Is there a DR in the house?

[notfarnow]

I've had a funny thing going on the last week or so.

There's been this funny smell that I can't shake. It's not a bad smell, just a bit odd... almost chemical but not unpleasant or anything. I notice it when I inhale deeply. I've noticed it at the house or at work and in the car. At first I thought it could be a fragrance on the laundry, but I checked and it's not that.

Then yesterday and today I'm just getting these headaches that come and go, independent of outside factors. That funny smell is there pretty steady.

I do notice that all of a sudden I'm sensitive to strong scents like perfumes or chemical smells. A scented candle with give me a very sharp headache within a minute or so. This was never the case before. I noticed the same thing when I used a cleaner in the car this weekend, boom, very sharp headache.

Thoughts?

I guess I'll have to start reading the labels when it says "use proper ventilation", huh?

[Joeaksa]

Sniffing all that battery acid the last few days must have helped!

[Nathans_Dad]

Go see your doctor. Might be sensitivity to chemicals or smells, however sometimes strange smells are a sign of an issue with the brain. Not trying to alarm you, but I would see a physician soon.

[competentone]

I'm not a doctor, but am wondering if you could have a sinus infection.

Additionally: What sort of heating system do you have? Are you certain it is in good working order; no CO leakage if it is a gas/fuel oil burner system?

[notfarnow]

Thanks for the replies!

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Sniffing all that battery acid the last few days must have helped!

No smells there, it's so damn cold out you couldn't even smell the diesel!

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Go see your doctor. Might be sensitivity to chemicals or smells, however sometimes strange smells are a sign of an issue with the brain. Not trying to alarm you, but I would see a physician soon.

I yi yi, I'm going to be needing my brain soon! I'll call my dr to make an appointment.

I've never really had bad headaches before, other than self-inflicted ones. These are whoppers.

competentone
What sort of heating system do you have? Are you certain it is in good working order; no CO leakage if it is a gas/fuel oil burner system?

Electric heat, and a wood burning fireplace insert. I notice the smell everywhere I go... house, work, car.

[Nathans_Dad]

The combo of bad headaches plus smelling wierd smells that aren't there (or that others can't smell) is a bit concerning to me.

I'm glad you are calling your doc, makes me feel better.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
The combo of bad headaches plus smelling wierd smells that aren't there (or that others can't smell) is a bit concerning to me.

Ya, no one around me can smell anything. They keep making wisecracks that they have noticed a funny smell around me for years.

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
I'm glad you are calling your doc, makes me feel better.

Glad YOU feel better, now you have me spooked!


Thanks though, I appreciate the reply & help

[Nathans_Dad]

I think someone else mentioned it, but carbon monoxide can also cause headaches, the classic story is person has headaches inside the house but not outside. No odor to CO though...

[competentone]

Originally posted by notfarnow
Glad YOU feel better, now you have me spooked!

Get it checked out since it could be something like a brain tumor, but I wouldn't get too worried if I were in your shoes.

The odds are with you that it is just something like a sinus infection -- there's a lot of complicated ductwork to the sinuses; this is the season for infections; they are commonly a cause/factor in headaches.

[IROC]

I had something similar a couple of months ago. A faint chemical smell when I inhaled. I was also having some pretty good sinus drainage and ended up going to the doc when the wheezing started. I ended up with bronchitis.

Mike

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Go see your doctor. Might be sensitivity to chemicals or smells, however sometimes strange smells are a sign of an issue with the brain. Not trying to alarm you, but I would see a physician soon.

I agree, see a physician about this.

[livi]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
The combo of bad headaches plus smelling wierd smells that aren't there (or that others can't smell) is a bit concerning to me.

I'm glad you are calling your doc, makes me feel better.

I agree. There are several much more common and trivial causes that match your symptoms, but they can also signal more serious illness.

[oldE]

Jake,

See your doctor (n+1)

Les

[notfarnow]

Wifey says to add "Delusions of adequacy" to the list of symptoms.

It's probably just a sinus thing. Or maybe I have a piece of a car freshener lodged up my nose.

At least it's not an unpleasant smell. One of the dogs got into the artichoke & garlic dip the other night and had horrible gas, but that's another thread altogether.

Thanks guys, I'll call the dr this afternoon to make an appointment.

[Porsche]

See a doctor, tell him your symptoms - abnormal smells could be caused by local issues (sinus, foreign body) or central problems (the frontal lobe of the brain) - either way, best to get it checked out - obviously no one can give any sort of reliable medical advice over the net.

[notfarnow]

Thanks again folks. I got an appointment within an hour of calling. My Dr is couldn't find anything abnormal, so I'm going in for a CAT scan next week.

Here's something else I noticed: The odd smell is more pronounced when I go from from a hot area to a cold area, or vice versa. When I go outside I get hit with it, then again when I come inside. Weird

[Porsche]

A CAT scan of the brain is definitely the right thing to do. Wish you well!

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Porsche
A CAT scan of the brain is definitely the right thing to do. Wish you well!

Yes, that's correct. Fortunately, unlike Canada and other sociofascist states, America has an abundance of CAT scan machines. As we used to say, the SF Bay area has more CAT scan machines than all of Canada. That was in fact true, and is likely to be more true today, meaning that no one here has to wait for a CAT scan.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by fastpat
Yes, that's correct. Fortunately, unlike Canada and other sociofascist states, America has an abundance of CAT scan machines. As we used to say, the SF Bay area has more CAT scan machines than all of Canada. That was in fact true, and is likely to be more true today, meaning that no one here has to wait for a CAT scan.

LOL, I just saw this now. Hats off for politicizing my sinuses!

Say what you want about the canadian medical system, but I called my dr at 230, and was sitting in front of her at 350. I'm willing to bet I'll have my CAT scan by mid-week.

No, the canadian (sociofascist) system is not perfect. Is yours?

In the meantime, I think I have one of these in my head: