Smelling smells that arent there help me im scaring myself

[ellen1]

help me!!! I can smell tobacco in my nose and I am scared because every website is saying you get it before a seizure, and I'm getting into an anxious state! I can smell strong tobacco and I am crying my eyes out

[Enduronman]

Knock knock!

Ellen,..sit down and relax now please. Who's there with you or near you now?..Do you have a phone nearby?...Are you epileptic?.. Do you have seizures often, a few times, or waiting for the first one?...

Deep breathes,..repeat.. and fix a glass of ice filled water right now please..

[bcdefg123]

One of the symptoms of anxiety is having a heightened sense of smell - you can smell things more strongly, or smell things that aren't even there. If you've been suffering from panic or anxiety before this (which I assume is the case due to your postcount), I highly suspect that is the case - not a seizure.

Doing a search for 'anxiety and smelling tobacco' turns up results from people who are/have been in your situation.

I suggest that if you find yourself routinely distressed by what internet searches turn up, try to resist the urge to perform them. I know it's hard. Despite what my parents say, I still search the internet for every symptom I get, just to make sure that yes, people with anxiety get that. If you must search, though, with future searches, try wording it as 'Anxiety and <symptom>' instead of just 'symptom'. If you can trust that your symptoms are due to anxiety, you'll get better feedback. If any symptom truly alarms you, see your doctor. But I bet you that this is simply anxiety. Calming down is the best thing to do regardless. It's tough to deal with unknown symptoms like this, but try to calm yourself and you may find that the symptom simply goes away in a few minutes, hours, or days.

[Enduronman]

HELLO????...darn call waiting!

(waiting for reply).....

[ellen1]

HELLO????...darn call waiting!

(waiting for reply).....

Ive never had a seizure before and my mum told me that I'm talking rubbish. Brilliant.

[whatif]

I'm sure it's just anxiety.. I swear I can smell my adrenaline kicking in sometimes... Crazy! Try to relax, call a friend and have them chat w you till you calm down, that way IF there IS a real problem, you will have the help you need.

[LeighJane]

Oh, Ellen. Smoke smell doesn't always mean that even if it has in the past. I know because that was one of the expressions of my anxiety. Take Care & please let me know you're ok.

[Enduronman]

Problem solved...No more rubbish talk because I was saddleing up my horse and gathering the search party!!!..

Glad you're OK!!

Have a great night..

Enduronman.

[ellen1]

Oh, Ellen. Smoke smell doesn't always mean that even if it has in the past. I know because that was one of the expressions of my anxiety. Take Care & please let me know you're ok.

I think I'll be ok but I have a head ache that has come on and it's in the same spot and it's sharp.. That might just be my anxiety but I haven't had the actually anxiety at all for about a month yet this is all continuing (the symptoms)

[bcdefg123]

Well, you say you were panicking just an hour ago... so that means your body still has some stress to recover from. And you probably haven't recovered fully yet. A headache's really not that bad compared to the other hundred or so symptoms you can get. At least you can take a pain reliever for that :)

[LeighJane]

Anxiety can be such an odd deal, but the headache, anxious feeling & smoke smell are all individually not a big deal. Anything can cause them. If you had any reason to worry about the smoke smell, for instance, you WOULD KNOW IT! The smoke smell can be an "aura" for a migraine, seizure or whatever, but there is reason to be concerned about the smoke smell ONLY AFTER you have experienced it at the onset of a migraine or seizure. Alone, a smoke smell means virtually NOTHING! If you had the condition you fear, you would be describing a repeated pattern of the smell then the scary condition. I know. I've had the aura followed by an absolutely debilitating headache. (when this happened, I had to be chemically rendered unconscious until it passed, but Ellen, friend, that is ME and not YOU. I'm better by the way & haven't had one in years so even that is not as bad as your fear.)

I am thinking your problem is more about being anxious about a problem than it is about an actual problem. However, the anxiety itself is a significant and VERY REAL problem. In Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural address, he said, the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself". This is great wisdom. Fear is real, and fear is habitual. We must "unlearn" fear by fighting it when it comes close. When we beat it, we have nothing left to fear! Good Luck, new friend. Fight fear with tiny hands then with strong arms, then kick it's ass once or twice.