About a year ago a friend of mine had gastric bypass. She lost some weight and is doing well except for one issue: her breath

Guys its so bad that I can't even go with her into a car with the windows shut (in the cold winter) because there is no circulation of fresh air from her foul breath

When she comes near me to speak I have to bow my head downwards and turn away so I'm not facing her mouth. Its really insane...

I tried joking with her hoping she'd get the point by saying "oh boy what a smell! did you just eat a skunk for lunch or something?" But she just laughs and doesn't take me seriously...

The smell is so horrific that lately when she talks to me I have to either dash out and promise to call her later, or turn my back to her pretending to look for something behind me.

Is this a byproduct of her bypass surgery?? I don't recall it ever being like this

Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

Wow that's a tough one...

I guess my first question would be, is she a close friend? If she is, I almost think you might want to gently and lovingly approach her. She may be completely unaware of it. Sometimes people will get "stomach breath" from not eating enough, but bad breath could be a symptom of something much more serious. Diabetes, gingivitis, ulcers, and many other illnesses can have bad breath as a symptom. For this reason, if it is a close friend, I'd be inclined to tell her.

If she's not a close a friend or someone you feel comfortable talking to so candidly, aside from keeping mints in your pocket to offer her, I'm afraid you're a bit stuck.

Good luck!

If she's a friend, you should tell her. What if it were you? Wouldn't you be upset that a friend "suffered" through your halitosis for months without telling you? I would say, " Listen, there's no easy way to say this, but your breath has been really bad lately. I think you should know because if I notice it, then so does everyone else. I'm sorry, but I would want to know if the tables were turned, especially if there was something I could do about it."

Your friend is going to be humiliated, and maybe upset with you initially, but she's better off knowing and getting it figured out.

She is probably in ketosis because that is what it does however if she is your friend then tell her she probably doesnt know. Why do all that when you could just have a conversation with her and especially post about her. Do her a favor and tell her.

She is probably in ketosis because that is what it does

Agree totally, ketosis breath is so bad it will knock a buzzard off a sh*t wagon

That is a tough one! Maybe put yourself in her shoes. If it were you would you want to know? Be kind and sound concerned, like hey there could be something medically wrong going on here. .. If you and her are very close friends, you can have a conversation like this with her.

Best of luck,

I would want to know.. But that's me. Some people can't handle the truth. If you think she can then go for it. If not....take separate cars.

Terry - I almost fell off my chair at your description! I'll have to remember that for future use!

I ditto the others. If it is a good friend, tell her. It does sting a bit but better than walking around like that and having the wrong person tell her in a more hurtful manner. I would definitely want to know too.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I really appreciate the insite!

Its gonna suck telling her but I guess better me than someone who's gonna be hurtful...

Btw I really really don't think this is ketosis breath- I'm familiar with that smell and this is nothing like it. It actually makes ketosis breath smeLl like a bouquet of flowers in comparison

:(

Terry you are too much. Lol

Also ketosis breath is HORRIBLE an varies by the person. Or it could be some teeth issues or glandular. Diabetic breath usually is fruit/sweet smell like oranges.

If it were me. Just tell her the way you would want to be told.

HTH

To me there is no greater bond than "THE GIRLFRIEND CODE"! All my girlfriends know that if I smell, have boogies hanging, lipstick on teeth, food in teeth, or any thing on my body that is offensive or hilarious it is a MUST TELL situation!!!! Think of the embarrassment she could have avoided with others if you just told her the truth! Start the conversation with, "I care about you and I don't want to hurt your feelings but.......your breath would knock a buzzard off a sh*t wagon! LOL.. Okay, not the second part! LOL! Terrys comment is still cracking me up! She's not going to be mad at you for telling her, if she does get mad it will probably be because you didn't tell her sooner! Help a girlfriend out!

It is best to hear it from a friend. I had to tell a close friend once that people were talking about her picking her nose. I only wish it had been bad breath!

We had a guy in the Air Force that smelled so bad we had to mail him a bar of soap. Message received.

I had the same thing after surgery for about 1 month...however I knew it cause I could smell it. It is awful...I was brushing my teeth about 6 times a day, using mouthwash, chewing gum all to no avail but tried to help the situation. Thank god it did pass but I think you should tell her if it is that bad..she would want to know.

Good one Terry, I will definately be using it

A couple other possibilities are gum disease or tonsil stones. The gum disease can smell absolutely rancid and can have other health implications. I don't know if tonsil stones is the right word but basically your tonsils can accumulate food debris, plaque, etc and obviously smell like something rotten. They can be easily removed.

Even though its hard, you should tell her because she might have a health issue that needs to be addressed.

It is best to hear it from a friend. I had to tell a close friend once that people were talking about her picking her nose. I only wish it had been bad breath!

Omg...that made me laugh out loud!