i have a question. does anyone elses lo smell different since they got sick? i don't really mean stink,but it is a smell like a sick person smells. my dh smells totally different than the way he used to smell. when you live with a person for 29 yrs,you notice these things,or i have. he has this almost sweet sickly smell about him that if i take him in the car with me i have got to where i have to roll my window down some. he went with me this evening to pick up our 3 yr old grandson and i got sick at my stomach and started shaking. it just is too much of a reminder that he is really sick and going downhill. he has eoad but is in good health otherwise to the best of my knowledge. has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? i need some input from you all. things aren't going so good here,but i know it could be worse,and will be. jav
Could it be from his medications or something he's eating? Has his diet changed? My DH changed his shaving cream and it's horrible. I threw it out and then he went and bought some more. Jeez. I hope you get a good answer soon.
How ironic, Ijust was discussing this last night with my best friend. My DH has an odor unexplainable. I do the same thing,as soon as we get in the car I have to roll the windows down, when we are home in bed I have to turn the other way .My friend tells me it could be the medication( she is a pharmacist) or it could be a bacteria or cold. ( He has a lot of congestion in his chest and I am wondering if it is a bad cold or pneumonia and I know that if I can get him to cough it up it will probably explain the smell
THANK GAWD !!!!!! ....... I'm not nutz !! ... LoL !!!!! I've noticed all of a sudden my husband's hair/head smells very bad :( - so bad that I wash his pillow, pillow case and pillow protector case at least twice a week with a bleach wash. I also wash his head every night with shampoo - not always the same shampoo but I change to something different every night. The smell could best be described as *old* *stale* *dirty* and its only his head that smells ..... not any other part of his body.
I thought perhaps it was because I'd been taking him to a small barbershop and I noticed that they didn't keep their combs etc in that blue sterilizing fluid which, upon some investigating, I've found is mandated by the health board here in Canada. Once I realized what was going on at the barbershop I quit taking him there and instead now take him to my own hairdresser who is not only immaculate about her tools of the trade but is also very kind and caring when dealing with my husband.
During the research I did about the barbershop not using that blue sterilizing fluid I learned that a fungus can be passed from one customer to another and I thought perhaps that was what was causing the smell but even now, some 12 weeks and 3 hair cuts later, the smell is still there, although it may not be quite as bad so the barbershop issue might be the cause.
We've been married 47 years and my husband has NEVER smelled of anything offensive so this is really distressing ...........:(
I don't think it would be my husbands meds as he's still on the same medication he's been on since 2005, in the same dosage as well, so nothing there has changed.
My Mother has a bad odor from her hair and I shampooed, sprayed feminie odor spray etc. on her head. It would be better for a few hours after shampooing then would start again. I never thought about looking on the Internet but there are several sites addressing this issue. Try http://www.smellyscalp.com/
It's too much of a coincidence-but it could be due to elevated blood sugar. If you know anybody who uses a blood sugar meter you could ask them to do a simple finger stick for you
i use head and shoulders dandruff shampoo once a week to curb any sebaceuos oils or smell. and give fresh herbs on salads like basil. i also give him the teap of vinegar to swish with water for mouth after brushing. it helps= i think maybe the digestive tract in our LO may not be up to par and could be harbouring bacterias and undigested foods etc and this would cause the oils and persperation to have odour too i would think. i know when my DH doesnt take his prilosec for acid reflux his breath is foul later too. sinus conditions can cause it too if untreated. and today after all the coconut oil we had blastoff in the poop patrol and it hit with a vengeance. talk about smelly. up at 2am then again 5am-maybe the whole digestiv system becomes weak and not functioning properly- then again with everything going on within the body with AD who knows what dramatic changes are taking place within unseen..
Just one comment. You will find that the oddest, strangest things, that do not show up in books or other web sites run by professionals, will turn out to be either common or not unknown.
My husband doesn't have the odor problem, but I have experienced what Bar-bra just experienced on other threads. It doesn't matter how weird it sounds to you, if you mention it here someone else will have experienced it too, and someone might even have advice on how to deal with it.
Jav, when I read your post my thought was the same as bluedaze (am I right that she is a nurse). A sweet sickly smell could be due to elevated blood sugar. If you have a friend who has a glucose meter, get a check. If the blood sugar is high, a trip to your doctor is indicated.
Another thought I have had is related to the use of coconut oil. If it increases ketone bodies as it is supposed to do, this could result in high levels of blood ketones (or ketosis) which, in diabetics causes a very distinctive odor. This usually results from the combination of high ketones and high blood sugar, so may not be a problem with coconut oil where the blood sugar is normal with normal general body metabolism. Just a thought.
Marsh - the blood sugar theory is interesting but my Mother was borderline diabetic and did not take medication for it but watched her diet and I did not give her coconut oil. Someone with elevated blood sugar test maybe should not use the coconut oil.
My DH used to always shower, used deodorant, and cologne. Then he transitioned to less showering, OVER spraying underarm deodorant, and not even thinking about cologne. I attributed a "Less pleasant" scent to just not smelling the usual deodorant or cologne.
Never dreamed a day would come that I would have to trick, or push DH into showering and tell him what to use to wash hair and body. So recently I got the Mennen, or the Suave mens hair + body wash.
Oddly, after I took a long shower this a.m. my DH was telling ME that he was going to take a shower. "WOW!"
I had pointed out to him that he had "cradle cap." his scalp and forehead were always flaky and he never would have tolerated that earlier in his life.
Hi I have never posted before, but have been reading for awhile . Does my husband smell different??? Lord yes.... I have wondered if it is the meds. When he is anxious it is much worse... What a relief to know I'm not alone in this . Our sons have noticed the odor also.
Normally, Joan herself would pop by to welcome you personally, but we have just given her a very firm lecture on the need to rest a bit, and she had BETTER BE BEHAVING. (Ahem.) Besides, she's supposed to be working on a special blog about Thanksgiving. So I shall try to fill in for her:
Be sure to check the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com- look on the left side - there are many topics filled with information. Joan always suggests that newcomers to the site read "Newly Diagnosed/New to this website" first, and then check out "Understanding the Dementia Experience". When you get a chance, scroll through the "previous blogs. I'm sure you'll find many topics you can relate to.
Information on the home page is updated frequently with new blogs, news and/or information updates, so many of us check there every day.
You can search for topics of interest, using the "search" button at the top of the page. Enter a key word that might be found in the title of the thread (click on the "topic" button) or in the posts (click on "comments") Note: this particular site will pull up any comments that have the key word anywhere in the post, even if it's part of a longer word, so you can enter, for example, "myoclon" and pull up posts that mention myoclonus and myoclonic jerks.
You can start a new thread by clicking on the "start a new discussion" link in the upper left-hand corner.
There are also three fun threads where we hope you'll post -- "What are the Age Groups?", "Ages of the Caregivers", and "Where are you from?"
Another great thread you'll want to be sure to read is "Caregiver Tips - Things I wish someone had told me back in Stage 2-3"
The people here are wonderful. Let us know what we can do to help you
New Realm, strange, mine has that too on the forehead and i have been using my cremes to keep it at bay. just so dry and flaky. i keep thinking it was dandruff but i guess not. his whole head is dry and flaky..humm. wierd others here have same things going on now even with skin and odor. divvi
I was really interested when this topic came up. I don't notice my husband smelling any different, I don't have any sense of smell but he TASTES different. Just in the past couple of weeks I have discovered when I give him a kiss, it leaves a terrible taste. At first I thought it must be saliva from his lips but I have discovered that even a peck on the cheek produces the same taste, sort of a bitter sour taste. I thought I must be losing my mind but I guess if they can smell different, they can taste different too.
My husband is having a "dry scalp" problem. We have tried everything and he says his scalp itches as well. Is that common as well? Does anyone know of anything that helps?
I know jojoba oil and aloe vera based shampoos work well for dryness n flaky..gerry- ask your druggist at the pharmacy there may be something better -divvi
Gerry, my DH has had the dry itchy scalp problem for months. Lots of stuff from the dermatologist - to no avail. Finally tried 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel -= works like a charm. And on any other itchy skin too.
Vicki do you wash his hair after putting on the Aloe Vera Gel? Would it be okay if I put the gel on and he didn't take a shower till the next day since he is in a NH and I don't get to give him showers but I could wash his hair in the basin in his room? My Dh always had scalp problems when he was drinking heavily and if his nerves got real bad he would get cradle cap.
I was just wondering if they cannot tell us if they are upset but inside they know they are maybe the scalp problems come from being upset.
Tish I am sorry about my manners Welcome and be assured we are all here to help and yes as Starling says if we thought of it and asked the question there is always someone there that has been there or done that or A light bulb comes on when a different topic has come up that we have taken as common place or never thought to voice our observations Jenene
Jerene, I just put it on anytime. Either after shower/washing hair - or not. During the day or whenever I notice he is itching or if the scalp is scaly. Just make sure you get the 100% pure - not the kind with any lotion in it. I even keep an aloe plant in the bathroom and use it often - even on me! Wonderfuly for dry skin, cuts and scrapes.
My husband has never had a problem with dandruff or itchy scalp, I wondered if it is from medication. He is on Aricept and Namenda. Thanks Vickie for the Aloe Vera Gel tip. I will get some tomorrow.
Ok the odor coming from my DH is horrible and it smells in his room. I wash his bedding and clothes seperately and add white vinegar to the wash water. It helps take the smell out the clothes and sheets. However, It CANNOT be the meds b/c all of our loved ones are not on the the EXACT med regimene!! IT has to have something to do with the disease. I hve put small containers of white vinegar out in his room and near the chair he sits in all day. I am putting cotton balls soaked in vinegar under the seats of the car and truck.
This is the oddest thread. "We" have the house on the market. Several weeks ago an agent called for a showing. I told my husband that the bedroom smelled terrible & to open the window & let some fresh air in and take his dirty clothes to the basement. He did this, but the room was still stinky. Finally he decided it could be the pillows. He washed them once & they still smelled, and then washed them a second time. That did the trick. Have lived here almost 11 years & never had that problem before. He said he must have perspired, but yuck, why now? And he doesn't have AD, but dementia. You have to wonder. I don't sleep in this bed. And he's not on any medications.
Hey Kitty!!!! You're posting!!!!!! Hope that means you're doing better.
I've noticed DH's smell as I previously posted. He wasn't routinely showering each day. For years he'd never miss a day. Well........never more than one.
Lately, I have noted some of his T-shirts came out of the dryer and did NOT smell clean. I'm now going to wash all of his clothes seperately from the rest of the family.
Today when DH got up from his lazy boy chair and went into another room my teen age son remarked "Dad's chair smells bad." I'm using the Febreze whenever he gets out of his chair.
Yes !!! and it is wonderful. My husband is totally functioning as in activities of daily living. He showers, etc. The only thing that grosses me out is that I have caught him several times putting on underwear that he had on prior to the shower. He would never have done that before.
well alot of us seem to have the same or other smell problems. my dh does not have the dry scalp problem. that is not where his smell problem is. it's his body and i think some of it comes from his stomach? after a shower,deodorant,teeth brushing he still has the smell along with the clean smell. i do supervise his shower etc. i thought maybe he wasn't doing a good enough job getting clean,but between the two of us he does a good job. i have come to the conclusion that because he is sick,his body smells sick and it is just not functioning correctly. we have a dr's appointment the 3rd of dec. i will have to talk to the dr outside the exam room before he sees dh,it just upsets him so to go to the dr and i hate talking about his illness in front of him. i truly dread it. i am afraid the dr appointment will stress him so much he will take another downward spiral. he is just literaly fading before my eyes. there is no way to get away from the sadness,pain,and heartache. jav
jav type up a list of things for the Doctor including the odor, and whatever else you want to talk about. I give it to the Nurse when we go in and she attaches it on the front of husbands chart. His Doctor uses the list to question husband and me very diplomatically and commented to me one day he appreciated me doing that. I date it and he keeps it in husbands file. I also did this when he was seeing my Mother. Neither husband or Mother know I did that and they felt more important and secure talking with the Doctor. Example once I mentioned constipation being a problem and he questioned Mom about her bowels. etc.
I read somewhere that in AD patients calcium and potassium ions tend to not cross through "tunnels" at the cellular level in the normal way, and this may be responsible for a distinct odor.
I also read that AD patients tend to have elevated levels of heavy metals that can be found in the cells near the skin so that could be responsible for a distinct odor.
There are a few theories out there pointing to causes other than "medications" being the stinky culprit. These ones happened to be in an article regarding research into whether or not the skin could be an early diagnostic for AD.
New Realm, you mentioned heavy metals. Have you seen the detox pads that go on the bottom of the feet at night? In the morning, they're supposed to be brown and show they're pulling toxins and metals out of the body. Has anybody used these and could they possibly do any good?
I have also noticed that my husband has a strange smell. He showers & washes his hair daily...not always a fun time, however, there is still a strange smell. Also, his breath even after brushing, doesn't smell fresh.
My DH has had this smell too. wont go away even with super scrubbing. i think i have found ours IS due to the meds. when he couldnt swallow the various pills and i crushed them =the next day his breath was horrid. and his taste buds seems swollen some or larger at least. i am sure his is med related..stuff is foul if taken outside the capsules...must saturate the mouth somehow..i have him use a small spray bottle of listerine he carries in his pocket:) helps some i have no recourse if he wont swallow the pills =even adding to food doesnt mask this odor..divvi
Yes, Yes, yes, I thought it was just lack of proper showering, and it might well be, but even after showering I notice it, and his breath smells too. I love this site.... I lets me know so well that I am not alone.
Mine does too and he showers everyday...sometimes twice! I even had his suits and sports jacket cleaned thinking they may have had an odor. I wonder sometimes if other people can smell it and think DH isn't showering often enough.
well thinking again on this subject, i can also say if they arent cleaning themselves properly in the toileting areas this can very well be another cause of disagreeable 'smell'-----having this statement from the PQ (PoopQueen) i find it extremely difficult to remove a poopy smell. that includes depends/underwear/floors/toilet seats//just anything..and HANDS are the worst. heavens, check their nails frequently..ugh, i know..but it needed said-AD persons hygiene isnt up to par.... i am very careful these days about cleaning up and working on the smells. but i tell you and those who have been here with me on this, know its outright impossible to get that smell off with one pass of cleaning. multiples and lots of soapy hot bleach water on things and on the body lots of hot soapy water and then some or the smell will continue. then some sort of body lotions work too after bathing..its quite disagreeable if you dont do it right..believe me i know firsthand. divvi
I think divvi is probably correct with my husband..since he does shower daily & brushes his teeth with me telling him to be sure and brush his tongue. It must be the medicine.
my dh has the smelly problem thought he just wasn`t cleaning himself good, but still smells after his shower, if he forgets to shave for one day it is horrible, i can`t stand to be around him, will take him in the bathroom and shave him, never used to be like that before he got sick could go for days without shaving, i am learning so much on this site already responded to a no. of posts thanks
Mary ....... thats exactly the smell I can smell .... not urine but an *old person smell* - sort of smells musty - I don't mean to sound disrespectful 'cuz I'm no spring chicken myself ...... LoL !!!!! , but I think maybe its their medications causing it. I've smell the same smell coming off other more elderly folks too.
I smell it mostly when I'm standing above my husband - at first I thought it was because the barber he was going to didn't sanitize his equipment after each customer and when I realized that I quit taking him there and now take him to one who is very clean and uses freshly sanitized equipment for each new customer ...... but that was months ago now and the smell still lingers. Also, I wash his hair every night before he goes to bed using a different shampoo almost every night but you know, I can sniff his head and still smell that musty smell - thats why I think its maybe the medications or maybe, who knows, the deterioration of the brain cells and changing body chemistry may have something to do with it - I know that sounds right out in left field but you just never know. I wonder if anyone has ever inquired of a medical person who works/researches Alzheimers about this.
I experienced this with my Mom. Her clothes smelled "old" and her hair. Washing her hair daily helped. I am wondering if using white vinegar for hair rinse, clothes rinse, etc. would help? It wouldn't hurt to try. I use white vinegar in my laundry part of the time.
Just a thought-I think they metabolize foods and meds inefficiently and the byproducts come through the skin. Many old time docs could diagnose by smell.
Imohr, I have started keeping my DH laundry seperate from mine, I add the white vinegar to the fabic softener dispenser. It really helped to get the musky smell out of his clothes. I all put some white vinegar in small glass bowl and put them under the bed and on top of the dresser and it has helped the odor in his bedroom. When I clean the carpets this weekend, I am going to make my final rinse white vinegar and hot water. Did some one recommend a product called XO to disenfect the bathroom??
I use white vinegar all the time instead of Downey. I also use it when I mop the floors and as a disenfectant in the bathroom and kitchen. The smell dissapates quickly. I also like the smell of vinegar :-)
i think there was a topic of new research and the metabolic influence of AD with regards to glucose issues?? didnt we say that diebetics can get that funny smell too due to changes in blood sugar issues? maybe there is a correlation with inabilities to expel toxins or to do so thru the skin- divvi
I'm wondering if it's the fish oil. Seems he didn'thave that smell so much before I started giving fish oil gel caps to him.
However, his shaving cream and after shave--ugh--really bad. And, it's fresh too. We just bought it. It's so bad even the wash cloth smells terrible after he shaves.