Question:
Why has my sense of smell changed? I am 8 days post-op (haven't eaten real food yet)

and when I smelled my hubby's Yuban coffee this morning, it smelled like pure steer manure...honest! My daughter then smelled it and she said it was fine. Later on I sniffed a new bottle of orange blossom perfume and it smelled like the oranges were blooming in a cow pasture. I have heard where your sense of taste and smell can change but this is going a bit too far. Has anybody else experienced this?    — Debbie R. (posted on September 11, 2003)

September 11, 2003
My boss had surgery to remove part of his intestine and he said he had the same problem. I had the same issue, post-op. I think it's something that some people experience, whenever they have any type of surgery that involves the intestinal tract.
   — cherryswitch

September 11, 2003
Definitely had the same problem. I was even queasy watching food commercials on TV for the first week. Taste and smell are very interconnected. Have you noticed your taste has changed too? Even if I give in to a craving (which I have only done once or twice) the thrill is just gone - it doesn't taste the same as it used to. I also had this problem when pregnant with my son (but not my daughter) the whole 9 months. I had to stop cooking altogether - couldn't even go to the grocery store. ~~~~ My smell is pretty close to back on track now (7 weeks) but some people are very nauseas and even vomit from their messed up smell power.
   — bethybb

September 11, 2003
I am 15 months post op and I still have a weird sense of smell. Things stick to me. Especially eggs and most meats. Also, things taste so salty to me now. I dont know what to think of all this. My son asked me to smell something at his house last week and when I said I didnt smell anything he said I had lost my mind. I also stay constipated too no matter what I eat does anyone else do this. Hugs~~AVIS
   — Avis D.

September 11, 2003
I think this is perfectly normal following GI surgery. I had the same thing happen when I had my gallbladder surgery years ago. Good news: it's temporary.
   — ZaZa F.

September 11, 2003
I think it might be the anesthesia, This has happened to me with every surgery I have ever had. Even non gi surgery, like achilles tendon repair too.
   — **willow**