Has anyones sense of smell changed?

[AussieLady 521]

Today is my 2 month surgiversary so I though it would be a good time to re-introduce red meat to my diet. My partner bought the best steak he could find and I agree it looks great..........but the smell!! He insists there is no smell but every time I open the fridge there is a meaty smell that makes me gag. Has anyone else had this happen?

[920amy 409]

I have had smell and taste changes. I can't stand the smell of seafood now, and I used to love it, also the taste is overwhelming. I hate the taste of bacon now, it tastes salty and greasy. I also can't stand the smell of raw chicken. I also have found that things taste very salty. Any kind of strong flavor is off putting to me. I have heard this will change back after 6 months or so, but I'm not sure at this point, some things I won't mind, like bacon, it's not good for me anyway, but I used to LOVE seafood! Don't worry, you're not going crazy, and you're not the only one!!

[clk 3,519]

I was always a "super sniffer" and it never really bothered me. If anything, I feel like having a stronger taste of sense and smell made me a better cook.

That said, yes, I'm definitely more sensitive to all smells post op and it's about a thousand times worse being pregnant on top of that!

And meat is especially hard for me. I've had to sort of re-learn normal with this one, but will admit that even the faintest "off" scent makes me pitch the entire package. I'm always careful to wash meat to be sure I'm smelling the meat itself and not the old blood or packaging. And I've become a bit of a fanatic about cleaning my refrigerators because they can get stale and hold smells in quite easily. I super clean mine about once a week, when I do my shopping.

There have been times I could tell without even opening the package that something was off and have been proven right when my doubting mother-in-law or husband open the package to check for themselves.

Consider it a super power? I spent many years as a vegetarian but did eat meat prior to surgery. Now that I'm expecting meat makes me completely ill, so I'm pretty sure I'll only be an occasional meat eater in the future. I don't care for the smell of it either raw or cooking. Sometimes I can eat it if someone else prepares it but prefer to avoid it now. There are plenty of ways to get Protein without it, so long as I'm careful about my diet, so I don't worry too much.

Good luck and I hope you find a solution that keeps you both happy.

~Cheri

[healthy2013 10]

Must be a common thing. My taste and smell senses are extremely strong. Some foods I would have enjoyed before smell and taste disgusting. Even the sight of red meat is nauseating to me. Pre-sleeve I would have loved a good steak or burger.

[Frank69 157]

I can not stand the smell of hamburger meat and fried foods!!! YES i said it, fried foods!! i loved it before surgery ( part of the weight promblem i guess).. my tatse has gotten really intense now. i savor food more and appreciate it..

[clk 3,519]

I can not stand the smell of hamburger meat and fried foods!!! YES i said it, fried foods!! i loved it before surgery ( part of the weight promblem i guess).. my tatse has gotten really intense now. i savor food more and appreciate it..

You know, until you said this I hadn't thought about how revolting it really is to be in a public place (like a mall or just driving down the street) and completely surrounded by the smells of greasy, fried foods. Even Krispy Kreme (which I used to love) just smells like sugar and grease to me...completely unappetizing. I sat there with my family and drank a cup of coffee while they each ate a doughnut and would have had one myself if it hadn't smelled so awful to me. It's really weird how much we change post op. I chalked it up to living overseas and not being around it all the time, but when I was back in the states over the summer I felt nauseated all the time when we'd pass restaurants and that heavy, greasy smell.

I used to love fried foods, so I try not to be too judgmental here - but sometimes it really is hard for me to understand how people can eat that stuff. Even my husband, who didn't have surgery or need it at all, is completely grossed out by the way people eat back home.

~Cheri

[NancyDec20 212]

My tastes have changed drastically. things I liked before surgery.. I cant take anymore.. like scrambled eggs.. I loved them before.. now I cant stand them.. they taste bad.. and for most things these days.. the first bite or 2 are ok.. then its like ok.. I dont like this.. so Im having some food issues.. which im sure is a good thing lol. But still I have yet to find that food that makes me go mmmmmmmmmm this sure is good.

[TheGamer 406]

If anything, I love smells more than ever. They seem to hit those areas in my brain that have fond memories of these things and what (in my head) they tasted like. In my head, at least, I'm still all for the salt-fat-sugar laden foods, even though I don't really have a physical desire to eat them now, just mental.

My sense of taste is more sensitive to things than they were before. I had a teaspoon of cheesecake the other day and found that I really noticed how butter heavy the crust was. The bread basket smelled delicious, but the bread itself was flat and unappetizing to me and it tasted dull. I was glad I'd only taken a little 1" piece of it.

[TheGamer 406]

My tastes have changed drastically. things I liked before surgery.. I cant take anymore.. like scrambled eggs.. I loved them before.. now I cant stand them.. they taste bad.. and for most things these days.. the first bite or 2 are ok.. then its like ok.. I dont like this..

That sounds so familiar. I'll get something I really think I like or want, eat a little, and then the rest just goes to waste because I really didn't want it like I thought. The down side to living alone is that there's nobody to eat my leftovers.

[mommybo 71]

Omgosh!! My sense of smell is crazy right now! I thought it was just me. I can smell bad breath from somone on the other side of the room! It was so hard sitting in a movie theater yesterday, Lol. I thought NO ONE in the room brushed their teeth. I really hope this eventually goes away.

[MsShaunaMarie 82]

Omgosh!! My sense of smell is crazy right now! I thought it was just me. I can smell bad breath from somone on the other side of the room! It was so hard sitting in a movie theater yesterday' date=' Lol. I thought NO ONE in the room brushed their teeth. I really hope this eventually goes away. [/quote']

Omg lol hope it passes soon that would be horrible lol

[castiel 66]

my NUT told me that when in ketosis (or having a low carb diet) smells become stronger and that I might not be able to stand them smell of certain things or the scents would be very strong, so maybe that is why??

[CourtneyS 2]

Omgosh!! My sense of smell is crazy right now! I thought it was just me. I can smell bad breath from somone on the other side of the room! It was so hard sitting in a movie theater yesterday, Lol. I thought NO ONE in the room brushed their teeth. I really hope this eventually goes away.

This! Oh my.gosh. Only I know it isn't bad breath. I.brush and floss my kids teeth for.them so I know they are clean and there breath is so horrid to me still.

[BethinPA 305]

Lots of strong odors nauseated me in the beginning, but the good new is - it passed.

[StarryNight 20]

Yes indeed. I noticed my sense of smell was super ramped up as soon as the day after surgery, after I got home. Its almost 4 weeks later, and my nose is still supersonic. The smells don't bother me per se, but I just notice the heightened sensitivity.