The packing is gradually absorbed by your body within a few weeks. Due to swelling, dry blood, mucus, temporary packing, and crusting in your nose, you may have symptoms like an upper respiratory infection, and – yes - an unpleasant odor.
The tip of your nose and your upper lip and gums may be numb. Feeling will return in a few weeks to a few months. Your sense of smell will not be as good after surgery. It will improve and probably return to normal in 1 to 2 months.
Various drugs, including anesthetic agents, can cause parosmia in the perioperative period. There are reported cases of patients with alterations of smell and taste due to local anesthetics, nerve damage, or as a side effect of general anesthesia.
Soap and shampoo have different abilities to kill bacteria. I sometimes recommend a topical antibacterial, chlorhexidine (sold as Hibiclens and other brands), which is very effective at reducing bacteria counts.
The decrease in carbohydrates and thereby glucose, forces your body to look to other sources for energy - namely fats. The fat breakdown for energy causes the odor that you may notice within the first few weeks to months after surgery, especially when your body is acclimating to your new diet.
Several conditions may cause a bad smell in the nose, including sinusitis, tooth/ mouth infections, dry mouth, some medications, some foods/drinks, and olfactory damage. Typically, a bad smell in the nose is not life-threatening but can decrease the quality of life.
During a sinus infection, however, your sinuses become swollen and potentially congested. This can trap mucus and all that it has filtered from the air, which can, in turn, lead to some rather unpleasant odors.
Moldy or Fungus Smell
Sometimes microbial buildups, growths, or infections in the sinuses contribute to breath that smells like mold or fungus. Sinus infections often causes thick, yellowish-green mucus to drip from the nose or sinuses to the back of the throat.
As the post-surgical swelling gradually subsides, nasal sensory perception will improve and smells and tastes will become more defined again. In most patients, it takes about 3 to 6 weeks for sense of smell to fully return.
This is due to a variety of factors that can occur during the healing process. During a nose job, the surgeon makes incisions inside and outside of the nose and then adjusts the cartilage and bone structures in order to reshape it. These incisions increase the risk of infection, which can lead to an unpleasant odor.
Your ability to smell and taste will return as soon as your nasal passages clear up or the swelling goes down. For many patients, their senses may fully return within three to six weeks. Complete healing can take six months to a year, and there should be no lasting or permanent effects on taste or smell.
Minor bleeding, pain, congestion, discharge and fatigue are common after the surgery, but should go away in one to three weeks.
For the first week following surgery you should not blow your nose. In addition, you should not bend, strain, or lift more than 20 lbs. during the first week. Light walking and regular household activities are acceptable anytime after surgery.
Your sense of smell may not be as good after surgery. But it will improve and will often return to normal in 1 to 2 months. You will have a drip pad under your nose to collect mucus and blood.
An infected sinus releases mucus that has a foul odor. The mucus drains to the back of your throat, resulting in bad breath. Also, when you have a sinus infection, there may be bacteria trapped in the nasal cavities, which produces an unpleasant smell.
Symptoms of nasal polyps include a rotten smell in your nose or a dramatically decreased sense of smell and taste. Nasal polyps tend to be very small, so you may not even know you have them. They may not affect your breathing.
When fungi invade our sinuses and we develop fungal sinusitis, the symptoms are quite similar to regular sinusitis at first. You will experience fever, decreased sense of smell, a bad smell IN the nose, inflammation and swelling of the nose, nasal congestion, pain and tenderness in the sinus area, and a headache.
Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to detect smells that aren't actually in your environment. It can happen in one nostril or both — and the odors may be foul or pleasant. Common causes include colds, allergies, nasal polyps and dental issues.
Chronic sinusitis symptoms
Chronic sinusitis is a persistent condition, with symptoms that include: Nasal obstruction that blocks airflow in one or both of your nostrils. Thick and/or foul-smelling or tasting nasal discharge or postnasal drip.
Saline rinses and anesthetic pads can often help reduce the smell. When phantosmia is related to the brain or central nervous system, the smells are often more persistent. They can be noticeable during the day and night, and both nostrils, rather than only one, experience the same smell.
You might have symptoms, such as face pain and fever. You might have yellow or greenish discharge from your nose. Your healthcare provider might or might not use an antibiotic to help treat you. Other treatments may help make you feel better.
Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a common type of fungal infection in the sinuses. The infecting fungi are found in the environment and cause an allergic reaction which results in thick fungal debris, sticky mucus and blockage of the infected sinus.