If it's there, I can smell it.
I can smell a burning cigarette 3 rows away in a parking lot. Living in Arizona, there's lots of dust and I'm constantly trying to get rid of it in my house. We have a "scrubber" (not as large as in a hospital, but the same thing). I can walk from room to room in my small home and smell the dust in the room I haven't dusted much. I used to appraise houses, which were usually repos. If there was mold, I'd be sick in a couple of days. Even though I have sinus issues, asthma, and bronchitis flares, I can still pick up scents of things that affect my breathing. I used to live along the border of a state forest in Michigan - I used to get both viral and bacterial lung infections - at the same time.
Hi! First, thanks for sharing that precious baby picture. Is that you? 😀 So sweet!
You are not alone in smelling triggers! Cigarettes are obvious, but it does seem like others here can also smell subtler things like dust and mold. The first few entries in this search talk about this phenomenon:
https://asthma.net/search?s=smell%20triggers
Personally, I think our bodies have learned to sharpen those senses as a way of protecting us from things that can cause flare-ups. I can only imagine how much trouble you encountered appraising houses. When I was house hunting, there were many I vetoed just because they had "a smell." You have to trust yourself, for sure.
Aside from all the dust, how are you doing in Arizona? Do you feel like the move has been a positive change? Thanks for sharing some of your story with us! -Melissa, team member
