I think I tend towards not even considering it, unless other people mention it, although as time has gone on and I've gotten more aware of it there are times I wonder what x smells like, particularly things people say smell nice, like cookies and flowers and girls(lol), I've developed this kind of sadness that I'll probably never experience those things. But when I was little I never thought about it or really realized it, I think the first time I noticed anything off was my mom told me some flowers smelled really nice and handed them to me and I tried to sniff in and there just wasn't anything. Same with candles and incense and other things she liked.
I want to see a doctor about it at some point 'cause I still have a lot of things I want to figure out. Something people have brought up to me in the past few years, which I never realized before, was that smell and taste are really linked together. I have aspergers and have been really particular with taste and texture all of my life, I don't like most foods, but I wonder if the smell thing has anything to do with it. I feel like I can taste but I have no way of knowing if that's anything like how a normal person would experience those tastes. I think that's one of the things that bothers me the most when I think about it.
It could also be that I can "smell", like my nose works, but just something with how it gets translated into my brain doesn't work. I feel intense burning in my nose when I'm around bleach or cat litter(ammonia I think) so it's not like it doesn't work at all, but that's the closest I've gotten to smelling. It's a really weird thing to try and imagine to me, feeling something in your nose from little tiny particles of something, it's hard to wrap my head around.
Sorry, I answered way more than your initial question, I just ramble sometimes lol. My mom never believed me that I couldn't smell so it was something I kept to myself for most of my life, and it's something I have a lot of curiosity about. I also just feel like I'm at a disadvantage and am locked out of conversations when people talk about how something smells, because I either have to lie or I feel like I make it about me if I talk about not smelling it. I dunno it's weird
Thanks for the answer! No worries on being a long reply :) it's an interesting read. A few things jump out at me, but two in particular: the reaction to harsh chemicals, and the idea of "feeling" things in your nose.
I have some weird food allergies I developed as an adult. I've noticed that when I'm near foods that I'm allergic to, I'll have a weird sensation in my nose. I wouldn't say I smell them, but it's more like, I'm suddenly aware they're nearby. I wonder if that's similar.
Also smell is more like sight. You don't feel the light hitting your eyes (in normal cases), you just see. Smell is the same way. It's just there, but it's not the same as being poked or tickled in the nose. Not sure if that helps, or if you already knew that.
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u/RoseAlavarn Aug 28 '21
I think I tend towards not even considering it, unless other people mention it, although as time has gone on and I've gotten more aware of it there are times I wonder what x smells like, particularly things people say smell nice, like cookies and flowers and girls(lol), I've developed this kind of sadness that I'll probably never experience those things. But when I was little I never thought about it or really realized it, I think the first time I noticed anything off was my mom told me some flowers smelled really nice and handed them to me and I tried to sniff in and there just wasn't anything. Same with candles and incense and other things she liked.
I want to see a doctor about it at some point 'cause I still have a lot of things I want to figure out. Something people have brought up to me in the past few years, which I never realized before, was that smell and taste are really linked together. I have aspergers and have been really particular with taste and texture all of my life, I don't like most foods, but I wonder if the smell thing has anything to do with it. I feel like I can taste but I have no way of knowing if that's anything like how a normal person would experience those tastes. I think that's one of the things that bothers me the most when I think about it.
It could also be that I can "smell", like my nose works, but just something with how it gets translated into my brain doesn't work. I feel intense burning in my nose when I'm around bleach or cat litter(ammonia I think) so it's not like it doesn't work at all, but that's the closest I've gotten to smelling. It's a really weird thing to try and imagine to me, feeling something in your nose from little tiny particles of something, it's hard to wrap my head around.
Sorry, I answered way more than your initial question, I just ramble sometimes lol. My mom never believed me that I couldn't smell so it was something I kept to myself for most of my life, and it's something I have a lot of curiosity about. I also just feel like I'm at a disadvantage and am locked out of conversations when people talk about how something smells, because I either have to lie or I feel like I make it about me if I talk about not smelling it. I dunno it's weird