Nothing to be embarrassed about really so no rudeness in asking, I've just never had a sense of smell.
The medical term is anosmia, and it's something I was born with. More than one of my siblings has the same condition so it's most likely something we inherited from somewhere in the family gene pool. We've tried assorted medical treatments to correct in the past, but none of them have even partially worked, so it's a permanent thing.
Partial or complete anosmia are not that uncommon it would seem. It is, I think, the most common "lost sense", but perhaps the one that's missed least too, so that was lucky.
That's a relief - the two anosmics I've known irl both lost their sense of smell through head injuries, so I was half-expecting something similar.
I think it's fairly common to lose it that way because the olfactory bulb is in the forehead, quite close to the surface, and susceptible to damage. One guy I know copped an axe between the eyes in a drug deal gone bad, and lost his smell that way. D:
Yikes! Well, my way hurt a lot less than that as far as I can tell!
And you're right too, one of the suggestions we got was that it might have been an injury received during birth, some minor little knock which just disconnected something.
Not really knowing the cause must be irritating, I'd imagine.
I carry the gene for red-green colour blindness and I'm glad that I KNOW that for a fact, even though it doesn't directly affect me. Not that it impacts quality of life much, but it's good to be prepared and not concerned, if some hypothetical future son of mine just can't seem to learn his colour names like all the other toddlers.
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Date: 2011-08-26 11:32 pm (UTC)Nggggg I want to ASK... is it rude to ask? >_>
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Date: 2011-08-26 11:48 pm (UTC)The medical term is anosmia, and it's something I was born with. More than one of my siblings has the same condition so it's most likely something we inherited from somewhere in the family gene pool. We've tried assorted medical treatments to correct in the past, but none of them have even partially worked, so it's a permanent thing.
Partial or complete anosmia are not that uncommon it would seem. It is, I think, the most common "lost sense", but perhaps the one that's missed least too, so that was lucky.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-26 11:55 pm (UTC)I think it's fairly common to lose it that way because the olfactory bulb is in the forehead, quite close to the surface, and susceptible to damage. One guy I know copped an axe between the eyes in a drug deal gone bad, and lost his smell that way. D:
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Date: 2011-08-27 12:12 am (UTC)And you're right too, one of the suggestions we got was that it might have been an injury received during birth, some minor little knock which just disconnected something.
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Date: 2011-08-27 12:25 am (UTC)I carry the gene for red-green colour blindness and I'm glad that I KNOW that for a fact, even though it doesn't directly affect me. Not that it impacts quality of life much, but it's good to be prepared and not concerned, if some hypothetical future son of mine just can't seem to learn his colour names like all the other toddlers.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-27 12:54 am (UTC)Not really I think. If I'd had a sense of smell and lost it, that probably would irritate me, especially if I didn't know why.
As it is, it's not something I've ever had in the first place, so I can't really say it's a "loss".