Unexplained body Odor

Posted by unique30 @unique30, Dec 2, 2022

Hello everyone!

I really need help figuring out what’s going on with me. I have impeccable hygiene! But, I smell horrible at all times! Most common odor is of sweaty socks. What’s weird is that my feet don’t smell at all. I can smell the odor around my nose. The crease of my nose to be exact.

The odor would get worse depending on my diet. But, it doesn’t matter what I eat, I smell. The odor is very strong. I don’t consume dairy because the odor would get worse, and I get a fecal/poop/sewage odor.
I’m not sure if these odors are coming from my stomach. I had endoscopy done, perfect oral health, tonsils removed, tmau test was negative. I was positive for Sibo only. No matter what I do, I smell bad, musty. I take 2 showers a day, scrub, use antibacterial soaps etc, nothing helps.
I know is coming from inside of me. I constantly smell like cheese. I don’t have any parasites, fungus or anything else that could be possibly be causing this. I can’t take the embarrassment anymore. People don’t understand that is a health condition, not that I’m a dirty person. My hormones are fine, within range. I have notice that close to my ovulation the odor would decrease somewhat, and very rarely I get one good day where people don’t complaint about the smell. I have narrow it down to be close to my ovulation day. I really don’t know what else to do. I have visited, endocrinologist, ENTs, Gastros, functional doctors, dentists, Obgyns.

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Unique, where on your body do you feel that your smell is worse? Can you identify areas that seem worse. If so I would start looking at these areas first. It’s easier for a medical professional to focus there and begin some research in that area. Do other people tell you what the bad odour smells like? This could be an objective clue. Ask people what your smell is like. Let them know that you welcome their comments. Let a good friend smell you from head to foot and tell you where the smell is worse. One suggestion, check and make sure you have not left a tampon inside you by accident as this can apparently create a bad smell that would get worse as time moves on. Keep looking for the cause, don’t give up. The answer is out there.

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@willows

Unique, where on your body do you feel that your smell is worse? Can you identify areas that seem worse. If so I would start looking at these areas first. It’s easier for a medical professional to focus there and begin some research in that area. Do other people tell you what the bad odour smells like? This could be an objective clue. Ask people what your smell is like. Let them know that you welcome their comments. Let a good friend smell you from head to foot and tell you where the smell is worse. One suggestion, check and make sure you have not left a tampon inside you by accident as this can apparently create a bad smell that would get worse as time moves on. Keep looking for the cause, don’t give up. The answer is out there.

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Thank you so much for your response and suggestion. People usually hint I smell like feet, or musty, mold, burnt weed. I have someone that I trust and my feet don’t smell at all, my shoes smell clean, socks too. I wear clean socks everyday, dry my feet with a hairdryer. But the smell seems to be constant. No tampons inside has been left, I have had yearly obgny checks. Everything is okay. Terry are perfect, no cavities, get checked and dental cleaning every 6 months. The odor decreases around my ovulation, I can smell myself at all time. Sometimes I get a poop smell if I eat too much of anything. I’m at loss here and doctor don’t have an answer for me.

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Unique I am sorry that it has been so difficult for you to identify the problem. It’s too bad that there isn’t a scent meter that could analyse the scent and give answers with respect to where the scent comes from. Maybe there such a test I don’t know. Try enquiring at university medical centres. The other thought that I had is also far fetched but you talk about a fecal odour and it made me think about a friend who had intestinal surgery. He had to wear a bag and change it when it was full and I asked him about whether the fact that fecal matter was outside the body would him to have a odour that other people might be able to smell. He said that he took pills that prevented any odour. Just as a thought, maybe if you could try these type of pills whether it might have an effect on reducing odour unknown odour. A shot in the dark maybe. The other question is whether your hormones are out of whack. That might have an impact on you. Also, do you have any skin problems or scalp problems? Would you consider eliminating personal care products or changing brands to see whether you are allergic which might set up a secondary effect on your body resulting in a noxious odour. I think you should be in the care of a specialist, perhaps starting with a dermatologist. Not sure whether you mentioned seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist, and an endocrinologist might be helpful. I am not a medical professional, just throwing out suggestions that might be helpful.

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Maybe what you are actually smelling is the inside of your own nasal cavity.

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@unique30, In addition to the helpful posts from @willows and @anniegk, you might also be interested in these related discussions:
- Bad breath and body odor: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/bad-breath-and-body-odor/
- Body odor without sweat -- Sjogren's Syndrome? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/body-odor-without-sweat-sjogrens-syndrome/

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@anniegk

Maybe what you are actually smelling is the inside of your own nasal cavity.

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I doubt the concept of smelling one’s own nasal cavity because normally when you smell something the brain habituates within about half an hour and you don’t smell it anymore even if the odour is actually present. However if someone else tells you that you have an odour, that is a more objective opinion.

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I'm sorry for what you're going through. Could it be an abnormal strain of bacteria growing in your stomach or airways? I don't know how to even check for that.

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@unique30

Thank you so much for your response and suggestion. People usually hint I smell like feet, or musty, mold, burnt weed. I have someone that I trust and my feet don’t smell at all, my shoes smell clean, socks too. I wear clean socks everyday, dry my feet with a hairdryer. But the smell seems to be constant. No tampons inside has been left, I have had yearly obgny checks. Everything is okay. Terry are perfect, no cavities, get checked and dental cleaning every 6 months. The odor decreases around my ovulation, I can smell myself at all time. Sometimes I get a poop smell if I eat too much of anything. I’m at loss here and doctor don’t have an answer for me.

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This condition is informally known as fecal body odor, although not officially recognized by the medical community. I’ve been looking for answers for close to a decade. My doctor says it’s controlled by diet. For women, it seems to get worse during menstruation. There are various theories of the cause but so far, no cure.

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This post is quite old but I am experiencing the same problem for about 2 years. I’ve given up on doctors and I’ve been prescribed 17 different medications for the pain in my stomach and antibiotics for something I’ve never been diagnosed with. 2 colonoscopy’s and 2 endoscopy’s, countless other tests being done, doctors can’t/don’t care to help me with my problem. I’ve been suicidal several times in the past 2 years. I am severely depressed and insecure and my marriage is falling apart. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars trying supplements and supposed cures online. I have gone through 3 doctors and 4 separate specialists and therapy doesn’t help any

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I think the issue is functional , i mean something wrong with your pelvic muscles or nerves , try strenght your abs core pelvic muscles by kegel or other methods.

Also meanwhile try Devrom tablets till your get your pelvic floor strong.

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