Can anyone else "smell" a fever??

[s.z.ichigo]

I never thought this was that strange until I mentioned it to a few people and they looked at me like I was crazy.

When my daughter has a fever I can "smell" it in her breath, very distinctly. I can roughly gauge the temperature by how strong the smell is. Am I really the only person who has done this?

Am I a freak? :ohmy:

[Leanna Tomlinson]

You are not alone. I can smell a fever too. I can also smell strep. I was a pediatric nurse before kids, and many nurses can distinguish these odors.

 

~

Leanna

[LMA]

Yes, my 84-year old mother has very bad breath right before she is sick. The doctor told us that it is a sign of infection. That's why if you have persistent bad breath, you should see a doctor.

[frogpond1]

I can smell all sorts of things myself. It can drive a person crazy.

[PineFarmMom]

Yes, I can.

[MariannNOVA]

I am not sure if it is the 'fever' or the infection -- 'strep' is rather easy to detect.....it's nasty! As far as the fever, I can sense (or smell) the heat coming off of my children if they are running a fever - even before I touch them.

[Lolly]

I can't smell it, but I can judge from lip contact to a tenth of a degree.

[chanda7]

My grandmother says a child's breath smells like ether when they have a fever.

[Tangerine]

I smell vomit hours and hours before anyone gets sick. It has gotten to the point that I warn my husband, and make sure we have extra sheets ready for the bed. I don't even smell it ON the kids. I can be out at the store without them and smell it. So I'm one who fully believes you could very well be able to smell a fever.

[Mommyof4ks]

Yes, my kids have a 'smell' when they have a fever.

[skirch]

Not a fever, but I could always smell when my dd had an ear infection. She never had symptoms, just an unmistakable (although not unpleasant) odor. And I'd be the only one who could smell it apparently; everyone else thught I was crazy when I'd ask them if they smell it too.

[hsmom]

Well I never put it together, but yes. My children have a distinct smell on their breath when they are getting and are sick. Now that you have put that together for me, I will really keep an "smell" out for this. I also can just tell by looking at their eyes, that one is coming. My oldest sons eyes get really dark and sunken right before and during any kind of sickness and my youngest sons eyes get a tired look and glossy. I know it is strange, but hey that is why we are mom and so good at it, we know our kids.

[LibraryLover]

Yes! I can smell anything amiss like that. I can even do it with my nephew. I can tell his mother "He doesn't smell quite right' and sure enough the next day, sniffles or something. She thinks I am supah special. lol

[johnandtinagilbert]

Dh always thought I was a weirdo, until he saw I was always right...now he's learned the smell too!

[abbeyej]

I think the smell often depends more on the person who is sick than on the sickness. But some illnesses (strep, for instance) do have a distinctive smell.

 

I don't bother with a thermometer with my kids -- it's easy enough to tell if they have a fever and determine if it's a "low" fever, a "high" fever, or a "downright scary" fever. The exact numbers (though I'm pretty accurate with my estimates) are less important than my observations about a particular child.

[elise1mds]

I'd never thought about it, but yeah... I smell it, too. Plus they give off that whole "sickbed" aura when they're really coming down with something. That sense of "in 24 hours, you're going to be wrapped in a blanket with hot [decaf] tea and a movie." And I hate it because by then, there's nothing I can do to prevent it! I can try to keep the illness short with various treatments, but I can't prevent it altogether.

[Tree House Academy]

I do on my younger son - my older doesn't run fever often (like, ummm...twice in the last 6 years). But my older one has skunk breath when he has a fever. It is the most awful smell.

 

His eyes give it away before the smell, though. He looks what my mother used to call "peek-ed." I have no idea if that is a real word (I highly doubt it), but it is when his eyes are all red around them, but his face is sallow and pale.

[Desert Rat]

I can't smell a fever, but I can smell a lung infection by their breath up to 3 days before they start showing symptoms. I've learned to trust my nose and start breathing meds at the first wiff. I wish I could smell a fever! You're lucky!

[Lifelearnin']

That is too funny!! I always tell people that I know when my kids are getting sick because of a certain smell from their breath. Most people just kind of look at me like I am strange, but all three of my kids get the same smell! It almost smells like a permanent marker. It has never failed me once.

[homeschoolally]

I can too (only noticed with my own children though)

--very strange and I have no idea how.

Curious to hear replies here.

[sagira]

Yes, I can smell when my children (or dh) is sick. Don't ask me how, but I know.

[akmommy]

Nope, you're not a freak. I can smell it too.

[Amber in SJ]

I don't smell it, but I can tell with a look when one of my dears is going to be sick in the next 24 hours. I always tell dh that one of them is looking "rabbity." They get all pink and sunken around the eyes and their skin looks dull.

 

For me it is just about knowing my own children. My kids are barfers. No matter what kind of illness, headache, sniffles, sprain, toothache they will throw-up at least once at the outset. That is why vomiting will never be an accurate diagnostic tool for us.

 

Amber in SJ

[Ibbygirl]

Wow!! This thread is amazing. I've never in my life heard of such a thing! How fascinating! I like to smell my kids' skin but I don't typically smell their breath. I have to try that next time they get sick and see if I can tell the difference. I've never smelled it when they have a fever but I have smelled it when they have gas. gack! :ack2: :p

[The Girls' Mom]

Can't smell fevers, but strep definitely!

 

And later stages of cancer have a smell too. Several of my relatives have passed away from it, including my mom and step-dad...and they all had that 'smell' :(

Edited October 10, 2009 by Apryl H

[Ibbygirl]

Can't smell fevers, but strep definitely!

 

And later stages of cancer have a smell too. Several of my relatives have passed away from it, included my mom and step-dad...and they all had that 'smell' :(

 

:( :grouphug: :grouphug: I'm a member of the I Hate Cancer club too. :crying:

[EKS]

My father likes to tell this story about the time he got measles. Some kid at school told him he smelled like he had the measles so he went to the school nurse, and sure enough--he had it.

[Audrey]

I never thought this was that strange until I mentioned it to a few people and they looked at me like I was crazy.

When my daughter has a fever I can "smell" it in her breath, very distinctly. I can roughly gauge the temperature by how strong the smell is. Am I really the only person who has done this?

Am I a freak? :ohmy:

 

 

Me, too! I can also smell when people are unwell in other ways. People with cancer have a certain smell to them that I recognize right away. Strep smells quite unpleasant, as does hepatitis. Pregnant women have a certain smell, too (I know that's not an illness, but still a kind of condition). I've always had this freakish smell thing. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I mentioned it to my mother, who said she can smell things that way, too, as could my grandmother. One does have to be careful not to say anything if they smell something on someone, though.

Edited October 11, 2009 by Audrey

[~Tara~]

Yup. I smell a funk on mine when feverish. Yuck!

[Jayne J]

I am right now, this very instant going to go apologise to my dh. He swears he can smell strep, and once "diagnosed" my sore throat as Not Strep correctly. I thought he was pulling my leg and have called him Dr. Hound Dog ever since.

 

oops.:D (I belong to the group who can "see" sickness before it happens--the sunken, pink rimmed eyes with circles underneath, along with a sort of pinched look around the lips and nose)

[ChristusG]

Wow, that is interesting!! I dont think I've ever smelled a fever before. Now I'll have to pay more attention though.

[chaik76]

I do on my younger son - my older doesn't run fever often (like, ummm...twice in the last 6 years). But my older one has skunk breath when he has a fever. It is the most awful smell.

 

His eyes give it away before the smell, though. He looks what my mother used to call "peek-ed." I have no idea if that is a real word (I highly doubt it), but it is when his eyes are all red around them, but his face is sallow and pale.

It's a real word...peaked!

peak⋅ed

 

2  /ˈpikɪd/ [pee-kid] –adjective pale and drawn in appearance so as to suggest illness or stress; wan and sickly.

 

(from dictionary.com)

[thowell]

Yep! Glad to know I'm not special!

[Dawn in OH]

I can smell it too. I never really realized I was "smelling" it until this thread came up. I just thought it was some 6th Mommy-sense. But I read the title and thought about the bazillion things I can smell that no one else in the family can smell.

 

I also have a talent for walking into a child's bedroom with a "barf bucket" in hand asking how their tummy feels just moments before the event occurs.

[Joanne]

Yes. I just posted about this in the flu thread about my son.

[Ali in OR]

One smell you can pick up when they aren't eating much due to illness is what I call "keto-breath". When your body is burning fat for energy instead of carbs, it produces ketones. One byproduct of this is a sweetish smell to the breath. It's a similar smell to overripe bananas I think. My oldest was on the ketogenic diet for seizure control when she was small. The diet is mostly fat which keeps the kiddo ketotic. For some reason this can stop or reduce seizures. Anyway, my dd had keto-breath for 3 years while on the diet. I immediately notice the smell if she is sick and not eating or if my youngest is sick and not eating (second dd doesn't seem to get sick!).

[kewb]

I kind of wish I could smell a fever after reading this thread. I can tell by looking at my kids if something is brewing. Ds gets glassy eyes. Plus his temples will be hot but his forehead cool a few hours before the fever kicks in. Dd gets the hot temples too but not the glassy eyes, actually, now that I am thinking about it I don't know how I know if she is getting sick, but I know when I look at her that something is brewing.

[LunaLee]

I can smell a fever too..We call it "sick breath" around here, and now my dd can sniff it out too.

[Denisemomof4]

wow! I've never heard of such a thing!!!

[amydavis]

My mother is an RN, and she could always "smell" illnesses, including cancer. Once I had my own family is when I slowly began to realize I could do this too. I can smell fever and I smelled that my husband had become diabetic. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I called my mom and described the scent, and she (since she's the nurse) figured it out based on my description. Sure enough, when he went in, his blood sugar was extremely high and he was diagnosed. Now, for the most part it is controlled with his medication, but I can smell when his blood sugar level has spiked. And dh believes me. If I say to him that he has "that smell," then he goes and gets out the glucometer and checks himself. This has been interesting to see that others have this as well. Neat.

[s.z.ichigo]

Oh wow, I never suspected so many people shared my experience! I can tell people I'm not crazy now!

I find it very interesting that some people can smell certain illnesses and other people can't. I wonder if anyone has seriously studied this. I've heard of dogs who can sniff out cancers and other things, but I've never heard of people being able to do it. Thanks for all the replies! =D

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I had no idea! At first I thought it was just my daughter but no one else could detect that scent. Then I thought it was just me. I do know I can't detect this scent on any other person.

[Mamacp]

Yes! My Mom always called it fever breath, and I could always smell it too. When my son had a fever I could smell it and tell how high it was by feeling his face. We also could tell if someone is pregnant if they had "pregnant eyes"! Anyone out there heard of that?😊

[Acorn]

11 year old zombie thread

[Lilaclady]

So many old boardies!!!! 

[ShellyMom]

I have always been able to smell when my daughter is sick since she was born.  I think people think I'm crazy when I tell them that but I can especially smell when she has a fever or infection.

[caffeineandbooks]

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