Why would someone losing the sense of smell perceive bad smells?
My theory is that my nose was trying to protect me. It was coming up with all these horrible smells and threatening things because it couldn’t smell those things if they were there. Q: You also became depressed. Why? A: When smell is suddenly taken out, the world feels very flat. Smell and emotion are very closely connected. Q: You also lost then gained weight. Explain. A: You don’t want to eat when you are upset. Also, food was revolting. It takes a long time to get used to eating things that used to be wonderful and now taste like gushy, slithery, whatever-the-texture of them is, plus a few off odors. But once anosmics settle down, you begin to eat robotically. The hormones that trigger hunger and satiation just go on the fritz. All the anosmics I’ve met say the same thing: They eat and eat, but they never feel full. Q: Did your research uncover much hope for people who apparently have forever lost their sense of smell? A: That’s the first question all the anosmics ask me. I can imag
