Odour in the Sinus

Galactic Groove · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

For quite some time now, atleast 2 years, i've been having an odour problem coming from my nose.

The most significant time I notice it is when I blow my nose just after a shower. The type of smell is somewhat hard to pinpoint but here are a few varying but similar descriptors.... mouldy or mildewy, smelly feet, fishy, or sour vinegar. If the progression of these varying odours means anything, this is basically the order in which they started to occur although the last 3 occur now with the same frequency.

I know it's not the bathroom since I notice it at my work, at a friend's place, etc as well when I blow my nose and i'm certain it's not just my general body odour since I asked my girlfriend and she says she can't sense it (and considering it happens immediately after a shower).

I have had an x-ray taken a year ago but no signs of infection came up.

I do have nasal congestion but it's very minor. I thought taking decongestants (pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) would help but I just realized that it has been about a year of trying tehm but with no changes. So I recently stopped taking them (almost 3 weeks now). There has been very little change, if none at all, since i stopped.

Any ideas, clues? Anything would be great to hear so I can keep on trying to figure this out.

Guest · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:25 pm Post subject:

Have you ever used a neti pot? I would recommend trying that.

Boss · Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 96 Location: The end of a wire.

It's possibly a condition called Ozena.

Ozena, causes a rotting kind of action on the Nose and related tissues.

It can cause quite a pungant smell and some nasal discharge.

Normally it is prevalent in the elderly, but it is possible it could occur in people quite a bit younger than that.

Should it be the case, and you are one of the minor percentage of younger people that get it, be aware that might potentially be no way of curing it. Not that I've heard of anyway. Possibly some way ot stem it, or make it less potent.

I would go to a Doctor, and if needs be an ENT specialist, if the Doctor is not being accurate enough, or reccomends an ENT anyway.

ReignOfLuck · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 35 Location: los angeles, ca

Wow I've never heard of Ozena. Thanks for sharing the info.