I am 8 days post surgery and having a real issue with smells. An air freshener I previously thought was great I can no longer stand to smell. If I eat a blended Soup (which my dr said was ok) if I don't get up immediately and wash the bowl, I am grossed out. In fact, sitting here I can smell the remnants of soup and there is none here. I guess I will have to do a scrub down just in case I accidentally spilled some. The wet dog food bleeegggghhhhhh. I have not been nauseous at all and it doesn't seem like that is the problem. I just can't stand smells. I sure hope this goes away.

My surgery was 02/19/2014 and I find I can't tolerate certain smells either. Thought it was just me.

Had the same issue myself in the early days but it does pass. I had to make my sister wash her perfume off when she visited a week after my surgery. And it was an expensive brand - but she sort of understood...

Congratulations on the surgery, hope you keep well and are successful :-)

I think the operation puts a real strain on the brain. A lot of things have to be reorganized. Sometimes the clerk in charge of senses gets freaked out. Things get misfiled.

Hang on, they'll get it sorted.

Edited February 26, 201412 yr by gmanbat

Interesting ... I'm almost 3 months out and I continue to be more sensitive to smells. Mostly that some smells annoy me now that didn't beforehand.

I'm one week out... same issue! When I put on my clothes to go home from hospital u couldn't stand the smell of the fabric softer that I LOVE! CRAZY

It seems to be a common (but bizarre) side effects of the surgery. The smell of dry dog food or overly scented candles actually made me vomit in the early months. Rest assured this will slowly pass. Chalk it up to experience and enjoy the ride!

Our taste buds change in a lot of us me included from sensitive to salt to sensitive to sweet EVERYTHING is super sweet tasting, it figures that your sense of smell changes too if your one of these people.

I always was part bloodhound and sensitive to smell anyway I will go whats that smell no one else can smell it I sniff around till I find whats bugging my nostrils lol

Sweet perfume etc bugs the life out of me!

Yep, same thing here! I could not walk down a grocery store isle withe cleaning detergents. Made me very nauseous. It's better now.

I too have had this phenomenon happen to me (sleeved on 2/19)-- every time I open the fridge, the scent from the jar of crushed garlic, even though it's closed tightly, is so overwhelming that I get dizzy and almost feel like I am going to hurl. Slightly less dramatic but almost as repulsive is the scent of freezer burn.

Oddly enough, my wife tells me she doesn't notice either smell.

I am 8 days post surgery and having a real issue with smells. An air freshener I previously thought was great I can no longer stand to smell. If I eat a blended Soup (which my dr said was ok) if I don't get up immediately and wash the bowl, I am grossed out. In fact, sitting here I can smell the remnants of soup and there is none here. I guess I will have to do a scrub down just in case I accidentally spilled some. The wet dog food bleeegggghhhhhh. I have not been nauseous at all and it doesn't seem like that is the problem. I just can't stand smells. I sure hope this goes away.

jujube:

For a lot of patients, when they are very sensitive to smells, it is usually when they are in a little ketosis. Sometimes something as simple as 4oz of grape or apple juice combined with 4oz of Water will be carbs to get you out of it. What kind of blended soup did you eat? Try some black bean soup or even a little cream of chicken thinned with skim milk. Either one of those should get you out of your ketosis, if that is the problem.

I am 8 days post surgery and having a real issue with smells. An air freshener I previously thought was great I can no longer stand to smell. If I eat a blended soup (which my dr said was ok) if I don't get up immediately and wash the bowl, I am grossed out. In fact, sitting here I can smell the remnants of soup and there is none here. I guess I will have to do a scrub down just in case I accidentally spilled some. The wet dog food bleeegggghhhhhh. I have not been nauseous at all and it doesn't seem like that is the problem. I just can't stand smells. I sure hope this goes away.

jujube:

For a lot of patients, when they are very sensitive to smells, it is usually when they are in a little ketosis. Sometimes something as simple as 4oz of grape or apple juice combined with 4oz of Water will be carbs to get you out of it. What kind of blended soup did you eat? Try some black bean soup or even a little cream of chicken thinned with skim milk. Either one of those should get you out of your ketosis, if that is the problem.

I have eaten chicken noodle and last night it was a potato soup.

I am also kind of concerned 1. because the Protein shakes are starting to affect me this way also and 2. I have a very low gag reflex to smells. I start back to work next Wednesday and working in a dr office, there are many different "smells". Being in close contact with patients, I would hate to start gagging because of a smell. How embarrassing.

Ooh, a doc's office--I can certainly understand the concern, as I work in a hospital. The first two years after my surgery I was in Interventional Radiology, so I had a few issues with smells and with getting my Protein in while at work. Now more of a management job and 5 years post op, so not a problem. I am surprised that you are having chicken noodle or potato soup either one. We don't let our patients have potatoes, pasta/noodles, rice or bread for the first year. Non-nutritional value and takes up room in your new tiny stomach where protein should be going! If you are going to have soup, have something with some protein! Black bean soup has some protein, as does lentil. You might also get some unflavored Protein powder and add to the soup (mix it in before you heat up the soup). As early out from surgery as you are, your main focus should be protein, hydration, and getting your Vitamins, Calcium and B12.

My nose has also gotten super sensitive. I felt nausea after using a kitchen cleanser with bleach. I've been having to rinse and wash my dishes right away where previously I probably wouldn't have been accused of being a clean freak.

The worst was my own body odor the first week out of surgery. I was sure I had a whole cloud around me like the Peanuts Pig Pen, even shortly after showering. Had to wash my night shirts each day, no way I'd let them sit in the dirty laundry smelling that way.

same here! Everything smells different! Food smells VERY different, Some better, some worse.