Weird question re colonoscopy prep and/or pre-procedure anxiety

abrub
abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Last night, doing my colonoscopy prep (and continuing today, post-CLEAR colonoscopy) my sense of smell went on super-overdrive.  My husband came to bed and I asked him if he'd eaten any garlic yesterday.  He'd had a piece of pizza for lunch, and was reeking of it (to me.)  I've never noticed this on him before.

Today at my intake, I nearly gagged - the admin smelled of onions and BO.  The bathroom at the dr's office really stank of filth, and tonight, my husband is cooking with garlic, which "attacked" me from across the house.

I realized that when I had surgery in the autumn (my lumpectomy) I also noticed that the tech who placed my wires reeked nauseatingly of garlic.  I also hadn't eaten prior to the surgery, and also was duly anxious.

Has anyone else noticed heightened (to the extreme) senses in these situations?  Is it not eating, or the stress that goes with surgery, colonoscopy, etc.?

Generally, I am extra sensitive to smell (and sound as well) but the level I'm experiencing now is WAY beyond even my norm.  I had trouble staying in bed with my husband last night - had to cover my face to tolerate being near him.  I've never had that before.

Thanks!

Alice

Comments

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #2
    Goodness gracious

    Alice, that sounds horrible! I don't have a sense of smell so can't help you out here, but I just wanted to give you my sympathies that sounds terrible with your olfactory senses gong into overdrive.

    Winter Marie

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #3
    LOL

    Sorry to lol you but I've always had a good sniffer but it's become much more sensitive over time. The other week my son walked in and I asked him who was smoking. He said nobody then went downstairs. He came back up and said that he had seen one of his friends who does smoke but he wasn't smoking at the time. It just transferred from his buddy to my son then followed him into the house. 

    I've been on buses or waiting on lines and the garlic from people almost knocks me over at times. Other times it's great because I'm like the canary in the mine and can smell if someone's propane grill is leaking. I've also had to deal with spousal breath odor...

    Just wait until you're on a hot crowded elevator! 

  • Deena11
    Deena11 Member Posts: 199 Member
    #4
    My sense of smell was hightened during Chemo

    It is weird but all the months I was going through chemo treatments, I had such a heightened sense of smell.  The smell of onions made me gag.  I was sick all the time and if my boyfriend had eaten anythng with onions, I could smell it on him the minute he came into the room.  He used to go eat at Subway because he liked onions on his sandwich and knew if he ate it in front of me, I would get sick.  Of course, I alway knew he had eaten onions when he came to my house.  Even the empty bag that he had thrown away reaked to me.  Not sure but I know what you mean.  Every time, I went to the doctor's office or ER...the smell made me sick.

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #5
    Glad I'm not alone!

    I am always hypersensitive to sound and smell, but it did get worse after chemo.  I'm still running on "super, super sensitive."  The fountain at my massage therapist's office was driving me CRAZY today!  Gave me a headache!

    I do think that stress exacerbates it, but it is what it is.  I think I prefer hypersensitive to hyposensitive.  (Yes, I smelled a gas leak that the mechanical "sniffer" couldn't detect, but the soap bubble technique showed that there was a pinhole leak!).

    Problems with hypersensitive is that I often can't stay in restaurants because of the noise level, and I've had to leave hotels because of the smells.  (And my poor husband has loss of hearing, but between the 2 of us, the average is probably perfect.)

     

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #6
    Same thing.

    I went trough 6 weeks of Xeloda and it made my lungs super sensitive. Not so much to food, but cologne, old rugs, cleaning agents, smoke, certain stores. If I'm in an environment like that I feel like I can't breath and I have to go outside.

    Interestingly my taste buds got a little duller.

    Laz

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