So it seems loosing your sense of smell is a possible symptom of Parkinson’s. That hadn’t caused a blip on my radar of potential issues. It’s not a major issue, is it? Having no sense of smell. In some circumstances not being able to smell is a blessing. We have all been in that situation when an aroma is so strong it makes your eyes water or worse makes you sick. Then it follows you for hours tormenting you.
I will say I don’t think my husband has ever had great sniffing abilities. My nose is more sensitive. Sometimes it annoys me, as an aroma can get caught in my nostrils and not even serving it an eviction notice can get it to vacate. Camel poop on a trip to Egypt being one instant and even now the memory makes my nose twitch. It has proved invaluable too. I once smelt, what I can only describe as electrical burning. Tracked it back to a toaster, just as it started sparking with fire. Phew!
Wives with husbands of a certain age will tell you that they develop selective hearing. It seems mine has developed a selective sense of smell. How is that possible I ask? I’m sure there is a science geek out there who can explain it. I understand that noises have different pitches so do scents have the equivalent? Is that how some register while others don’t?
Some situations I swear it feels like it’s just to annoy me. I can open the fridge and find an errant item in the salad draw that has seen better days, throw it out but the smell lingers. Yet husband is happily oblivious. It’s more frustrating when I can open the fridge and something smells like it’s on the turn but I can’t find it. No point asking husband. Sods law it is a scent that won’t register with him.
Some nights I can be snuggled, trying to sleep then a whiff of the packaging from the fish we had for dinner hits my nose. Husband can’t smell a thing. Concentrate on counting sheep I tell myself. The sheep that morph into fish. Nothing else to do but get out of bed and grab the can of air freshener. ‘What the hell?’ Oh it seems husband can smell that no problem. I may have sniggered when he moaned it was stopping him getting back to sleep.
Anyone who has lived in flat will tell you that smells from neighbouring properties can be an issue. We can smell the smoke from downstairs strongly in our bathroom. That is something husband can still sniff out. The fact he can still detect smoke is a relief I can tell you. Sometimes we can come home and an errant scent hits my nose and it will drive me mad until I have checked our place out to make sure it’s actually a neighbours issue and not ours.
My husband still loves to cook and can still smell burning. Great. However I’d prefer it if he woke before dinner is cremated when I am running late getting home. I have to remind him to check things in the oven once the smell reaches me. He hasn’t mastered the timer on the new cooker. Even if he did it isn’t very loud so I doubt he would hear it. That selective hearing at play again.
I guess this is just one of the symptoms we will have to live with and hope that my sense of smell doesn’t take a vacation. At least I can get his attention with the air freshener for the time being. I think it smells nice. Oh well its the little things. E x