It’s after 3 am when I wake up to the sound of ocean waves. I lay there for a minute or two. Hoping I can doze back to dreamland again, but I find myself tossing and turning. Slowly sitting up, while inhaling deeply, I hit a button to turn my sound machine off. Silence. Inhuman sounds come from my throat as I exhale pushing myself off the side of the bed. I glance down barely making out the details of my dog Crash laying spread eagle in the middle of the bed. My dog has perfected the art of bed hogging.
My bare feet shuffle across the living room toward my kitchen. Maybe a glass of water will help me find sleep again. My eyes are unfocused and partially closed. Little beknownst to me, this will soon be a night I won’t forget. I see my kitchen cabinets in the glow of the nightlight. Reaching for the handle to get a cup for my water, I take a step forward. The moment my heel hit the ground, I felt it. A cold mushy, pulpy, mass directly under my foot as the momentum of my shuffle continued my speed. I feel a spongy, semiliquid goop squishes in between my toes. For a second I thought… what was that? Then it hit me. I just stepped in dog poop… dry heave.
But why could I not smell it?
Crash had no remorse. Not even puppy dog eyes. Pooping like a boss. He smirks at me as if to say, “thanks for picking that up for me, can you turn the lights off again. I can’t be bothered.” Now, fortunately, my dog doesn’t leave a turd gift in my kitchen often, but as any dog owner knows, it happens. What’s most disturbing about this situation, is not the excrement under my feet it’s the fact that I didn’t smell it.
One of the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be a loss of smell or hyposmia. While scientists have theories that Parkinson’s begins in the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that controls our sense of smell, and gut. Which makes perfect sense to me, seeing that I had colon cancer in my 20’s. But it’s amazing that we still have so much to learn about Parkinson’s. Regardless of leaps and bounds in treatment, there’s a lot we just don’t know.
After getting officially diagnosed at age 32, I hadn’t even known a person challenged by PD with the exception of Michael J. Fox. A lunch was arranged with a woman from one of the local support groups, who would turn out to be one of my favorite people (shout out Shar-bear). As we compared our Parkinson’s, she educated me on PD symptoms. She asked if I still had my sense of smell, I was stunned. I had no idea that was even possible. The illness that was stripping me of my movement could also weaken my sense of smell. Fantastic. When our brownie and ice cream dessert arrived, I can remember leaning in and smelling the chocolate treat. I could still smell it! Maybe I wasn’t a lost cause.
Today, I notice that unless I’m not actively focused on something to smell, my sniffer is just muted. I don’t pick on most scents throughout the day. Now, my Dad will unplug my air fresheners when he comes to visit, saying that I might not be the best person to pick out aromas. It makes me wonder, what if I stink and don’t even know it. Ugh. Perhaps the perfume I use smells awful, like burnt hair and raw sewage but I’m clueless. I’ve got to go take a bath…
body odor – my worst
I enjoy reading your blog so much! As for my smeller, I think I can still smell some things, except my grandchildren’s poop. A gift.
Jan
Jan,
Now that’s a gift!
Unfortunately I also know the scene of a morning doggie surprise. Haha! (As well as bed hoggers! And we have two of them! ) 🙂
Allen,
So you feel my pain. Hope everything is going well for you and your family.
Crash asked me to tell you, those air fresheners got to go. Phew! 🌷💐🌺🌸🌹🌼🌻
Your impact sound of “squish” is perhaps a good example of an onomatopoeia, although a pooch laying 20 gauge cable at night would have its own unique sound waves but it would probably take a bat to hear it. Your writing style is nothing short of fantastic. Very vivid. Although I have lost some of my sense of smell as well, your descriptive account of “cold mushy, pulpy, mass directly under my foot” and “feeling a spongy, semiliquid goop squishes in between my toes” , conjures up distinct similar experiences which triggers the foul and malodorous stench of my own recollected encounters with dog logs and park links. I had some Durian fruit in Thailand a couple of years ago. It is a large, spiky, South East Asian fruit which has the reputation of being one of the foulest smelling things in the world. Most hotels will not even allow it. I ate some and still could not smell it, although I was reminded it stayed on my breath for a while.
I just finished a virtual workout with my Peeps. So good to have the Wolf Pack together even if it is only on a computer screen. I will be so glad when we can all get back to our in-person RSB and gym interaction.
Allison, you always help us to not take ourselves to seriously and keep everything in perspective. We appreciate you Allison.
Wayne,
Thank you for your message. It couldn’t have come a better time… I’ve had an off morning… but your post made me smile. Thank you.
I find that my sense of smell is selective with PD. I can detect the perfume of a woman walking by, but when I stick my nose into a glass of wine I do not smell a thing!y
I like you have a muted sniffer. I have not smelled my grandchildren’s dirty diapers for years. My children come into the room and the common cry is “ Mom, can’t you smell that? “ NOPE ! I never thought that Parkinson’s would have a blessing in disguise aspect…but! Now my task is to check diapers on the hour…if I remember, but that’s another issue.
Hi Allison – I haven;t been able to smell for many years now and that stinks (pun intended). And though I can;t smell I can tell you that your scent is one of pure class.. And what really stinks is not being able to be around the gang. When this whole nightmare is over then . . . . . Party at Peter’s house!!
Dave,
I know! I miss all my friends at the gym. And Pete! Party at your place!
I think my selectivity is smelling pleasant kitchen aromas and NOT smelling “gym locker rooms”! Go figure!
I an selectively smelling impaired,. A scunK died in our backyardl last night. I couldn’t smell it but everyone else did,, including the neighborsl
Now stepping in it is another matter altogtether. Smash Splash!
Pete,
Selective smelling impaired… sounds so spot on! Miss you!