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Smelling smells that are not there?

Fri, 03/18/2005 - 16:38
I have a question. I have not been on any meds for epilepsy for many years now. So I have never thought this might be connnected but have recently started wondering.I smell gasoline. It has happened probably 4 times in the last 6 months. One time I was in my classroom by myself, once I was in an assembly, another time my husband and I were getting my son in the car to leave and the other time just watching tv. It only lasts for a few seconds, but no one else smells it and they thing that I am all crazy!I do have a meningioma brain tumor that I am having removed in about a month. I have been under the care of a neurosurgeon for awhile but not a neurologist. I have never mentioned this to the NS. I see a N on Monday and will ask her this question, but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this? Thanks!!

Comments

RE: Smelling smells that are not there?

Submitted by spiz on Sun, 2005-03-13 - 17:16
I smell odors such as burning rubber, garlic, heat smells like an iron left face down or a blanket left too close to a heater, and also have a metallic taste in my mouth. I can have the smells with or without the taste or the taste with or without the smells. They are my warning to sit down and hopefully I have time to before a seizure hits. I have noticed the garlic smell and metallic taste mean a definite seizure where the burning or heat smells are more common on days that I'm jerking. They can be aggravating and even nauseating at times, but I am thankful for them. Beats the heck out of the times they weren't there. Let us know what you find out. Keep in touch! _Spiz

RE: RE: Smelling smells that are not there?

Submitted by batman on Fri, 2005-03-18 - 00:35

What you're experiencing, fall under the simple partial seizures. Simple partial, because you know this is happening while you're conscious.

More information details about Simple Partial Seizures is at www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_simplepartial.html

These are then divided into 4 more categories, depending on the types of symptoms. Sensory seizures being for the senses, like smells.

No need to worry about it much. It's just that when it happens, you're having a simple partial seizure.

Bruce IJ

 

What you're experiencing, fall under the simple partial seizures. Simple partial, because you know this is happening while you're conscious.

More information details about Simple Partial Seizures is at www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_simplepartial.html

These are then divided into 4 more categories, depending on the types of symptoms. Sensory seizures being for the senses, like smells.

No need to worry about it much. It's just that when it happens, you're having a simple partial seizure.

Bruce IJ

 

RE: RE: RE: Smelling smells that are not there?

Submitted by Gretchen on Mon, 2005-03-14 - 13:48
I love this topic! BECAUSE I am warned by overwhelmingly strong scents I'm about to have a sz worse than a partial, it is more of a warning or aura for me. I have asked people - do you smell burning chicken feathers? Actually I asked a group I was in with once before I had ever experienced "olfactory hallucinations", my doctor's terminology of this event, and after this group's response to that question? I am VERY careful who I ask if they smell an overwhelming smell of:--"basement" or musty mildew and dust--beer--burning chicken feathers (I was raised on a farm and during the time we slaughtered our chickens we dunked their bodies in hot vats of water to remove feathers, and it's a very strong smell)--and several other scents I've been assaulted with but can't remember them all now.For me? I'll have one of those for months. I'll always have just one of the above and am usually relieved when it changes to another. Usually for me? It portends a sz is coming on. Sometimes I'm just bedeviled by the other whelming smell that yes, can have a taste for me like my epileptologist said.What my epileptologist told me is this:--All five senses can have "hallucinations" or memories of past experiences - such as smelling burning chicken feathers which was my worst and lasted several years.--You will not smell, feel, touch, taste, hear anything you haven't before. The 5 senses. The reason for this is that the brain is malfunctioning and reviving the memory of these sensations. IOW if you have never smelled for instance "spring time in Paris"? You have no ability to do so in an alfactory hallucination.--I have other sense related hallucinations besides olfactory or smell. I will hear "I'm home" in a totally empty house, it's my husband's voice very clearly heard, and he is not home,he's at work. That's an aura of hearing and I personally find it extremely unnerving.--A very smart ER nurse with a lot of years of experience in treating sz'ing people in her ER once put a cotton ball with essence of violet on it, which in itself was strong but not as distasteful as "basement" and it did seem to dissipate that phenomena I was uncomfortably experiencing. She then suggested I try smelling coffee grounds. Why? Because if you go into a specialty store only smelling perfumes, after 2-3 perfumes our smell discrimination between one brand to another falls apart but if you smell coffee grounds? It tends to clean up all the other smells. So we keep coffee grounds, not beans because their smell we've found isn't heavy enough, i a tightly sealed cannister I can bury my nose into to relieve a smell aura. Usually it helps a lot, but sometimes is just doesn't. If I have an uncomfortable smell aura I now either get out my essence of violet or more usually smell coffee grounds. I don't know how this would abort a potentially worse sz coming on than a simple, but often it does.All I just typed? Is anecdotal information and should not ever be considered as the medical gospel but only experiences of my life. I personally could skip this aura and not miss it one bit.Gretchen

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