost certain that my smell is noticeable to others. So I wanted to post and be VERY DESCRIPTIVE in my explanation about my nasal odor. Here goes.


I have a an odor that escapes from my nostrils. I have been dealing with this for about three years. The smell is indescribable. So no, it doesn't smell like poop, fish, rotten eggs, etc. It is impossible to describe. Nothing else I have ever smelled smells like it. It IS a BAD smell, however. It used to not happen often. Maybe once every two months for three days at a time. Now, since very recently(last three weeks) it's been everyday. *I would like to add here that if I had the smell for many hours(5-6+) sometimes it WILL start to smell fecal and be a really heavy smell. The "normal" smell is light(but very, very unpleasant, even to me).
Now, I am puzzled by what causes this in the first place. I believe it was an infection and that this infection is ongoing, but I have no symptoms except for the smell, which is intermittent. So, I do not smell the smell 24/7. The smell "comes" when I blow my nose, inhale sharply and deeply, and if I handle my nose roughly(for example, using a tissue to wipe inside my nose). Sometimes the odor comes when I laugh and throw my head back, when I say "Mmm-hmm", or when I bend over for too long.
When I am having the smell, I feel depressed because I am 90% sure people can smell it, although I don't notice much of a reaction from others. This could be because I also have fecal Body Odor and I am smelly anyway. The smell "lasts" until I wake up from a nap or sleep. So if I get the smell at 10:00am, I smell it until I sleep at 2:00am. When I wake at 8:00am or in the middle of the night, I don't smell it anymore.
My problem is this...I do not know if the smell ever truly goes away or if I am the one that cannot smell it at times. When I do not have the smell, of course I cannot smell it. When I do have the smell, I can smell it even in places I have been in before. Let me clarify here. I have had the smell many times in my classroom at school, in my parents' home, in my car, and at my university library. When I do not have the smell, I don't smell it in these places. When I do have the smell, I WILL smell the smell in these places. That includes my home currently. When I travel to my parents' home on school breaks, and if I am having the smell, I will smell it in my parents' home(slaps me in the face). Keep in mind that this is after months. My car is the worst of them all. I think the smell is carried through air conditioning and spread to far distances quickly. The library I use smells ALL OVER. *I would like to add that at times, strong smells that I encounter, will also increase the strength of the "smell" to me. My breath and BMs will smell exactly like the smell and strong smelling foods will make the smell stronger. Perfumes and chemical smells like gas and cleaning supplies have the same effect.
Now, I do not experience any abnormal sensation when the smell comes. No pain, no visual disturbances, no taste distortions(although the smell does come from my MOUTH as well then I have it). Before, nothing signals to me that the smell is coming. At times, and this has been happening a lot in the past three weeks, I can get hints of the smell with my inhalations. When I take once big sniff, there it is. The full blown smell. I am unsure whether people smell it before it is full blown.
There isn't any PND(to my knowledge)and no abnormal nasal discharge. Very infrequently, I get a clear liquid dripping out of my nose several times a day, lasting weeks. I am not ill when this happens and my nose is not stuffy. No headaches, sneezing, etc.
I have not had the guts to ask anyone if they smell it. I think people do smell it because of comments that have been made and facial expressions I've seen when people encounter it for the first time. Once again, I do have a nasty Body Odor that I cannot smell most times but people react to, so I cannot tell which odor exactly people are reacting to(nasal vs. body).
With my odor issues, people still seek my company, and I don't know why. Guys are still attracted to me and people still want to hold conversations - I do not know why. When I am in someone's company they will always hold their nose or cover it with a finger or their entire hand, back away, turn away, hold their breath, or have a look on their face as if they had just seen a ghost. Some people will react strongly, some don't react at all, some just won't speak to me or come near me again and others will still want to hang out like nothing ever happened(but once we are together, they will cover their nose once again).
I am very confused and this is worsening my Depression and anxiety. I spend half of my time wondering if I smell, Googling about my odors and possible health conditions, and thinking about how I am supposed to be enjoying the best years of my life but instead I am feeling lonely, ashamed and hopeless.

Please...feel free to ask questions for clarification and further discussion. I would love to be cured of this and start enjoying life again. I know this post is already long, but I want to give you a little bit more information about me.


I'll be 25 in 2 months, 105lbs, 5'3'', female. Sedentary. No strict diet(low sugar, low carbs, high sodium from frozen meals and canned soups, large helpings of romaine lettuce and kale eaten once or twice daily - I just like salads and cooked kale).

No current documented health issues that I am being treated for by a physician.

My stress level is high, depression(not diagnosed) since Jan 2013, anxiety high. I'm a student with ADD/inattentive. I was Rx Dexedrine for three years to treat, but not taking currently.

Constipation is my main health concern. I have had it for years, but in the last two years, I have struggled to have regular BMs, both in frequency and appearance. I believe I have numerous GI problems like candida overgrowth, pathogenic bacterial infections as well as parasites(I have seen 4-5inch worms repeatedly in my stools). I also believe that my fecal odor originates in my GI tract. When I took oral laxatives(1.5 years ago) like dulcolax and senna tea, the odor would be very STRONG and people certainly commented. I switched to suppositories and enemas since they don't liquefy the stool.

I had a colonoscopy done and nothing was found. An ultrasound revealed nothing as well.

I do have nasal polyps and I also get tonsil stones, though I only see them once in a while.

I have had two vaginal yeast infections since January 2015. I suspect with strong evidence, that I currently have a yeast infection(or possibly some other organism) that is persistent and has not been cured with fluconazole taken two months ago. Vaginal discharge appears white/off white at first, then turn slightly yellowish with a cheesy consistency. It smells like ammonia. No itching or irritation. Just discharge and only during the day. I do not have STIs.

I have tinea versicolor, Acne on my face and back, and dry skin.

I have a very strong ammonia odor in my breath(nose and mouth). I do not know the cause of this. I don't smell it all the time, but when I sing and laugh, I smell it and it's very concentrated. It smells exactly like urine.

I have dysphagia/difficulty swallowing. Started with food only. These days, liquids are at times slow to go down.

I took a course of Prevpac for H. pylori last year. The Body Odor (fecal smell) went away during the course of treatment, and BMs occurred 2-3 daily, effortlessly. The ammonia smell from my mouth was still present. I did not get the nasal smell, so I am not sure how the Antibiotics affected it. Once the course was completed, the fecal body odor and constipation returned.




Thank you very much for reading. Please do not hesitate to ask questions or make suggestions.

Connie

Tweet