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whats that smell???

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Posted 4/15/2011 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
 hi to all, i have a strange question that i would like to ask, my husband, who suffers with alcoholic cirrhosis (we think)! has started to smell really bad. its hard to explain but its almost like a rotten sweet smell with a whiff of ammonia. strange i know but does anyone know if that is related to his disease or the diuretics he started or if i am just going crazy? please help!!
Posted 4/15/2011 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
It's the liver disease. If the odor is on his breath, it's known as fetor hepaticus. Otherwise, it's just coming through the pores. This odor usually precedes encephalopathy.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 4/16/2011 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
My husband also has that smell. To me, it smells like pure alcohol or ammonia or whatever it is coming through the pores of his skin. It is also on his breath. When he is sleeping in the bedroom with the door closed, and I walk in, sometimes it almost knocks me down...I hate that smell. It's the distinct smell of a true alcoholic and it does not go away. My husband would shower, brush his teeth, and put on cologne, and it was still there! I guess it's in his blood, I don't know........I remember back when he was working in the summertime and he would sweat, it was really bad. I don't ever get used to it, I just learn to live with it....
Posted 4/16/2011 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
breath smell from Wikipedia:

"Fetor hepaticus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
dimethyl sulfide

Fetor hepaticus or foetor hepaticus (see spelling differences), also known as breath of the dead, is a condition seen in portal hypertension where portosystemic shunting allows mercaptans to pass directly into the lungs. It is a late sign in liver failure. Other possible causes are the presence of ammonia and ketones in the breath. The breath has a sweet, faecal smell to it.

The compound dimethyl sulfide has been associated with it, raising the possibility of an objective noninvasive measure of liver failure."


I posted that on WifeofDrinkers last post too.

Post Edited (healthynow) : 4/19/2011 4:03:24 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/17/2011 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
thank you all for your advice. this smell id definatly different from the stale alcohol smell that hubby usually gives off and that is vile enough! this is quite unique and have noticed it very recently. another question for the doctor! the description that was posted for me was very accurate, a sweet, faecal smell.
Posted 4/18/2011 4:08 AM (GMT 0)
wife ... have you ever stopped... just stopped ... in amazement at all we do.. and endure for these our loved ones... we talk so casually of things like this smell... and to other people... it's like we're in such a totally different world... you are amazing in your walk with your partner... hang in there... Sandi
Posted 4/18/2011 6:58 AM (GMT 0)
it is quite another world from that which most people inhabit isnt it?!!. thank you for your kind words but i feel i havent even really begun yet, reading other caregivers posts, it would seem there is a whole lot worse to come. i have a print on my wall in my bedroom of the poem, footprints in the sand, i keep reading it and hoping that i will be carried through this and make it out the other end, for my babies. thank you again sandi. keep strong. natasha.x
Posted 4/19/2011 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
hi all! hope you are all ok? or as ok as it gets. this smell,,,, it went away,,, tonight, its back with avengance!! can anyone tell me why??? please?? and seeing as im asking yet more silly questions,,, the g.p said to my hubby, if he quit drinking then the ascites would go away. i have read other posts from people who quit but they still have ascites, is there another reason for this or is he wrong? natasha.x
Posted 4/19/2011 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Wife, as I explained earlier, that distinctive odor is a symptom of liver disease and is probably enhanced by the alcohol. It's a symptom of ESLD or decompensated liver function. I have personally never had it.

Ascites is the result of portal hypertension. If he stops drinking, his liver function will improve and will possibly decrease the ascites. However, it depends on how much cirrhosis he has (which never goes away), whether he follows a low-sodium diet, etc. He may need diuretics to clear it up entirely and/or changes in diet and fluid intake.

As I said before, GPs don't have much knowledge of liver disease. He really needs to be seeing a hepatologist, or at least a GI doc.

Hugs,

Connie
Posted 4/20/2011 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Natasha, Karen thought there was a strange smell coming from me a while back, so she put her nose to work . After an exhausting and dreadful time , it wasn't long before she realized she was the victim of silent flatulence.
What could I say ... she wanted to have a whiff.
Mick
Posted 4/20/2011 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
Karen you are a saint.
Posted 4/20/2011 9:02 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know about a saint , more the unfortunate victim.
Karen
Posted 4/20/2011 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
The smell is something else isn't it....

My husband has been in hospital since the 8th February and the smell in the bedroom at home is STILL there. I have been airing out and washing everything in sight, but it still lingers.

In a twisted kind of way, I am starting to like it, as it reminds me of him when I come home and he's not there.

BUT, I thought I might burn some scented candles or something, just to try and clear the air a little... If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them.
Posted 4/20/2011 11:03 AM (GMT 0)
thank you connie, yet again, you put things in such a way that is informative yet calming. i think i would love you to be my g.p, with your personal experiences and all that knowledge, you would be sooooo good! i hope you are doing well today. i think you are amazing!.
mick, what can i say?????? youre wife needs a medal!!! sooooo funny though, i needed that laugh!! he he he!.
karen, you are sooo right!!!!
goddess, ive also tried everything even a boil wash with extra powder (he didnt like that) and i washed the laundry twice too! im going to buy some industrial air freshener, like they use in office blocks and the like, and see if that helps. they are still insisting that it probably isnt end stage liver disease, even with all these symptoms! we can but wait untill next week and see what the blood results are.x
Posted 4/20/2011 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
WOD-next week your husband has blood work or are you meeting with doctor to go over results?
Posted 4/20/2011 8:48 PM (GMT 0)
did bloods on monday, results due in next tuesday or wednesday. the old nhs dosent like to rush things you know, i mean, whats a few results when its life or death?!!.......x
Posted 4/20/2011 9:46 PM (GMT 0)

Wife, thanks for the kind comments.  GPs don't like me.  I take my chart off the door and read everything current (I understand it) before they finally come into the exam room.  I've found some medical errors, and once even found someone else's blood work iin my chart.  Note:  This was NOT at Mayo.

It's not just the NHS.  My scans were done last week and I'm sure the results were ready yesterday, but I have to wait until the 29th for results, since my hep doc stays booked up months in advance.  But of course she managed to get me in at the soonest available appt. (the 29th @ 8 AM (groan!)

Hugs,

Connie

Posted 4/21/2011 7:50 AM (GMT 0)
its awful though! wow, 29th is ages away! good on you for keeping them on their toes connie, if only we were all like you. i always had such faith in doctors, and all in the medical profession but since this has been happening, im not sure of what or who to believe anymore! i look at my hubby and his symptoms and i see someone who is very ill, yet they seem to not see it?!. when my mum had cancer and numerous other health problems, the hospitals and gp were so good. again i can only assume that the reason for this is because my husband drank himself into this state.
how are you getting on with everything connie? natasha.x
Posted 4/21/2011 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
how can one wait until the 29th... I remember those days... wow...
Posted 10/16/2013 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have noticed that my husband who has Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, has a horrible smell. It's so over-powering, and just nasty. I have told him about it but he doesn't even smell it, he says it's just me that smells it. Everyone can smell it! They just don't tell him about it. He says that the Liver Disease just means that they found fat around his liver. Clearly he is in denial. How do I get him to realize the smell? I even moved into my own bedroom because it is so nasty. I can't get him to realize the odor is so overwhelming
Posted 10/16/2013 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
 Hello Brenda, You are posting on a old thread but it's ok for now. Just start a new post and ask the question with a little more details on your husband. How long has he quit drinking? Did he quit drinking? What extent is his liver compromised and so on so we can help you along with information.

 Ziff 

Posted 10/16/2013 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
Brenda, I see you are a new member who picked up on an old thread. Please start a new topic by clicking New Topic instead of Reply, give it a title, and post away. That way, no one will miss your post.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 4/17/2014 10:51 AM (GMT 0)
hi.

How is your husband ? is he ok ? bloods tests?

thnk you


Tufan
Posted 4/17/2014 12:11 PM (GMT 0)
This is an old post. Someone will chime in, but you should post telling us about yourself and if you or a loved one is dealing with liver issues.
Posted 4/22/2014 1:36 PM (GMT 0)
I researched about this smell. you can give information.
If you know about that. I didnt ask from you.
I wanted from wifeofdrinker
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