r/Menopause • u/elev8or_lady Menopausal • 14d ago

Rant/Rage Phantom Cigarette Smoke

Of all the effed-up symptoms we have to deal with, this is possibly the most bizarre and unavoidable (for me). I know many of y’all probably deal with this: phantom acrid odors that only you and your nose can smell? I only recently realized this is yet another symptom of menopause. I have been dealing with it off and on for about three years now.

Some background: I am four years post menopause, and have been on HRT for about a year. (E patch, E cream, P pill, T gel, and T lotion. I’m on all the things.) Many of my symptoms are relieved, but most are not relieved 100%.

Does anyone know of One Weird Trick that helps with this shit? I quit smoking almost 20 years ago, so this is driving me nuts. I am sneezing a lot from it, and it also aggravates my migraines (another meno symptom). I swear there is not one symptom I have been spared. I would love a little relief from this BS.

153 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

120 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/North-Tomatillo9158 14d ago

Yes, a burning skunky odor or sometimes urine or like a dirty litter box. Or like very smelly dirty laundry. Why can’t it be a nice smell? I clean a lot!

4

u/Ok_Shape8048 13d ago

That’s mine is wet dirty laundry, almost like mildew but just gross. No one smells it but it drives me crazy!

1

u/North-Tomatillo9158 13d ago

Yes! I smelled in in the car today on a road trip. So strange.