Smell sensitivities

[roanna]

So I have one more question... you guys have been very helpful.

 

We have been to the doctor a ton lately because of my sons tonsils so I don't really want to go back to the office to ask about this.

 

My son has obvious sensory issues, tags, socks, etc but the one that I am having real difficulties with is his smell issues. He refuses to eat so many things because of the smell. Heaven forbid I ask him to eat fish. Anyhow, things that have just a dash of onion or garlic he can smell and refuses to eat.

 

So he regularly eats foster farms chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pb jelly, etc. I try my hardest to make things bland for dinner but still appetizing for the rest of us but it is so difficult. He will go to bed hungry if he can't stand the smell, or cry.

 

A side note that is interesting, if there is any cheese anywhere coming out of the food on a burrito, quesadilla, breakfast thing they all have to be cut off so they are not coming out. I used to force him to eat this thinking he was making me do strange things but he really can't have any cheese "leaking" out from anywhere.

 

Anyway, I looked over the internet and I can't find any help in this smell matter. Does anyone know of a book or help I may get for this? How do you handle this problem in your house? I know it is genuine.

 

Thanks again.

[LittleIzumi]

Is he in OT for the sensory issues? You can get The Out-of-Sync Child and The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun but OT really, really helps with sensory issues. BTDT with The Drama. :grouphug:

[roanna]

No I do not have any idea about any of those things. I always thought he was just quirky until I started reading about things in this forum realizing that he isn't just quirky but has sincere issues. I'll look into the book , thank you!

 

I guess I also think if I tell or ask the dr's about his issues that they will think I am being overreactive about him and they won't do anything anyways.

 

I just looked up that book, I read some portions of it and they seem pretty severe. I guess I don't think his problems are as bad as those kids. He does do the sock thing, is not very good at gross motor skills, handwriting, smells and such but I guess I was just hoping to know how people get their kids to eat normally when they complain about every single smell.

Edited September 8, 2011 by roanna

[matilda]

No I do not have any idea about any of those things. I always thought he was just quirky until I started reading about things in this forum realizing that he isn't just quirky but has sincere issues. I'll look into the book , thank you!

 

I guess I also think if I tell or ask the dr's about his issues that they will think I am being overreactive about him and they won't do anything anyways.

 

I just looked up that book, I read some portions of it and they seem pretty severe. I guess I don't think his problems are as bad as those kids. He does do the sock thing, is not very good at gross motor skills, handwriting, smells and such but I guess I was just hoping to know how people get their kids to eat normally when they complain about every single smell.

 

This is my ds . . . somewhat quirky, but not severe.

 

Here is what I have been doing and it seems to be very slowly working. (I think that the problem at my house is textures, not smells).

 

Lunch is totally up to him. I keep all of the foods he likes on hand (pb, chicken nuggets, etc.) and he can make whatever he wants. We never have to fight about it and he never goes hungry.

 

For dinner, I make sure that I have at least one boring food that I know that he will eat (bread, plain rice, fruit). Then the rest of the dinner is reasonable food that the rest of us like. That way, he never has to skip dinner completely and I don't have to eat like he does. Every night I give him a small bite (sometimes as small as 1/2 cm) so that he has a very non-threatening option to try. He can't have more of his boring food, until he tries the bite on his plate.

 

I never make him sit there until he eats, and he does go to bed hungry on a regular basis, but he eats so many more things than he used to, that I am hopeful that someday, he will eat normally.

[roanna]

Thank you so much, that really helps. I had become so frustrated lately that I just really stopped cooking normal meals and the rest of the family was suffering for it.

 

I have thought about getting a kids cookbook and looking through it with him to see what he would like but I got busy and took the book back to the library. I like your idea better though. I'll go back to cooking what we want to eat and get my sanity back.

 

My husband's from GA so it's not like I was cooking all sorts of crazy food--he wouldn't even eat then :)

[jenbrdsly]

The smell thing could be sensory integration disorder, or it could be a gifted/overexcitability issue in the sensory area. My mom, aunt, and I all have what we call "The Super Nose". It's a big problem for me because my MIL (whom I love) has a basement. Everything in their whole house smells like basement, and it really bothers me. Even my kids' hair smells like basement when they come home from an overnight with Grammy.

Edited September 9, 2011 by jenbrdsly

[roanna]

I know he has a couple of the overexcitabilities. He seems to fit in that area well from what I have read.

[Critterfixer]

I have some smell sensitivities myself. However, mine come in very handy in my line of work. So it can be a gift.

I also love to cook, and that means smelling things I don't like to smell (milk and cream, for instance) and tasting things that I have an aversion to. This has been helpful for me in learning to tolerate smells rather than just hating them outright.

[JeanM]

My older ds has smell sensitivities (and many other sensitivities). He's now 12, and I must say he has gotten MUCH better over the years. When he was young, he couldn't sit at the breakfast table if there was a glass of orange juice there, because the smell bothered him so much. If dh cooked bacon or fish, he'd hide under the blankets in his room. He still notices the smells, and he'll ask me to move the orange juice glass farther away from him, but it isn't as big a deal.

 

I generally try to cook things separately. DS won't eat tomato sauce, or any form of tomato really. So if I'm making lasagna or enchiladas, I'll save a portion without any sauce for him. We've gradually expanded his repertoire, but he is still pretty limited in what he will eat.

 

You could try "The Sensitive Child" book. I read it a few years ago, and I don't remember exactly what it was like. At the time, I wanted my dh to read it, since he seemed to have trouble understanding how our ds could be so sensitive.

[kochanyk]

My older ds has smell sensitivities (and many other sensitivities). He's now 12, and I must say he has gotten MUCH better over the years. When he was young, he couldn't sit at the breakfast table if there was a glass of orange juice there, because the smell bothered him so much. If dh cooked bacon or fish, he'd hide under the blankets in his room. He still notices the smells, and he'll ask me to move the orange juice glass farther away from him, but it isn't as big a deal.

 

I generally try to cook things separately. DS won't eat tomato sauce, or any form of tomato really. So if I'm making lasagna or enchiladas, I'll save a portion without any sauce for him. We've gradually expanded his repertoire, but he is still pretty limited in what he will eat.

 

You could try "The Sensitive Child" book. I read it a few years ago, and I don't remember exactly what it was like. At the time, I wanted my dh to read it, since he seemed to have trouble understanding how our ds could be so sensitive.

 

I'm a fan of "The Sensitive Child"- excellent book! My son (and DH) are both "super tasters." They literally have more taste buds than most people are are overly sensitive to bitter flavors, smells, tend towards monotone colored foods, etc. DS1 has a very harsh natural aversion to tomatoes and we recently discovered that's because he has a true allergy to them (so there may be something to the body naturally gravitating towards blandness). We've tried it all- charts, rewards, bribery- all in the name of tasting new foods to no avail for nearly 7 years. Even when he first started solids he'd gag at the smell of certain foods (peas, broccoli, tomato sauces). Point being you aren't alone. We also deal with a lot of perfectionism and from reading "The Sensitive Child" it all seems hand-in-hand.

[JeanM]

 

It isn't necessary to go bland, just work with him on the acceptable smell list as you go through the spice cabinet. My sensitive guy insists on spicing the pizza sauce now so that it has a sufficient amt!

 

:iagree::iagree: My super sensitive ds now likes some quite spicy foods. Sometimes the spice will enable him to eat things that he wouldn't otherwise.

[Misty]

My 8yr old has a BIG sensitivity to smell. She used to scream, hide, etc. if I cook things with a strong smell (caseroles, eggs, etc.). She would refuse to get in the van much of the time because of the smell and would frequently vomit in transit (she would say because of the smell.. I think she had some motion sickness contributing to it). And, no our van doesn't have any sort of distinct smell that anyone else notices. It smells like a van! :confused:

 

She's also a picky eater.. On the extreme end. Just the sight of some foods make her gag. She's been through OT and feeding therapy with an ABA therapist (she has Asperger's) with no luck.

 

Anyway, she is better these days, but we had a rough few years of dealing with this issue. She is still sensitive, but not severe like she was. We did do some alternative treatments, but they were specific to what my daughter was dealing with (food allergies, etc.) and may not be your son's issue.. If you are interested in what we did, LMK.

[AEC]

Just a quick note to say, BTDT...and it CAN get better.

OT helps wonders. Be sure to ask about a sensory diet. My kids had mostly touch-based and spinning related sensory diets, but I don't see why you couldn't have a smell based one.

 

Are there ANY smells he likes? Lavendar? Ivory soap? apples? If so, try setting up a smelling station...jars with perforated lids with the things that smell in them. Start with gentle smells and very gradually work you way up. You can also play games (close your eyes and identify the smell, etc). Daily practice smelling things may help him learn to manage that sense better.

 

DD7 had, even up to the age of 6, the ability to ferrit out the TINIEST AMOUNT of veggies she didn't like in dishes. I swear, she could detect garlic/squash/eggplant/onions at levels of parts per billion.:tongue_smilie:

 

Today, she eats everything under the sun and eggplant is her most favorite...grilled, fried, eggplan parm, thai eggplant stirfry..all of it. I think the sensory diet and OT helped, as did continuous gentle exposure in particular in the kitchen. Many of these things she got used to by handling/smelling/seeing as she helped put them in OTHER PEOPLE'S food.

[nitascool]

My ds has severe SPD including sensitivity to smells. When he was young (2-3 years old) he would tell us exactly what was in the refrigerator when it was closed. Once he told us that he smelled snow coming. It was a cloudless day and everyone laughed, 15 minutes later it started snowing.

 

I second the smell station. It really helped ds learn to tolerate smells... and how to react properly to "bad" smells. Which is not as important to eating but very important in the grocery line when the lady in front of you forgot to shower. :lol:

[jenbrdsly]

Just out of curiosity, how many people out there with smell sensitivity also have allergies? I wonder if there is any connection.

[Misty]

Just out of curiosity, how many people out there with smell sensitivity also have allergies? I wonder if there is any connection.

 

My daughter has gluten sensitivity, casein sensitivity, and soy sensitivity.

[JeanM]

Just out of curiosity, how many people out there with smell sensitivity also have allergies? I wonder if there is any connection.

 

My very sensitive ds has lots of environmental allergies (dust, pollen, etc.), but no food allergies, at least as far as we know.

 

Interesting question!

[jenbrdsly]

I myself have a bunch of allergies, and so does my aunt. My mom does not have any allergies at all. All three of us have the smell issue.

On an interesting side note, my ancestors came out west for the "prairie cure". So allergies and asthma have always been a part of my mom's family, and many of those same relatives also have the Super Nose.

[roanna]

I read the Highly Sensitive Child last week and it was so helpful. I thought it was interesting that she even suggested homeschooling as a good option for HSC.

 

As for allergies, my son has had hives on and off for a few years but recently for over a month straight. We went to the allergist and he told us to just keep taking the medicine for a month and see if it goes away. He would not test him for any allergies to food or environmental.

 

It would be interesting to know though.

 

Roanna

[Embassy]

I have a very sensitive sniffer, but no allergies. It was funny. The other night I could smell my husband's drink from across the room.

[Critterfixer]

I had food allergies to a wide variety of foods as a child, and outgrew most of them. Oddly enough, the one food I was not allergic too (milk) I could not get down due to the smell. I would gag and vomit if forced to drink it. Guess how many times I was forced to drink milk?

To this day I can't stand to smell milk. I will cook with it, and I will eat yogurt (in a small way) and cheese, but I can't even take ice-cream if it starts to melt.

Although my food allergies are gone now, my nasal allergies persist. I keep wondering if my super-sniffer will become less sensitive due to the allergies, but so far it hasn't.

[MelanieM]

I am very sensitive to smells and find that it's important for my environment to be 'clean' so I don't get overwhelmed. That means unscented bath and body products (for everyone in the house), natural/green cleaners, no perfumes or air fresheners (especially no air fresheners!!), no fabric softener, etc. Basically, my home is as chemically free as possible, and that helps me to cope with unwelcome smells when I do encounter them.

 

Best of luck to you!

[gingersmom]

Have you taken him for an OT evaluation?

 

Life can be so much better without worrying about tags and smells and everything else.

[roanna]

I haven't. I've been just learning about things on here and then reading.

We don't have great insurance right now so I don't know if I'd be laughed at at my doctors office. I guess I just assumed he is his own person and didn't think he needed to be medically seen. Maybe when my husband gets a different job I'll look into it.

 

PS: my daughter's name is Ginger also.

[MBM]

To the OP, is your son synesthetic? Ask him if he *sees* certain colors when he smells different things. My youngest is synesthestic, and he associates certain colors with smells/tastes and other things which can lead to sensory overload or *seeing* things that bother him. Mushrooms and, not surprisingly, skunk smells are his least favorite and evoke certain colors that he dislikes. Textures have always had a big impact on him, too, but he seems to be tolerating them better now that he's a teen.

Edited September 20, 2011 by MBM
typo

[Jill]

just fyi - All of my son's sensitivities were worse before he went on his gluten-free diet for celiac disease. He has less tactile defensiveness now vs. pre-dx. His palate has broadened - though admittedly it's not great. In his case, some of the issues with food probably stemmed from the zinc deficiency that commonly comes with undiagnosed celiac. Zinc really affects the tastebuds. Also, deficiencies in B-vitamins (and fatty acids and probably other stuff) affect the nervous system. But on top of it, I have my suspicions that he and my DH both are supertasters too. Whereas I love curries and brussel sprouts and sauerkraut, well, you get the picture. :/

[Misty]

just fyi - All of my son's sensitivities were worse before he went on his gluten-free diet for celiac disease. He has less tactile defensiveness now vs. pre-dx. His palate has broadened - though admittedly it's not great.

 

Exact same experience here at my house. Once we removed gluten, the issues improved greatly.

[roanna]

Can either one of you tell me any other symptoms of your childs gluten problems. I have thought that it may help my husband but wasn't sure about with my son. It's such a huge thing to do (at least to me :) how long was it before you noticed a change?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

I looked up celiacs and my son doesn't really seem to fit the profile. He has lots of gas and a skin rash that the doctors say is urticarea, but

other than that none of the other lists fits him. Would it still help if he didn't have celiacs do due gluten free due to his sensitivities? He has the

tags, certain fabrics, buttons in pants, and noise issues also.

Edited September 25, 2011 by roanna

[Jill]

how long was it before you noticed a change?

I actually did small test periods of having my son gluten free before we ever tested for celiac. So we'd have rice, potatoes or corn tortillas for our starches for meals and avoid gluten (probably we were still getting cross-contamination) for a couple of weeks and his attention would get better, his mood would get better (fewer tantrums and meltdowns), and his minor digestive issues would get better. We did a few trials like that, I made sure my husband knew about it the 2nd & 3rd times around. After a couple of months back and forth, I scheduled the testing with his pediatrician and he was high positive. He has always been tall for his age so he didn't fit the "failure to thrive" celiac portrait which is outdated anyway. He has good teeth - poor dental health is another old indicator that he didn't fit. When we finally went completely gluten-free for good, there was about a three week period where some aspie traits got stronger and then, almost overnight, they were gone.

 

 

I looked up celiacs and my son doesn't really seem to fit the profile. He has lots of gas and a skin rash that the doctors say is urticarea, but other than that none of the other lists fits him. Would it still help if he didn't have celiacs to do gluten free due to his sensitivities? He has the

tags, certain fabrics, buttons in pants, and noise issues also.

It's possible it could be of benefit to go GF. You might wish to look at the collection of abstracts related to gluten-sensitivity and -intolerance here, including the various skin issues that clear up for some going GF: http://sites.google.com/site/jccglutenfree/

 

Also, just because a child doesn't have "classic" symptoms of celiac disease, that doesn't mean they absolutely don't have it. I had a niece who went undiagnosed for twenty years due to physicians assuming that because she didn't have classic symptoms, she must not have it. My son's seemingly healthy stature surprised his gastroenterologist who in practice mostly sees "failure to thrive" kids diagnosed though that is changing a little now with more awareness. The old model has been disproven, about a third of newly diagnosed celiacs are asymptomatic and about 20% of newly diagnosed are overweight to obese.

 

Another thing to be aware of though is the limitations of blood and biopsy testing. There are links to abstracts about that at the same link above but basically, the blood tests only catches people with severe intestinal damage. Patients with moderate damage are much more likely to get false-negatives in the blood tests.

[roanna]

Update:

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice for going gluten free.

 

We started 3 days ago and took out gluten and dairy for my husband and me and just gluten for the kids.

 

After much research I believe that my husband either has celiacs or is strongly gluten intolerant. His gastrointestinal issues are nearly gone in just 3 days and his fatigue is greatly lessoned.

 

My son's eczema appears to be going away along with his itchy skin. I have been so busy with the meals I just don't have time to make anything else so he has put up a stink about the food but I just let it sit there until he's hungry and then he finally eats it.

 

I made g-free homemade chicken nuggets tonight which were a big hit with everyone.

 

Thank you so much! I feel like this is a HUGE thing for my husband.

[LittleIzumi]

Update:

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice for going gluten free.

 

We started 3 days ago and took out gluten and dairy for my husband and me and just gluten for the kids.

 

After much research I believe that my husband either has celiacs or is strongly gluten intolerant. His gastrointestinal issues are nearly gone in just 3 days and his fatigue is greatly lessoned.

 

My son's eczema appears to be going away along with his itchy skin. I have been so busy with the meals I just don't have time to make anything else so he has put up a stink about the food but I just let it sit there until he's hungry and then he finally eats it.

 

I made g-free homemade chicken nuggets tonight which were a big hit with everyone.

 

Thank you so much! I feel like this is a HUGE thing for my husband.

 

Awesome!!