Cursed With Anosmia! (No Sense of Smell)

Being Anosmic sounds cool but really it means I have no sense of smell. Is that a bad thing though? I will share my observations with you and have a few laughs along the way.

[@Karai9]

I don't have anosmic, but I do have a very limited sense of smell and I can usually only smell something if it has a really strong smell. Lol, I can very much relate to your story about your mum and her flowers because my mum is a gardener was always doing the same thing to me as a kid.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

[@laurarychlik5048]

Oh my😝 I want to live a day of your life! Haha! Thank you, Val, for sharing! When I need a good chuckle, I watch one of your videos, even if I've already watched it! I ❤️ you!

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Laura that is so sweet of you! Thank you! xx

[@debbiecarney1724]

I knew someone that had Anosmic , at that time I had never heard of it. I think it is great you did this video, because there are a lot of people that have no idea. Love the way you kinda joke about and make it fun :) xx

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Thanks Debbie - most things are a bit funny when you look close enough. In my head anyway. xx

[@SandyHuntress]

How nice to hear that my experience isn't totally unique! I watched your video nodding my head the whole time. :-) It's a rather rare thing and not understood by most. Nicely explained. The one time I burned polymer clay I didn't know it until I opened my roasting pans. I couldn't smell it, but it sure made me choke! I must have lost my sense of smell as a child, because there is one story where as a youngster I loudly asked my mom & dad, "What's that smell?" And it turned out to be the man in front of us, lol. I love to cook and can taste just fine, although I do like strong things and tend to miss the more subtle flavors. It would be nice to have a gas stove but I'm always afraid that there will be a leak and I won't be able to smell it. My family is used to me coming at them with cartons of milk or packages of meat to sniff to see if they're still good. :-) When my boys were teens it was probably a good thing that I couldn't smell their rooms, but a bad thing that I couldn't smell when they'd been smoking or drinking. Fortunately, my husband was blessed with an acute sense of smell! There are a lot of nice smells I know I'm missing out on, like things in the garden. It also makes me a little sad when i hear how much of a memory trigger smell is and I know I won't get to experience that. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the subject! P.S. Hubby really likes Angel perfume on me, and many folks have commented on how nice I smell. And yes, I'm Very conservative in putting it on.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I can relate to so many of the things you've said! Especially the memory thing. Also, I wish I could check whether my breath was smelly, rather than waiting for somebody to offer me a mint. LOL xx

[@susansmart8086]

My mum and my younger brother couldn't smell either. Mummy was concerned about the gas, did the puppy go in the corner, etc. I loved your comment about being the go-to person for nasty odor clean-ups I was the one in the house who had to go around checking for the smells and then it was "OK, you've found it, now you get to clean it up because you'll be able to tell when it's all clean."

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Haha! That's a great approach! x

[@GirlWhoCantSmell]

Enjoyed your video! I definitely relate to your points what its like to live without the sense of smell.

[@lmswords]

My 20 year old daughter also has Anosmia. Originally we thought it was because she damaged something in her nose when she stuffed a McDonald's French Fry up her nose when she was 4 (had to go to the ER for that one), but later after a MD examination he said there was no damage and that she had Anosmia. During high school she would often forget to bring her PE clothes home for washing, then when she did I'd almost pass out from the smell. It's amazing how much we take the sense of for granted, because I am often asking her to smell something, then getting the rolling of the eyes before she says "Mom, really!".

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I can't believe she did that with fries! Haha! She sounds a real character. I think I might have lost my sense of smell when I almost died of pneumonia as a baby. My Mum forgets that I can't smell... She also forgets that I have Type2 Diabetes, so she keeps making me refuse cake. Grrr! LOL xx

[@SandyHuntress]

My dad was always forgetting that I couldn't smell. lol Would they forget if I was blind or deaf, I wonder?

[@tjaysilver]

This was great Valerie, I did think what it would be like to lose a sense and I suppose hearing would be the one out of all them I would rather lose but you know I never even thought about smell, I do really feel for you as I cannot imagine what it would be like to not smell, I lost my sense of taste for a while, that was hard because I could smell all sorts of food cooking etc but couldn't taste it!

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I love my food, so whatever sense of taste I have I want to hang on to it! xx

[@galady8632]

I appreciate your humorous approach to life. Your humor certainly made me even more aware of the challenges involved in the loss of the sense of smell. I am grateful for my sense of smell in spite of learning I have a heightened or acute sense of smell. I notice odors most people are not aware of. Certain perfumes and mixtures of smells can quickly trigger a migraine headache. Years ago I ceased wearing perfume, using scented detergents or fabric softeners, scented hair products, etc. There's so many scents in the world I strive to not add to the mix. Over 30 years ago I would use a tiny drop of light vanilla scent and apply it to the inside of my left wrist - for 2 reasons. 1- that is a common point for checking a pulse so the scent would steadily emanate from the body. 2- I am right handed so I would rarely have my left hand near my face. It was a subtle, clean fragrance but I preferred not to end up in the ER.Years ago I had to request a change due to my office mate wearing a heavy, cloying perfume. Her next 2 office mates were unable to withstand the overpowering smell. In frustration a manager finally stated she would work alongside her. In less than 2 weeks a new policy was in-place stating the office was a No Cologne, No Perfume Zone. Seems the 'fragrant' employee mixed various oils to create her trademark aroma, you could actually see the oils on her neck and arms. I agree asking your fiancé to share the names of a few fragrances he prefers could be helpful. Using a tiny drop or light spray would be a good start. And at night maybe dab a tiny drop on your pillowcase. It could be fun.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Thank you! and wow, sorry to hear you have challenges too! xx

[@karenevans6176]

My Dad had no sense of smell and I often thought it must have affected his taste buds as every meal he had was white with mountains of salt !!!! We now know that was not a good idea !!!

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Yeah, I think I take two kinds of blood-pressure meds for the same reason! ;)

[@CrisWism]

Very interesting! A lot of the things you talked about I'd never thought about before. It's definitely more of a handicap than I would have thought.

[@merryclicker]

For perfumes, ask your fiance what HE thinks smells nice on you, then put on just a bit, so he has to get very close to smell it. No one else matters.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Martha, you are talking good sense! xx

[@ClareCreationsAL]

Great video! I knew of the disorder, but didn't know the name or anyone with it. It was enlightening to learn how you deal with the challenges. I LOVE that you can laugh about it. I'm sure there were times that you cried about it or even felt guilty. We all feel guilty or frustrated at one point of another, whether we have a disability or not. I have MS and because of pain I was prevented from a lot of activities. People would say I was lucky that I get to park in disabled parking spaces. Mind you I appear fairly normal on my good days and good days are the only days that I get to park there, because I am well enough to get out. It may be only one day out of 10 that I am that well, yet I will be miserable from pain after I finish my shopping. So no. It's not lucky. People can be horribly insensitive at times. I usually follow an insensitive comment with a laughing jovial remark, such as "Oh, I'll gladly swap all my pain with you, so that you can park here too!!" Shuts them right up because they don't know how to handle it. But I get to giggle and smirk with my daughters. Thank you for making us more aware of your disorder.-- Leslie

[@UnrulyHousewife]

MS is very hard to deal with, so ignore the idiots and take care of yourself (it sounds like you have done that actually) xx. I get upset sometimes because I have sons and a male partner, all of whom seem unable to describe a single smell, or offer a single value judgement. Because they can't do what I'm asking they get annoyed with ME. But in all honestly, it is a trivial disorder compared to most. ;)

[@ClareCreationsAL]

Unruly Housewife It's not trivial. It's relative. MS is trivial compared to others. But I can give you some great smell comparisons... For example, think of the foulest sight you have ever laid eyes on. That is what poo and some noisy gas eruptions smells like. Boiled eggs smell like a mild version of that, as well. Think of a field of beautiful flowers on a clear blue day with gorgeous colors, and that is what freshly washed clothes and sheets smell like. Food that is beautiful, browned, glistening, and dripping with sauce that you enjoy tastes like it looks-- beautiful. If food looks bad, disgustingly unrecognizable, it tastes disgusting and commonly smells disgusting as well, just as it does if it has a rainbow sheen on it. Interestingly, perfume is pleasant to some and not to others. Choose the perfume your boyfriend enjoys on you. Perfume is one, at least in America, that is worn to entice and seduce. When he smells you and looks at you with adoring and exploring eyes, then you will know you smell as beautiful as anything you've ever seen. Hope that helps. If I just went through all that and you think I am crazy, please ignore and proceed with your wonderful life. LOL

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Hahaha! I can see from these replies I need to work that perfume magic on Dave - he's missing out! Thank you so much for your descriptions! xx

[@jennygee9849]

my wonderful Mum can't smell anything either. I can but hate perfume of any description & I think it smells chemically toxic, wouldn't put it on me or my daughter as she hates it too, thanks for sharing

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Thanks for watching! xx

[@TheTwin12321]

I also can't smell, and I recognise the psychic part. When I have eaten something in my bedroom my mom often comes in and says oh, you have eaten this. I always look around to find what I didn't clean up to realise that I did clean up everything and she just smells it.

[@Daesma999]

the confusion is real. I can relate

[@keithurban6916]

It is heart warming to hear silence again without sound disturbance, all thanks to Dr iyaremoses on KZbin channel for his herbal medication

[@mannikmom]

I didn't know there was a name for it! I don't think that's what I have, though, because I can smell things but only when they are SUPER strong. I've always assumed that my being unable to smell normally had something to do with breaking my nose a couple of times when I was a child. And I know what you mean about the food thing...I now ALWAYS look into the milk and creamer cartons for chunks before using them, ever since pouring glops of spoiled milk into my coffee one time. Hubby said he could smell the awful scent from the opposite side of the house before I even opened the carton, but I had no clue. Oh and another bother about not being able to smell: I always seem to over spice everything I cook. It tastes "normal" to me! lol

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I drank some strawberry milkshake from a bottle once and thought it had chunks of rather sour fruit in it... wrong. I was visiting my son in hospital, so I showed a couple of nurses. Their verdict after smelling it? "You're going to die" LOL

[@lisasmith1565]

I was a personal care assistant too for years. there were times when I wish I couldn't smell. but how annoying it would be in every day life

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I remember once I was putting on a clean stoma bag for a client and as I was working the old one was in an open disposal bag, right under my face. My work partner gently removed it and threw it away. After we had left the client she said "OMG, I couldn't watch you breathing that in any longer!!" - I had no idea. LOL

[@jessicadawnconeway1645]

I love this video ur an amazing person such a wonderful personality! I wud jus ask ur husband/boyfriend what kind of perfume he likes and jus wear I for him cas every1 is always gona have their own opinion on how it smells. But vanilla is a pretty wonderful smell.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Thanks so much Jessica

[@Telenaus]

Hugs ! vanilla or a flavor you like would be an ok perfume. i used to hate perfume until i thought of using a dab or 3 of vanilla.and well washed clothes & just being clean isnt bad either, my nephew tends to be allergic to perfumes he has an underarm stone that has no scent or a ton of other chems,,& he has a job he sweats in(car detailing) and he dosent smell bad very often(unless its like extremely hot) and everyone who does have a sense of smell, well it changes with the weather, if they are feeling good, all sorts of things influence it so what smells good today maybe absolutely horrible a day from now and it influences how things taste alot,,i think this maybe part of why some would consider you lucky, esp around teens who have not learned the power of less perfume lol, (i personally wonder how Durian would taste for you since the scent wouldn't be there,alot of people can get past the scent, but those that can say its a great fruit) ok i gotta stop hehe im in a chatty mood today hehe

[@UnrulyHousewife]

You make some great points though! I'm curious to taste Durian! Vanilla is a great tasting ice-cream (even for me) so good idea! ;) xx

[@Telenaus]

:)

[@SomeGuyCalledJack]

It'd be like having a cold but all the time :O That's so weird, it's like blindness or deafness, but not as intense or debilitating

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Yeah, I think those are both way worse.

[@joolzzenda]

I saw your post on the congential anosmia facebook group :) I love your 'cup of tea and a chat' style and it's great to listen to someone who knows exactly what I'm on about. I have a series on my channel about anosmia if you feel like checking it out

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Oooh, will do! Thanks! xx

[@TimeBunny]

I must admit, I always wondered if this condition had an actual name and now I know what it is.

[@UnrulyHousewife]

It actually sounds quite exciting LOL. xx

[@karenleal6190]

I just saw your video I do not have. Sense of Smell either and what you said in your video was soooo RIGHT ON One of my 4 daughters cannot smell either and she is an identical twin but her twin can smell Anyway I have never run into anyone else who can’t smell and people don’t get it but you do and I can tell by what you have related and NO we are not lucky

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Wow! It's crazy that only one of the twins has a sense of smell. Glad you enjoyed the video - we have a perspective on the world that not many people understand. xx

[@cindyreddeer]

My mum has lost her sense of smell, I'm not sure if it's to do with the dementia or just age. She worries that she won't smell gas and bad things will happen. She doesn't trust my Dad to know if something is off or not. haha

[@UnrulyHousewife]

No, in my experience men have no idea, or are "not sure". *sigh*

[@suzannerobinson5191]

a very good friend of mine actually lost her sense of smell quite a few years ago and she says now she can't smell she has taken ago liking to spice as a way of helping her be able to taste the food, also she nearly burnt her house down with a candle once so I agree it's very dangerous xx

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I have started really enjoying chilli flavoured things... As for candles, I wouldn't dare! ;) xx

[@idkyoutellme5379]

I relate!

[@shadowslove29]

lol i have the same thing I can't smell settle things but if I burnt the pot on the stove that I can has to be a very big smell like the fire department at my door or alarm going off lol

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Oh my, we are a danger to ourselves! xx ;)

[@shadowslove29]

i know and we bake clay lol i stay in the kitchen when am cooking just in case

[@shadowslove29]

Unruly Housewife i have actually have two thing not working for me adhd , and no smell

[@pragmatic7green]

some of what you say sounds familiar i have anosmia long as i remember what i read online seem to say that anosmiacs do NOT like booze wine beer etc And that we are more likely to be vegetarian or vegan than the "normal people " around us that temperature and texture are important to us i like berries, blueberries, 100% whole grain pasta bread etc, dark chocolate, grapes, mango, sweet potato, do NOT like greasy foods, soggy foods much of sausage does not have good texture , is too greasy, etc Tofukey tastes better but sometimes roasted lamb or rotisserie chicken taste good do not like bologna but some opportunity job etc when places have smelly mess need cleaning but some employers , workers, doctor, do aim unfairness discrimination unemployment at anosmiacs a small percentage even want us to be a bit inceraceted dependent powerless bullied checked-on etc

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Wow! Some of that sounds dark compared to my experience! We do get the dirty jobs though! xx

[@BlackCat_2]

I can think of many times in my life I wish I couldn't smell but just as many I was glad I could. My sense of smell was heightened when I was pregnant. Forgive me if I sound ignorant but when you were did that change anything? Could you smell a little bit? I still think my sense of smell is higher than before I was pregnant as often I will smell something no one else does and I get told I am crazy. :P - Heidi

[@UnrulyHousewife]

No, pregnancy didn't do anything to me, in that way. My Auntie did start hating the smell of tomatoes though - they made her feel totally sick all through her pregnancy!xx

[@BlackCat_2]

Unruly Housewife Oh okay. Glad I didn't offend. :) I don't think I had any smells that bothered me during pregnancy. My one pregnancy was pretty much without the usual complaints I heard from friends etc. After I had him though my feet were about 3 times larger than they used to be. I had to go home in the car without shoes on. :P Thankfully they did return to normal in a few days. :)

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Haha! I know that feeling! And despite my KZbin whining, I'm pretty hard to offend. It was a perfectly good question anyway! xx

[@SandyHuntress]

Oh, interesting question! I hadn't really thought about it, but no, wasn't able to smell any better while pregnant either.

[@comoxdragonfly]

haha I am a nurse's aide and can relate to your co-workers !why couldn't you be working with me :P

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Hahaha! At first they thought I was a hardcore new recruit who was coping straight away. When I said I couldn't smell they said "Oh, you're just cheating". LOL

[@Daesma999]

I was curious if some anosmic people made memes from it. I'm not dissapointed. Btw. I am anosmic and so is my mom and.. yeah.. painting the nails.. I did it one time during my childhood and I never had opened window while doing so. But I did open it since my uncle came in almost in fear and worry that I should open the window because of the gas in it. And YES. The same kid aims for chemistry industry xD more like biochemistry/biology.. but still! 😄😄

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Our weakness is our strength! We can stick our noses where others fear to tread!

[@Daesma999]

@@UnrulyHousewife and we can get poisoned but.. who cares? 😂😂😂 It's kinda fun having such a weakness. I kept making fun of people with this and I still do 😁

[@keithurban6916]

It is heart warming to hear silence again without sound disturbance, all thanks to Dr iyaremoses on KZbin channel for his herbal medication

[@Isabel-wx3mo]

[@alephe44]

Wait what metal is smelly ? What the F !! This smell thing makes no sense, people are weird. (in case it is not obvious, I have anosmia)

[@UnrulyHousewife]

I know right? What possible clue is there that metal smells?! So unfair! LOL

[@harpersmythe658]

Can I say "no sense of smell? That stinks!" ? If not then I sincerely apologise, no offence intended. (i'm not a troll honest 😊)

[@UnrulyHousewife]

Harper, I dunno about that... You COULD be a troll with a joke that bad! LOL xx