I have headaches alot. But I can't pinpoint when they happen, how often, etc. I do know that I have different headaches. Sometimes, one side or the other, sometimes near my sinuses (which i'm pretty sure I know what causes those one), my whole head, the back of my head, the worst one is probably the top center of my head and feels like some one stuck a knife straight down into my head.

Another weird possibly unrelated thing just started today. I smell something really gross but I can't figure out where it is coming from and my husband doesn't smell it. I took a shower just in case, LOL. At first I thought it was my pillow and then I started smelling the same smell in other parts of the house. It sort of smells like a dirty dog. I could even smell it outside, and it was not coming from outside because it was no stronger than inside.

Has anyone had experience or solutions to either problem?

Also, I always wonder if I injured my brain from one or many of the times that I was hit in the head or landed on my head. But doctors always ask if you have been knocked unconscious and I don't think I have. Could I have still down damage even if I was never knocked out?

find someone who doesn't live in an old smelly house themselves and see if they smell it. better yet go to their house and see if u smell it there.

i used to think critters were living in my walls, but when mom visited she thought it smelled too (whether same smell unknown). i smelled it even after i moved, but then i do own a smelly dog.

there is an x-ray can be done shows if the sinus air space clogged. try an ent doc. hope u feel better soon.

try a hot shower, sometimes that's the only relief i get all day from headache.

Boy, I used to have so many headaches. They used to buy Advil for me at the office the way they bought sugar for others to use in their coffee.

Headaches for me were always related to stress.

Now, decades later I've learned that stress depletes vitamin B12 and that magnesium has a relaxing affect without doing any damage to jaw bones the way that Advil can and does.

There is some research that ties some headaches to low vitamin B12 levels. I'm afraid I don't have a link, though.

The smell thing is interesting. There was a thread a LONG time ago about hallucinating smells.

Because smell is related to nerves, I wonder if you have a nerve problem and if methylcobalamin to replace vitamin B12 if you are low on it would help.

You might want to see a neurologist to find out if the "smell" situation is related to a nerve prob.

My doctor had told me that I have a sensitive sniffer. I can smell things others can't - such as when wires were sparking a fire in my condo several years ago. No one else detected the "odor"; it was 2:30 a.m., and the smell was lingering. I "followed my nose," and there was smoke coming from an outlet. I've also smelled a gas leak from my stove; PG&E made an emergency housecall and said they were surprised I smelled it; it was a minute leak but it was there. (The line was replaced.)

Wow! that is really intense! It just goes to show how important our senses can be to saving our lives.

I was without a proper sense of smell for a long time after I was living in hydrogen sulfide which deadens the olfactory nerve. For a long time I thought the problem was that mass, commercial growing of strawberries and coffee beans and things had removed the smells... lol

Now I can smell things again and it is such a pleasure to make coffee and have that marvelous smell in the house.

I do not know if this will help any, but from what i hear about your headaches it sounds like it might be pressure related.

Try to pay attention to when you get your headaches and what the weather is like. See if your headaches are getting worse or better as the pressure raises or lowers. If you can find a pattern (expecialy like befor it rains) you might wank to ask your doctor about this. If this is it, it could be the capillaries being effected.

Noratriptoline and Anatriptoline (spelling?) These are anti depression drugs, but have also been found to help out with some types of headaches and even some migraines. This treatment has not worked for me sadly, but I have used this and referred several of my clients that suffered from long term headaches or migraines (not stress related headaches), and many of them came back thanking me that one or the other has really helped.

The difference though in use is not taking them every day on a regular basis, but only as you start to feel that pressure build just before a headache. A physician might have a better idea for you in this are.. whether something like this might help or work, or have an alternative answer for you. But do ask your doctor about one of these options and see what they have to say.

In reguards to the smeller.. well, I have very similar to what bobbi had mentioned, though I never prevented a gas fire hehe. However, Being a mother of four boys total, two teens left at home... I have been able to smell things that no one else could. Often times, it was something in the kids room.. socks even! A baggie of some weird snack they had forgotten about.. even once some food left in the basement den's microwave..and I could smell it upstairs.

So I would not worry too much just yet. Unless you notice a pattern to when you smell this oder.

However, I have allergies as well. (Yes, I am apparently a plethora of complexities) At times when they get really bad, I get a type of cyst that builds up and I will smell this horrible oder.. it reminds me of my husbands socks. And its worse when I rub or blow my nose. What helps for that is just some basic over the counter allergy medication and a nice hot steam shower.

Perhaps something here can help or someone can add or correct something I may have said. Either way.. good luck and I hope that all turns out well for you.

Peace,
Sarr

I recently had a sinus infection and for weeks I would smell a funny smell. It turned out to be a sinus infection that I had to end up getting surgery for because antibiotics wouldnt clear it up.

This ended up giving me severe headaches, but I never got them in the top or back of my head?

Hi neednewback -- It is just totally amazing to me how much there is to be learned from others who share their experience.

I had never thought about the smell associated with sinus drainage... when I was young, before I had my tonsils out, they were very pitted and nasal drainage would catch in them and when I could finally cough it out of the pits it smelled. But I never thought about how it probably also smelled when it was still caught.

I know that when I used to have infections around my teeth from plaque buildup that it would sometimes smell when I was brushing my teeth and knocking the plaque off and causing my gums to bleed. Now that I have consistent B12 replacement I don't get the plaque buildup but I still get bleeding sometimes when there's huge stress and I haven't had enough methylcobalamin...

Thanks SO much for the insights.

(((((((((neednewback))))))))))))

If you haven't checked out the forum on head trauma and concussion you may want to post there as well. My husband had a major head trauma last year, and has bumped his head since. He had a smell that he described as smelling death or something. Since he lost his sense of smell in the accident, his reporting a smell was strange. It has since past, but I read that this horrible smell is fairly common in head injuries. I have also read that even just one bump on the cabinet can cause concussion problems, and that repeated blows to the head, even slight, kind of add up to cause serious problems. I think you should go to see a neuro that deals with head injury and/or migraines, and detail the hits and falls on the head you're mentioning here. Did you bump your head even lightly prior to noticing the smell?

Good luck. I hope you find the cause soon.

Since I see lot's of sinus infection and allergy problems in this thread, I thought this would be a good place to relay this wonderful information.

I used to get sinus infections at least 2-3 times per year, and suffered from hay fever. I have Myasthenia Gravis, so a sinus infection lands me on the couch for 1-2 weeks. My doctor told me to get a Neti Pot and use it daily, and I haven't had a sinus infection since! Also, my hay fever hasn't bothered me since.

You can buy a Neti Pot at any health food store. The also sell packets of solution to use, but I make my own with sea salt. I have soft, well water that works well with just the salt, but if you have hard water you can use 1/8 t. of soda and 1 t. salt per treatment.

The Neti Pot looks like a little tea pot and you fill it with warm water and the solution, put the spout in one nostrel while bending over the sink. Make sure to breath through your mouth! Let the solution flush through the other nostrel for about 1/2 pot worth, then blow through your nose with both nostrels open. Repeat this on the other side. Then blow into a tissue. I know this sounds gross, but what's worse? Leaving that stuff in you!

After a couple of days, the solution will flush through cleanly and you can go to a maintenance flush if you prefer. I make sure I flush at least 1 x per week, or more if I get stuffy or am around people that are sick.
I've tried the nasal sprays, hot showers, etc. and nothing works like this.

Another benefit, especially to someone like me with an autoimmune disease, is that by keeping the nasal passages moistened, germs can't implant. I am often the only one at work that doesn't catch the colds, sniffles and flu bugs that go around - and I'm the one with the autoimmune problem! The people at work that have gotten a Neti and use it have seen the same result. The use the Neti's at National Jewish Hospital here in Denver, which is a world renowned center for asthma, allergy and othe breathing problems, as well.

Try it - it's wonderful to not have to deal with the sinus problems anymore!