That "smell" after the surgery?
Posted , 41 users are following.
After the TKR, about a week, I began to experience a smell - not pleasant. i thought I might have spilled something or the like. Washed everything - including me. But, there it was again-everywhere.
Come to find out that for a few of us the anesthesia (general or spinal) can result in causing an odor - and one that only we can smell- It's not our immagination, it's very real. And, it can take weeks to months to go away - time it takes for the liver to clear the chemicals. Some people can even, unfortunately, taste it, too.
3 likes, 85 replies
julie02015 elent
Edited
i had TKR three weeks ago and i am plagued with this smell. It is a sickly sweet chemical smell and it permeates everything. I cant shower it away, even with Hibiclens. My taste is also way off, especially with more astringent foods like tomatoes, coffee, tea and OJ. Thank god im not going crazy but it needs to end. i read somewhere that it can be caused by propenyol (sp) given during anesthesia, which I had. Good luck everyone
Shoutout1999 julie02015
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My taste was off for 2 months after my liver surgery. I lost 30 pounds as I didn't want to eat anything. It went back to normal after 2-3 months.
The smell I suffered from much longer. It stayed with me many months. Only about a full year could I say it went away completely. I remember days when I was worried I was stuck with this smell forever! I think I was an extreme case. I'm fine now, no issues.
Don't worry, your smell and taste will go back to normal eventually, just give it time.
daniel57857 julie02015
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If you read through the various entries here you'll see a lot of variation in how long this lasts ... mostly weeks, some for months. I was on the extreme edge of experience, being about a year, although it became less intense and more sporadic over time. It seems strange that few can nail down the smell/taste. For me it was kind of something like glycol and metal ... sweet but metallic. I mentioned it to my surgeon and nurse, but both claimed never to have heard of it. I don't have a way to contact my anaesthesiologist. Hang in there!
jenny61596 elent
Posted
Its the anesthetic can take quite a while to go , some days worse than others I found
Nonnarie elent
Posted
I had a fast track total knee replacement this past Thursday. Today, all I can smell is wintergreen. It’s not unpleasant, but it is driving me crazy! Between the slight fever, the spinal block headache, and the weird smell, they're worse then the knee by far!
brian96066 elent
Posted
I found out that the smell and taste waa my body detoxing the pain meds. At first I thought it was the anesthesia but my PA said it was the medsFeel better
donna14561 elent
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I'm so glad to have found I'm not the only one. I'm only 5 days recovering from spinal surgery and ever since arriving back home everything smells like rotting food. I have cleaned out my refrigerator and had the family check out the house in general. No-one else can smell anything wrong. In addition, the first coffee I tried smelled and tasted disgusting - just like strange chemicals, although tea seems okay. I have been on a salt free diet for the past seven months prior to my surgery and had really been enjoying my new style of eating. Now, everything seems tasteless but trying to add a little salt makes food taste disgustingly salty.
After reading the other comments I am living in hope that things will get back to normal in due course once the anaesthetic is out of my system.
brian96066 donna14561
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Glad u found this site. It's too sad the drs don't tell us what to expect. My TKR makes nice when walking and NOW they tell me it has to break in. It will take a month for u to detox the pain meds . Be well.
Shoutout1999 donna14561
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I can assure you that my situation was worse than yours. I suffered ALOT with this. Took several months but I'm 100% back to normal now.
ashlee49297 donna14561
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i am about 6 months since my operation and i found it did go away maybe 2-3 month mark for me. I am reasonably healthy and I avoided taking the strong medication unless absolutely necessary coz it knocked me badly. the smell gets better with time i know it was probably a mind thing as well but i would wash clothes even if i wore them for a couple hours i changed my bed stuff like every 2nd day or so and it made me feel better and not notice it as much when it was bad. i do 100% get a whiff of the smell here and there which is odd, then when i go to smell my skin or clothes its gone, but at least you know its getting out of your system and your not going crazy! no one else can smell it on you though so dont let it get to you too much!
deborah21531 elent
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I am so glad I found this discussion!!! I was thoroughly convinced I had lost my freaking mind! I had an L5 discectomy w fusion on Feb. 19th (& a radical hysterectomy 2 months before on Dec 19th)! The smell is sometimes over powering! Like others here, no one in my family smells anything... just me! So I walk around sticking my nose into my hand or squeezing my sinus cavity thinking I can get rid of it! I even turned off all natural gas in my home thinking we were being poisoned and I was the only one who could smell it! Cant wait for it to go away FOREVER!
Wighty1968 elent
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thank goodness, I thought I was going mad. I had spinal surgery 9 days ago and I cannot shake this very sickly smell (that only I can smell). almost any food beyond very bland (non-odouress) foods elevate the odour I sense, but even without any external odour it's always present and is making me feel ill to the point of vomitting. im still in hospital and I think my neurosurgeon thinks Im mad. has anyone else had this last more than a few weeks post op?
ashlee49297 Wighty1968
Posted
Tell your neurosurgeon we all had the same thing so your definitely not going crazy! I probably experienced it for about 1 month where it really annoyed me, and about the 2 month mark i felt like it had gone away or i couldnt notice it. im 28 only had a small day procedure and wasnt under for long, so it could also depend how your body metabolises the chemicals or pain medication? But i must admit its close to 1 year on and i randomly got a whiff of it on myself the other day which was strange. It does get better with time, you may just find yourself turning a little bit OCD while its really bad, I was showering and washing clothes and bedsheets soo much to try and feel better. i can promise you no one else can smell it on you! good luck with the rest of your recovery x
deborah21531 Wighty1968
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5 weeks have passed since posting (3 months since the last surgery) & the smell has faded a lot, but as others have stated... there are times when I get a small "whiff" of the smell, and some days I still smell it for a few hours at a time. Hang in there... it will eventually get better!
Wighty1968 ashlee49297
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Ashlee, thank you so much for your reply. I hope it passes soon. Having this issue, like some others have, for months will be awful.
ashlee49297 Wighty1968
Posted
I think as well just making sure you have alot of water and good foods to help flush the body out and get rid of whatever remains in your system will help, i like to think it helped me feel better even if it is just a psychological thing (i am definitely not a doctor, this is just my experience lol)
but hang in there some days are better than others, if you feel like you need to change your clothes 10 times in one day, do it, if you need to shower a couple times a day, do it, if you need to change your bed sheets and constantly spray perfume or something that makes you feel nice and fresh do it. whatever helps you feel better and helps give you some kind of relief! good luck and i am sure recovery time will fly past and it will be gone before you realise 😃