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[ThreeYearsAndCounting]

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Hi all,Today was an eye-opening day. I've not felt this good since before January 3rd, 2008. Last night (and night before), I suffered nervous "breakdowns" having late night chats with my mother about my perceived (imaginary) body odor. She advised me to go in to work today, but find some time to chat with my boss, an amazing person and the closest thing to a father figure I have. During that time, I was to ask him to tell me the truth -- as a friend and not as my boss -- as to whether he's ever noticed a foul odor about me. He told me has never has, but he's noticed a foul odor on him (his house uses well water). Did some research on ORS and found it matches me to a T. Just got done reading a little more and this 100% convinced me it's all in my head. Earlier reads: http://www.jfponline...sp?aid=4796What I just read and a quote: http://bodyodd.msnbc...of-trouble?lite

"By all means, a phantom smell could mean something serious," says the psychiatrist and nationally recognized smell and taste expert. "It absolutely needs to be evaluated. It could be a tumor – that's on the top of your list of things to rule out – but it could also be a cyst or some infectious agent housed in the area of the brain where the smell is processed."

I have a cyst near the pituitary gland (think it's called arachnoid cyst...happened in October 2008 where I got such bad headaches I thought I'd die rofl) that just so happened to be discovered in October of 2008 (8 months after I first imagined having BO problems). I've asked relatives and friends to be 100% honest and everyone's told me they smell NOTHING on me. That includes my best friend and his mother, both devout Muslims who used the word "wolahi" to swear they never smelled anything on me.I'm sitting here in class without a care in the world and not sweating whatsoever knowing what I know now. I plan to go get some Cognitive Behavior Therapy and some anti-depressents and hopefully "fix" myself.INB4 "yeah well its real for me! do people even give you hints you smell? they cover their noses with me!"Yes, I've had all kinds of "tells" that made me believe I stunk: I smelled a "fecal/gassy" aroma around me (symptom of ORS), I had people cover their noses -- about 95% of people I spoke to -- while near me (another symptom), I've had people talk about me behind my back (freshman Algebra in college) where they said stuff like "he smells gassy and needs a haircut [rofl]" and I truly believed they were talking about me but I'm realizing IT'S IN MY HEAD. I rememeber attacking a poster on this site about a year ago when she/he (sunFlower?) insinuated it was (mostly) in our head. For that, I'm truly sorry because I'm sitting next to some Asian's in class feeling like a million bucks when they were my biggest "critics" during the first day of class (holding noses, turning heads from me...all symptoms of ORS). Rather than coming up with relatively unlikely situations that cause these odors, why not look at what legitimate scientists have found (delusional belief in body odor). Just Google "Olfactory Reference Syndrome" and find your answers...betting you see a 90% correlation with what you do.The reason those Candida diets probably work is because they reduce intake of meats/dairy which a pumped full of shitty hormones that do what? $$$$$$ up our CHEMISTRY. Go get your Seratonin levels in check and it'll fix your problem (if you get therapy).Mikeydidit: U MIRIN? I'm stylin' on you, brah!/willcheckbackin3weeksandrapeuEDIT 1: you have no idea what it feels like being free for the first time in years. brb sitting next to 2 people with no care in the worldbrb may say my 6th+ words of the semester in a couple minutes (previously asked "what was hw due today?" and never said anything after that)brb when i heal will say 'hi' to cute girl (would wife material minus the recently discovered tramp stamp/hickeys on neck lol)

[tummyrumbles]

Leaky Gas is tied in with the mind but it's not all in our heads. If you're comfortable around people like family members you probably won't have it. Not because the underlying problem isn't there but because you're not getting tense and nervous. And also you probably do release gas in your own home without thinking, so there's no build up. I wouldn't go around asking people if there's an odour. I don't know whether you have the sensation of "trying to hold gas in" when you're in social situations, especially at work. If you do get this, and you have problems with complete evacuation as well, chances are there is an odour. I know on days where I'm lazy and don't fully evacuate there's no leaky gas as such although I can still feel the weight in my colon. But if I have to go to work and sit close to someone, I'll have it for sure. Our characters are formed from decades of experience and I think it's the same for our colon - it has a neurotic brain unfortunately. It's not delusional. Legitimate scientists are clueless. Cognitive Behavioural Therapists won't help your IBS and I wonder if they're not the maddest of the lot. Complete evacuation will help your odour symptoms and you just have to find the time to do it.

[ThreeYearsAndCounting]

Leaky Gas is tied in with the mind but it's not all in our heads. If you're comfortable around people like family members you probably won't have it. Not because the underlying problem isn't there but because you're not getting tense and nervous. And also you probably do release gas in your own home without thinking, so there's no build up. I wouldn't go around asking people if there's an odour. I don't know whether you have the sensation of "trying to hold gas in" when you're in social situations, especially at work. If you do get this, and you have problems with complete evacuation as well, chances are there is an odour. I know on days where I'm lazy and don't fully evacuate there's no leaky gas as such although I can still feel the weight in my colon. But if I have to go to work and sit close to someone, I'll have it for sure. Our characters are formed from decades of experience and I think it's the same for our colon - it has a neurotic brain unfortunately. It's not delusional. Legitimate scientists are clueless. Cognitive Behavioural Therapists won't help your IBS and I wonder if they're not the maddest of the lot. Complete evacuation will help your odour symptoms and you just have to find the time to do it.

No doubt there's the occasional feeling of incomplete evacuation. But I've had it since like 5th grade (and my smells started in 11th grade). The bolded part has me raging a bit. What in the hell gives you the right to completely dismiss an entire sub-population based on your somewhat narrow-minded views?No, if people swear on their mother's graves or in the most sincere way (as devout Muslims) or as friend's and family, they're not lying to you. Read that first link I originally posted. I bet it fits you (like me) to the dot. Plus WebMd claims around 2 percent of the population has ORS (obviously some worse than others).It's in our heads. Of that I'm sure.

[cation]

This is interesting. My boyfriend has been hinting that it's all in my head for awhile, and after reading this I finally asked how often he was able to smell me. He said he couldn't remember ever being able to, which was amazing to me because I assumed there were a lot of situations in which it was really, really obvious (including a road trip during which I was ultra-stressed about possible LG). I'm not sure if he's telling the truth 100%, but if he smelled it as often as I'd thought I'm certain he would have admitted to smelling it at least occasionally.I do think I have issues with gas, but logically they're probably not nearly as bad as I think, and I think they may be tied in with psych issues. I've had a severe anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember (which makes the ORS theory especially interesting), and a few years ago I started having GI issues (mainly diarrhea) when the anxiety/stress got really bad. The initial comments I overheard about the smell came a few weeks after an extraordinarily stressful situation, and I'm thinking that maybe I was so anxious/panicky that my intestinal muscles would contract enough to force gas out without my even knowing it, or leak despite my best efforts at holding it. The same thing might be true now when I'm in public and constantly anxious about LG. Since I'm already on some psych meds I'm working on breathing exercises and stuff to calm myself down, with the hope that it may help the LG, or convince me I never had it. Incidentally, I have the same air purifier that anmegrl mentioned in the stickied "Self Diagnosis..." thread, and I've rarely had possible LG detected at home by the sensor (meaning, when the sensor goes off, there's usually an obvious odor source). On the other hand, it's not the same as a human nose and seems to catch certain kinds of smells more than others. The real test would be to bring it in to work to see how I do in my worst case scenario but frankly I'm terrified that it'll tell me the situation is WORSE than I'd imagined. That and it's pretty big, so it would be a little awkward to explain to everyone who walks by my desk.

[Reideran]

I know a lot of it has been in my head. I still have my moments when i eat something i shouldn't but i guess that's normal.you probably couldn't tell by looking at me but I have anxiety so bad, my muscles are always tight, i have shallow breathing and get panic attacks sometimes.

[pengu]

nah. we smell like ######. we go through social ostracism and have our lives ruined because we smell like ######.you have a breakdown and all of a sudden we're delusional and it's all in our head? alright buddy.

[cation]

Hahaha. Obviously I haven't read much about this yet, but how does the diagnosing doctor/psychologist/whatever know that it's all in the patient's head? How do they rule out the possibility that there actually is a smell, especially if it's intermittent and doesn't show up during their half-hour appointment? I don't doubt that there are people who have this disorder, but diagnosing it seems nearly impossible.

[Mikeydidit]

i dont think anyone would mire at our personal situations....lollettuce beef reality. donotwant/10 of our situations we are both in.not that i want to derail from your original post but i thought i should chime in and say i went to tgi fridays by myself to have a few drinks and wings and I'm starting to think i might be able to have a normal life again.

[westr]

Has a doctor convinced you of this? one of mine tried to, another said i should see a psychologist. they seem to ignore certain symptoms that lead it more into the unexplained and just concentrate on what leads them to the "its in your head" route. i really do hope you have ORS.

[ThreeYearsAndCounting]

nah. we smell like ######. we go through social ostracism and have our lives ruined because we smell like ######.you have a breakdown and all of a sudden we're delusional and it's all in our head? alright buddy.

Jimmies rustled? Feelsgoodman.jpgNo, but seriously, I've had those same situations you're talking about (stinking up the HS auditorium during announcements for graduation preparation including "make sure to take good care of your hygiene" comments lol). I still smell the gassy/diarrhea-ish smell "occasionally" but for the most part it's very rare. Guess what I do? I repeat to myself that it's "in my head" and it goes away (swear to my mother's life). I can't smell it anymore.Besides, I just went and viewed Batman: The Dark Knight Rises at the 12:01 am screening premiere with a packed crowd. Didn't break out a sweat or nothing, enjoyed the entire movie. I was unable to do that with the spy movie featuring Denzel Washington (was it Bill Cosby, Mikeyditit?) and Ryan Reynolds or The Grey with Liam Neeson. People all around me and no f's were given. I'm getting better, despite still seeing people holding their noses and isn't that what we're all trying to do (get better)? I have zero doubt we have "some" body odor, but who really doesn't? Brad Pitt is among the most smelly people in the world, showering infrequently, using Marijuana, and doing other unhygienic things.If every single person you ask tells you that they don't smell anything on you, don't you think the problem is in your head or is everyone trying to lie to you? I'll leave that one to you to respond.

Hahaha. Obviously I haven't read much about this yet, but how does the diagnosing doctor/psychologist/whatever know that it's all in the patient's head? How do they rule out the possibility that there actually is a smell, especially if it's intermittent and doesn't show up during their half-hour appointment? I don't doubt that there are people who have this disorder, but diagnosing it seems nearly impossible.

I'm sure this has been researched like any other disorder where people go to science labs in the presence of researchers for days on end and no emitted foul odor is recovered.

i dont think anyone would mire at our personal situations....lollettuce beef reality. donotwant/10 of our situations we are both in.not that i want to derail from your original post but i thought i should chime in and say i went to tgi fridays by myself to have a few drinks and wings and I'm starting to think i might be able to have a normal life again.

Good man! How did you feel? Get sweaty? Read my response to pengu to see what I did today.

Has a doctor convinced you of this? one of mine tried to, another said i should see a psychologist. they seem to ignore certain symptoms that lead it more into the unexplained and just concentrate on what leads them to the "its in your head" route. i really do hope you have ORS.

My family doctor, a lady who saved my life, has been telling my mother and carefully hinting to me that it may be in my head. I like you guys, suffer from pretty bad depression but these last 4-5 days have been unbelievable. I "finally" see the light again and I do have a meeting set up with a very, very good psychologist who visits my hospital every 2-3 months for sessions IIRC. The meeting is on September 11th (srs) and I really look forward to it.Lettuce beef reality, westr, people on this board seem very dismissive of doctors and tend to diagnose themselves (laughable if it wasn't so sad). I've spent well over $2000 trying to cure myself of what may ultimately be a mental disorder (suffer from OCD and this is a derivative of it). Cost: $1800 for wisdom teeth extraction, $200 probiotics, $50 on Threelac, 3 doctor visits (one with my mother's doctor, two with a endocrinologist who's good friends with my family doctor -- the one who set the meeting with the psychologist), multi-vitamins, fiber solubles, etc.Take a look at the symptoms and open yourselves up the the possibility that we "smell" because we suffer from anxiety/depression/lack of self-esteem/OCD and other medical problems like cysts. Chances are the only time you actually smell is when you're feeling gassy, but because you analyze people covering their noses -- and this condition is deeply ingrained in you -- you think they're doing it because of you. If the person next to me covers their noses but I see the person all the way on the other side of the room cover theirs, are both covering their noses because of ME or because that's how they prop themselves up on the table? What about all those people between them who are NOT covering their noses?Stop being arrogant and thinking you KNOW more than the very people who've devoted their lives to it! I've been a member here for 2 years. I'm not trying to create any friction with ya'll (bertstarin' pengu) but if countless visits to the doctors/dentists turn up nothing, could it be a *gasp* mental problem? Or maybe the relaxation of your sphincter in public settings due to anxiety/socialphobia/low self esteem?Jus' saying.Enjoyed the movie

[Kathleen M.]

My two cents.There are some physical problems that can cause foul body odor, but I also think there can be OCD type of issues.The problem is for the person with the odor issue you often can't tell the difference, but when there is reality checking (no other human I can trust to talk to has ever smelled it, just I know I smell based on how other people sometimes act) it may be worth at least considering that it can be non-physical.Trust me, there are lots of times with my allergies I couldn't smell you, I can't smell anything. But I do plenty of sniffing and rubbing my nose. Now people who are getting fired for stinking up the office and being confronted directly by people may need to look for physical reasons, even when they can't smell the odor themselves. But in the case where the evidence for odor is indirect, and all the direct evidence from people is no one smells it, that can be a mental issue. Unfortunately sometimes anxiety or OCD can cause us to mis-interpret things, or look for any evidence that what you fear is going on is happening.Either way there is likely to be a lot of anxiety and depression and you may want help with those even if you have a disorder that causes foul odors. Learning to cope can take professional care, and depression can be bad for your health no matter why you are depressed. I know sometimes people feel if they have a damn good reason to be depressed they don't need to get it treated, but it isn't good for you no matter what triggered it.

[Nakir22]

I was going to do a long post about it but after the last post i don't see a point to it. What you are describing is not ORS which is a problem related to hallucinations. If you have a burning itching on the rectum feeling, incomplete evacs, presence of mucus in the stool, constipation or D then no, you don't have ORS.What you are implying is like that the source of the problem is neurological, so it is in the head but not in the way you think. In fact the most likely scenario for the description you just made is that there is an odor issue and the cause of it is anxiety, stress, etc. afterwards you get paranoid due to the previous experience giving eternal feedback to the already anxious state you were in before. That leaves no room for hallucinations of any type. Like i said before if we discard the already known causes of rectal odor, srus, hemorroids, nerve damage, weakened sphincter, etc. Then we are left with a neurological issue that is not caused by trauma, brain tumor or otherwise. As you can read here: http://gut.bmj.com/c...t/47/6/861.fullThe role of stress in the modulation of the most common gastrointestinal disorders has traditionally been considered a domain of psychology, and has frequently been lumped together with the role of psychiatric comorbidity. Among clinicians, the term “stress” is generally taken as synonymous with psychological (“exteroceptive”) stress. Based on the deeply ingrained Cartesian view in medicine and gastroenterology, stress and psychological factors have been considered fundamentally separate and unrelated to the “real” biological changes underlying organic disease. However, recent breakthroughs in the understanding of the neurobiology of the organism's response to acute and chronic stress, and the evolving understanding of elaborate brain-gut interactions and their modulation in health and disease, are beginning to require a reassessment of chronic stress in the pathophysiology and management not only of functional but also of “organic” gastrointestinal disorders.There is a strong indication that what we might have is a brain chemical umbalance. There is an exacerbated reponse to stimuli by the neurotrasmitters, specially serotonin and noradrenaline in a fight or flight situation (in which we are most of the time). The reason why doctors cannot check it is the use of the wrong tools to meassure the problem an fmri or a spect could put this issue to an end, both devices used in research departments and no so much on the clinical side of things. If this is the case, the solution is going to come by the hand of theraphy, meditation, relaxation techniques and the use of the proper antidepressant to stabilize the response.

[ThreeYearsAndCounting]

My two cents.There are some physical problems that can cause foul body odor, but I also think there can be OCD type of issues.The problem is for the person with the odor issue you often can't tell the difference, but when there is reality checking (no other human I can trust to talk to has ever smelled it, just I know I smell based on how other people sometimes act) it may be worth at least considering that it can be non-physical.Trust me, there are lots of times with my allergies I couldn't smell you, I can't smell anything. But I do plenty of sniffing and rubbing my nose. Now people who are getting fired for stinking up the office and being confronted directly by people may need to look for physical reasons, even when they can't smell the odor themselves. But in the case where the evidence for odor is indirect, and all the direct evidence from people is no one smells it, that can be a mental issue. Unfortunately sometimes anxiety or OCD can cause us to mis-interpret things, or look for any evidence that what you fear is going on is happening.Either way there is likely to be a lot of anxiety and depression and you may want help with those even if you have a disorder that causes foul odors. Learning to cope can take professional care, and depression can be bad for your health no matter why you are depressed. I know sometimes people feel if they have a damn good reason to be depressed they don't need to get it treated, but it isn't good for you no matter what triggered it.

Another sane board user! Nice job putting what I've said into better words. That last paragraph stands out the most. Before my final breakdown -- where I laid out all the cards on the deck and finally realized I needed help -- I used to tell my mother (who has been advising me to get treatment for my anxiety/depression) that "if the smell just went away, my depression would go away" which is FALSE. I'm not on any drugs/treatment whatsoever, but just realizing that even if I do smell, I don't smell like ######, has guided me towards a much more positive outlook on life. I feel like a million bucks.

[Kathleen M.]

. If you have a burning itching on the rectum feeling, incomplete evacs, presence of mucus in the stool, constipation or D then no, you don't have ORS.

You can have all those physical symptoms and no problems with odors, which I think can make it all the more confusing at least for some people.I do think people can have combinations of physical and mental issues. Having one doesn't mean the other can't possibly happen. And it usually seems if you have some of both the physical makes the mental much worse, and the mental makes the physical much worse, and it is easy to get into a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of.Gas can be odorless even when IBS symptoms are raging out of control, depends on which bacteria you have in there. Control over gas release or sensation of gas doesn't indicate anything about how much it smells. I do think people can interpret the body language of strangers based on whatever triggers one's own anxieties or obsessive/compulsive thoughts. After all it is normal for every human to occasionally mis-interpret the behavior of other people. If we all could read each other's minds and emotions perfectly it would probably make life easier, at least some of the time.Whether the diagnosis for this individual is the correct one doesn't mean that if you think other people think you smell, you must smell. Even if you have every annoying IBS symptom in the book, it doesn't mean you smell.And, there are people who have something going on that can make them smell.

[tummyrumbles]

Gas from stool is never odourless, OK?I doubt even gas from normal bacterial digestion is ever odourless.But certainly the particular type of gas that Leaky Gassers suffer from predominantly smells of stool.Yes we know other people have these symptoms and no smell. We’re not other people.Our colon over-reacts to the presence of stool in the lower colon. It has a learned “neurotic” behaviour, which in turn affects the sphincter. This does NOT mean it’s all in the mind. It means that the mind influences colon behaviour and sets up a self-prophesising behaviour. I don’t believe this colon character can be reversed any more than our individual characters can be reversed.Leaky Gassers are depressed because they smell. It’s humiliating. The cure to their depression is not to smell. Any form of therapy which encourages self-denial is in itself harmful and will lead to further neurosis in the long run. The OP is desperate and delusional. Agreeing that it might be all in the mind after all will make things worse.If you haven’t completely evacuated and you release gas, it will smell.This hasn’t got anything to do with neurosis, it’s physics.Stool smells. If the container is open that stool is in, the smell will waft out.Leaky Gassers seem to have a neurotic sphincter as well.Other IBS sufferers and people in general don’t seem to have a touchy sphincter.But we do.There are 2 things you need to genuinely understand this condition.You need to experience leaky gas.You need to experience complete evacuation so that you can compare the symptoms.

[Kathleen M.]

Methane and Hydrogen are odorless. People who make a lot of those gases have odorless or nearly odorless farts. People post regularly about being freaked out that their farts don't smell. They just happen to have a lot of methane producing bacteria. You get a lot of volume, but nearly no odor to your farts if that is what you got growing in there.Hydrogen Sulfide is very stinky. People who have a lot of those bacteria (sulfur reducing) have very smelly farts. Only certain bacteria make those smells, and they smell a lot even if the volume is small (the classic silent but deadly fart).While there are some smelly odor compounds in stools they are not the main component of farts/intestinal gas.I don't think there is evidence that people with leaky gas make completely different intestinal gases that have none of the major gases in the farts from the rest of humanity, but maybe they do, but no one like that has ever been in a lab to be measured. You would think someone with completely different gas from all other humans would get a paper published about them.

[ThreeYearsAndCounting]

Gas from stool is never odourless, OK?I doubt even gas from normal bacterial digestion is ever odourless.But certainly the particular type of gas that Leaky Gassers suffer from predominantly smells of stool.Yes we know other people have these symptoms and no smell. We’re not other people.Our colon over-reacts to the presence of stool in the lower colon. It has a learned “neurotic” behaviour, which in turn affects the sphincter. This does NOT mean it’s all in the mind. It means that the mind influences colon behaviour and sets up a self-prophesising behaviour. I don’t believe this colon character can be reversed any more than our individual characters can be reversed.Leaky Gassers are depressed because they smell.It’s humiliating. The cure to their depression is not to smell. Any form of therapy which encourages self-denial is in itself harmful and will lead to further neurosis in the long run. The OP is desperate and delusional. Agreeing that it might be all in the mind after all will make things worse.If you haven’t completely evacuated and you release gas, it will smell.This hasn’t got anything to do with neurosis, it’s physics.Stool smells. If the container is open that stool is in, the smell will waft out.Leaky Gassers seem to have a neurotic sphincter as well.Other IBS sufferers and people in general don’t seem to have a touchy sphincter.But we do.There are 2 things you need to genuinely understand this condition.You need to experience leaky gas.You need to experience complete evacuation so that you can compare the symptoms.

Again, an Internet genius refutes SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH because it doesn't suit their set of beliefs. Arrogance at its finest. Want to know what? Even if I smell, it's better that I get out of this depression and lead as normal a life as I can rather than live like a recluse because I think my smell bothers those around me. I'm trying to turn my life around a bit. Pathetic comments like this bolded one really don't help anyone in any way except bringing them down emotionally to the level of those who see no light at the end of the tunnel.For a couple weeks (or months), I'll take a break from this site. Will report how life is going and all, but I don't want to rid arrogant, ignorant posts like these, which "refute" legitimate, scientific research by the medical community. Stop being arrogant and take a damn look at the symptoms, kid.Kathleen, mikeydidit, pengu, etc: hope you guys find the solution to your problems!tummyrumbles, I hope you quit trying to bring people down to your emotionally-empty level. I'm finally regaining control of my life. I don't care how it's being done, it's happening. While you may be OK with living a socially-withdrawn life, I'm not OK with it. Here's hoping you humble yourself and start believing what the medical community (those who've got a DEGREE in their field) publishes rather than going on this witchhunt of possible diagnosis.Have a great summer all!

[tummyrumbles]

Stool gas would have a different constituency to digestion gas. Digestion gas is the result of bacteria breaking down solids. Once the solids have broken down the remainer of the bulk is stool. Gas exerts pressure. If stool is encased, it will also exert a pressure on the walls of the container. It may be that digestion gas is more volatile and energetic than the gases from stool, but they are both gases. There is no logical reason to believe that flatulence is caused by one gas but not another. Why would the colon differentiate between gases? By what process would the colon allow one gas to pass but not the other? Gas is gas.Place stool in a container. Have the lid of the container partly open. You will smell the stool compounds. Whether you refer to these as vapours, volatile odours or gases doesn’t matter. We know that a partially open container will release the smell.Nearly every leaky gasser here complains of incomplete evacuation. Everyone with IBS knows that the mind plays a role, even if we disagree on the extent. The colon is a container. If that container is partially ajar because the sphincter is overly sensitive, then the volatile compounds (whatever the source) will leak out.

[BlueBird Happy]

You would think someone with completely different gas from all other humans would get a paper published about them.

Amen to that, sister.When I am bloated/gassy (very rare btw) lately there is no odor to the farts which is alarming. Thirdyear...I brought ORS up a while ago on a thread here...when I confronted friends and fiance. Not only did they think I was nuts and denied the odor....I got the same reaction from the forum you did. I am very happy for you and hope you update us from the land of the living. :) Keep that smile going.

[pengu]

Jimmies rustled? Feelsgoodman.jpgNo, but seriously, I've had those same situations you're talking about (stinking up the HS auditorium during announcements for graduation preparation including "make sure to take good care of your hygiene" comments lol). I still smell the gassy/diarrhea-ish smell "occasionally" but for the most part it's very rare. Guess what I do? I repeat to myself that it's "in my head" and it goes away (swear to my mother's life). I can't smell it anymore.

Besides, I just went and viewed Batman: The Dark Knight Rises at the 12:01 am screening premiere with a packed crowd.

wow... glad u survived. (haha..too soon?)

Didn't break out a sweat or nothing, enjoyed the entire movie. I was unable to do that with the spy movie featuring Denzel Washington (was it Bill Cosby, Mikeyditit?) and Ryan Reynolds or The Grey with Liam Neeson. People all around me and no f's were given. I'm getting better, despite still seeing people holding their noses and isn't that what we're all trying to do (get better)? I have zero doubt we have "some" body odor, but who really doesn't? Brad Pitt is among the most smelly people in the world, showering infrequently, using Marijuana, and doing other unhygienic things.If every single person you ask tells you that they don't smell anything on you, don't you think the problem is in your head or is everyone trying to lie to you? I'll leave that one to you to respond.

alright. here's what I did yesterday. walked to the corner store said hi to my neighbour. she sniffed and said "god".didnt matter i just grinned and kept walking.got to the store and the cashier lady sniffed and scratched her nose. some fat black lady made a face as i passed by. I got reactions from almost everybody i passed.while standing in line i watched 3 other people walk in and they got no reactions. it was like they didn't exist.got home ordered pizza and the pizza guy sniffed and made a groaning sound. i bet if i had asked him he would have told me no he didnt smell anything. but then wtf was that?trust me i tried doing the whole "im just gonna ignore this thing" and it just ended up embarassing me and ruining my self esteem. you can only ignore the fact that you stink for so long. i think it'd be crazier to ignore the fact that people are reacting to you (and no one else) and making comments than to accept that yes, maybe something is wrong.

Take a look at the symptoms and open yourselves up the the possibility that we "smell" because we suffer from anxiety/depression/lack of self-esteem/OCD and other medical problems like cysts. Chances are the only time you actually smell is when you're feeling gassy, but because you analyze people covering their noses -- and this condition is deeply ingrained in you -- you think they're doing it because of you. If the person next to me covers their noses but I see the person all the way on the other side of the room cover theirs, are both covering their noses because of ME or because that's how they prop themselves up on the table? What about all those people between them who are NOT covering their noses?Stop being arrogant and thinking you KNOW more than the very people who've devoted their lives to it! I've been a member here for 2 years. I'm not trying to create any friction with ya'll (bertstarin' pengu) but if countless visits to the doctors/dentists turn up nothing, could it be a *gasp* mental problem? Or maybe the relaxation of your sphincter in public settings due to anxiety/socialphobia/low self esteem?Jus' saying.Enjoyed the movie

seems like a good movie. im not being arrogant; frankly i think you are. you can't just come in here and say "stop the presses. i've found the solution. you're all crazy".i've been to countless doctors (we all have) and they've been very dismisssive of my condition. Plus who wants to smell like ######? I wouldnt believe in this thing unless there was some pretty major proof and external validation.a relaxation of our sphincters due to anxiety is a much better theory than telling us it's all in our head. because that'd be discussing the causes instead of telling us that it doesnt exist.cuz there's no f-ing way it's not real. no way.