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moth ball/ and other odd odors

I have read the threads on spouses and odors. He does, and I have told him about what I smell. He is starting to believe me, and I want to get him to the doctor about it. Though at this time he is not happy about his doctor (and his treatment and lack of fixing his concerns) now, so do we go and hunt out a new doctor.
I tried to look it up online- remedies or what might be the cause of mothball/metalicky/rubber smell in either breath or pores and have not gotten very far. I know he won't go for herbs or un FDA tested pills as he is always calling it quakery; can't even get him to take vitamins. Anyone ever been helped by this or found a solution from this type of odor?
He used to smell like sausages, even when he had not eaten any.... I had gotten used to that- but this is worse.
I feel so bad because I don't want to hurt his feelings- just want to fix it. I have tried getting him to use Axe- and he uses mouthwash and such but the smell is still there, underlying... is it better to try the dentist first?
I will try to get him to use a tounge cleaner... we have one of those auto toothbrushes.


Fri. Sep 22, 10:43am

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yeah-he might just really need to see a dentist! does he floss? use a tongue scraper on the back of his tongue? if he hasn't been to the dentist in a while it may be plaque/food building up that is giving off the odor or a rotting tooth. if he goes to the dentist and that doesn't help-get him to the doctor's-he could have a serious medical condition!

be honest with him-you don't want to hurt his feelings, but you may have to in order to get him the care he needs. tell him you are worried about his health and that the smell of his breath could be a sign of something else.

Friday, September 22, 2006, 11:30 AM

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I have heard of people smelling like acetone (or sometimes alcohol) from ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis, but never mothballs.

Still, if he is on a high-protein/no carb diet, that could be it.

Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:32 PM

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i read that bulimia can cause someone's breath to smell like mothballs-maybe he has some GI issues?

Friday, September 22, 2006, 12:37 PM

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He really should be checked for diabetes. Please check the accompanying link and see if that describes what you smell.

As was mentioned ealier, acid reflux is a biggie and, since it doesn't always come far enough up the throat for most people to feel it, many people don't realize they have it until it gets severe. The only way to really diagnose acid reflux in that case is to get scoped and look for signs of distress around the opening of the esophagus, but he can take a low dose of prilosec first thing the morning for a couple weeks and that will generally be enough to illustrate any symptoms. That's what my husband's doctor did and my husband has since been able to control it with diet and lifestyle changes.

The flossing/toungue scraping point is also a good one since a sign of peridontal disease is bad breath and a unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Is he on any medications? That can sure do it. It's also possible that he doesn't produce enough saliva. Does he smoke or chew? Not only do they cause your breath to smell of tobacco but they cause damage to your teeth, toungue and gums that cause bad breath and increases risk or peridontal disease.

Chronic sinus problems or respiratory issues can also cause bad breath. Does he have allergies or sinus issues?

My dad has kidney problems and you can always tell when they are acting up because he gets bad breath. It makes sense since his kidneys aren't filtering out all the waste, but it wasn't something we figured out right away. He got several 'talking to's' at work after which he would brush and gargle like crazy before he finally realized what was going on (unfortunately it took complete kidney failure and a long hospital stay to show that). According to his doctors this can be a sign of liver problems too.

Best wishes to your husband and you!

Link

Friday, September 22, 2006, 2:27 PM

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Mothball smell

I surely understand what people are saying about the dreaded mothball smell leaching from out the nostrils and mouth.

You are not crazy.It does happen to people like me I can smell it when I breathe out and then back in. I have taken the drug "metformin" recently for diabetes. I have read that it may cause that smell. anyone else?



Thursday, June 04, 2009, 2:27 AM

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Another thing to consider: what kind of a diet are _you_ on? I found that when i was on a very low-cal, low-fat diet my sense of smell and taste changed. For a brief time I was even convinced that someone was putting ammonia in the coffee at work! Totally innocuous things started to smell chemical and poisonous to me.

Thursday, June 04, 2009, 11:55 AM

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maybe he should try some vegan replacements--- no big deal, just coconut milk ice cream instead of cow's milk ice cream, sometimes ginseng instead of meat, a soy bar for lunch--- I've never known a vegan to smell. I've always had great luck taking chlorophyll - either in liquid or tablet. It helps, but it sounds like your guy has a serious health problem that may require medical treatment as well.

I feel for you and him. take chlorophyll! The liquid is flavored like mint. I drank it every day as a teenager.... I loved it just for the taste...

Thursday, June 04, 2009, 4:10 PM

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Moth ball body order and bad breath

My husband developed really bad breath and moth ball body odor sometimes. My husband has good oral hygiene and showers every day. so that is not the cause. On the internet I found a wed site where a mother said her daughter had really bad breath (could peel paint she said) and that they found out she has lactose intolerance. I asked his doctor about this and she said she never heard of lactose intolerance causing bad breath. He has no gastric symptoms but when he doesn't eat dairy it goes away. Doctor didn't seem to be concerned about it, but anyone who has a spouse with this problem know it's bad. It offends you and everyone else. We tried lactose supplement when he had any dairy but they don't work. Only thing works is staying away from all dairy including butter. It's hard but he uses oil or Italian dressing instead of butter (almost all margarine has some dairy in it), By the way, that new almond milk is really good, much better than soy milk. Can't find the website about the teenage daughter right now but if you search on google: "daughter has bad breath lactose intolerance," you will find lots of websites. Good luck!

Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 11:27 AM

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Moth Ball oder

My husband has also developed an mothball oder and sometimes a rubbery and a metallic order at different times. He does smoke, has had dentures for many yrs before this order came about. He is 54 and I just started smelling this in the past 3 maybe 4 yrs. He very rarely consumes any dairy other than butter. I guess I should start a journal of what he eats. I will never tell me if he feels bad. But I do know that he has been having intestinal issues. One Doctor that I asked said it was caused by a bacteria in the mouth. (anaerobic bacteria). Guess I will just keep researching until I can convince him to be checked out. He is another one who does like Doctors..

Thursday, October 11, 2012, 6:33 PM

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