Migraine

I obviously don't have anything to do today but think up hypothetical questions!

I've never had scent triggers. I've lost my sense of smell. Perhaps because of my cute little benign brain tumor that we're playing "watch and wait" with.

I've discovered that aromatherapy doesn't work when I can't smell. I'm guessing that's because the scent doesn't reach the brain, where it can trigger nice thoughts and relax. But the chemicals reach my nose. It's just the nerve pathways that are disturbed.

So, my useless question for the day is, do you think that if chemical smells trigger you, would they still be a trigger if you couldn't smell them? What about when you have a bad cold? Does it make a difference?

Gretchen

gretchen --

i don't know. this is an interesting question. my only scent trigger (that i know of) is cigarette smoke. and it's strong enough that even w/a bad cold, i can still smell it.

i would think losing your sense of smell would be difficult! mostly b/c i love to eat so much, and enjoy smelling food. also flowers. when do you notice it most often?
emily

Funky question.

Polling my sibling, we thing just regular smells might not, but if it's a chemical thing (like a strong chemical), the chemical, though not it's scent, might still trigger.

That's our collective best guess.

Droolie, does you sib/twin get migraine, too? My sib/twin has had a few but nothing like me.

quote:

Originally posted by dragondroolHOST:
Funky question.

Polling my sibling, we thing just regular smells might not, but if it's a chemical thing (like a strong chemical), the chemical, though not it's scent, might still trigger.

That's our collective best guess.

The loss of smell thing is taking some getting used to. It's also affected my sense of taste. Everything tastes over-salted. I made chili a couple of days ago, and I couldn't smell it cooking. Bummer. I like to cook by taste, but I can't trust that anymore, and I'm having to follow recipes for the first time since I started cooking. Can't smell whether the milk has gone bad, so I toss it when the expiration date passes. Even though it can still be OK for another week.

I'm getting used to it, but I'm still a bit ticked off.

Thanks for asking!

Gretchen

Yep. My twin sister also gets migraines, though not nearly as badly as I do. She's still able to kick hers a lot more easily with Motrin and time/sleep. Lucky duck.

quote:

Originally posted by DebHOST:
Droolie, does you sib/twin get migraine, too? My sib/twin has had a few but nothing like me.

quote:

Originally posted by dragondroolHOST:
Funky question.

Polling my sibling, we thing just regular smells might not, but if it's a chemical thing (like a strong chemical), the chemical, though not it's scent, might still trigger.

That's our collective best guess.

Nah, we're the lucky ducks - we've become good friends and our sibs have never met! See what migraines can do for ya!

quote:

Yep. My twin sister also gets migraines, though not nearly as badly as I do. She's still able to kick hers a lot more easily with Motrin and time/sleep. Lucky duck.
quote: