# Mental or Physical?



## pocketfullofposies (Aug 15, 2012)

I had been dealing with this (fecal body odor) issue for almost five years now, but i can say i am finally seeing the bright side of things. But not after so many trials and tribulations, mixed with depression and anger.

After attending a family wedding and having a horrible time there due to severe anxiety and nearly fainting from starvation (which at the time seemed reasonable. i guess we do the craziest things when dealing with the worst), i finally went to a doctor (again). This being the third time, i assumed things would be different and it was in some ways.

Previous visits with a doctor always ended with a loss of hope. They would say there was never "anything wrong" or "that's not possible" and i had decided i couldn't trust any medical professional at the time, but this last time was different. My last doctor had given me the idea that maybe it was some sort of body dismorphic disorder but i didnt believe him. i couldnt. When you believe something so strongly there is no way for anyone but yourself to change your mind. And so i was convinced that i needed tests done and i had asked him for them and/or a referral to a specialist but he recommended that i see social behaviorist, that he would contact for me, for my odor issue and for some other issues that we had discussed.

And so i went. And she to said that she didnt notice anything and recommended that i follow up with a psychologist. Needless to say i didnt, not right away anyway. i was fed up with everyone. i was finally reaching out and telling people about this embarrassing problem and i felt i was being lied to. i had spent the next few months sulking. keeping to myself like i had for the past few years. But things were different. I was ready to figure things out. Find out what it was exactly that i was dealing with and start from there. i had finally started talking about this with certain family members and it helped but i stilll didnt know where to begin. i kept expecting an answer to pop up out of thin air. And sometimes they do.

My cousin, while taking a psychology class had discovered many psychological disorders. mainly this link that she had sent in a text, taijin kyofusho. I thought it was interesting, but i was a little hurt as i felt this wasnt what i was dealing with, and that she really thought that all this could be in my head. so i dismissed that. and still tried to find out out what could physically be causing these sytmptoms.

Then things changed. i had met someone online and things progressed from there. Then came the time that they wanted to meet up but i coulndt do it. Not yet, i wasnt ready. I was still broken and needed to fix myself before i could let someone new into this humiliating life that i had dealt with. But now i was inspired, i had something to keeep me going. And so I was ready to start a new life for myself. Finally.

So i went back to the link then found this subcategory called Jikoshu-kyofu, also known as Olfactory Reference Syndrome.



> a psychiatric condition in which the affected person is excessively preoccupied by the concern that one's body odor is foul or unpleasant. This disorder is often accompanied by shame, embarrassment, significant distress,avoidance behavior, social phobia and social isolation.[1][2] ORS is not currently recognised by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(fourth edition), and is currently considered by many to be a sub-type of Body dysmorphic disorder.


So i gave this a chance and called the psychologist that i was recommended to many months ago. I felt i had to rule this out. But to be honest i was hoping it was this because if its in our head then that would be easier to deal with, i figured, or at least i would deal with this and only have to convince myself, and not anyone else, that there was no odor. But either i was dealing with a medical condition or i wasnt. I felt this was a good place to start.

Long story short (lol sorry for the long post =/) i am currently in a relationship and now ready to move on and find out what i am meant to do with my life. Things are definitely looking up. Although i never got a clear answer as to why this happened. And i am effing sure this issue had not always been a mental issue. But like the doctor said sometimes our minds put up walls trying to protect us from (further) harm.

I really hope this helps some people as it did for me. And i know we all suffer from different symptoms, but its best to rule things out before we commit to an idea that we're not completely sure of. We're all a work in progress. We just cant give up.


----------



## Intothewild (May 11, 2010)

You've without question in the minority here but good for you man. What were your symptoms? Also did you have people actually tell you that you smelled?

I think there is a marked difference between people with olfactory R.S and people who actually suffer from this in that with olfactory it seems to be mental to the point that no-one ever tells them that they smell or whatever and also that they never actually smell an odor, they just think they do. Those of us who suffer from fbo smell the odor(occasionally) have been told we smell numerous times and have specific symptoms that relate to it like wetness around anus, ibs, sticky bowel movements etc.


----------



## j123 (Oct 16, 2012)

It is an interesting subject. And I was most intriged when you said this issue had not always been a mental issue. I know for a fact that I do smell when I get LG (it's very, very rarely a fecal odor(I believe fecal body odor is strongly linked to incomplete evac)) as I have been told I smell and have confirmed it with people.

Also, grats on your progress man!


----------



## pocketfullofposies (Aug 15, 2012)

Intothewild said:


> You've without question in the minority here but good for you man. What were your symptoms? Also did you have people actually tell you that you smelled?
> 
> I think there is a marked difference between people with olfactory R.S and people who actually suffer from this in that with olfactory it seems to be mental to the point that no-one ever tells them that they smell or whatever and also that they never actually smell an odor, they just think they do. Those of us who suffer from fbo smell the odor(occasionally) have been told we smell numerous times and have specific symptoms that relate to it like wetness around anus, ibs, sticky bowel movements etc.





j123 said:


> It is an interesting subject. And I was most intriged when you said this issue had not always been a mental issue. I know for a fact that I do smell when I get LG (it's very, very rarely a fecal odor(I believe fecal body odor is strongly linked to incomplete evac)) as I have been told I smell and have confirmed it with people.
> 
> Also, grats on your progress man!


Thanks guys. Well here's the thing... whenever i received comments they were never direct accusations. But when this first started there were multiple, clear cut examples of people being offended of an odor. Including one of my friends during class telling me that it smelled like "shit in here". but i was totally unaware of it and the girl next to me making a face of disgust as well. Another time I was waiting in line for a restaurant and the people behind me were making comments directed toward me and even checking their shoes. But there was never anyone to tell me something directly like "hey you smell."

But during those times i would almost never smell it. And i f I did it would be a whiff. But for some reason I knew it was me. I always got this feeling, I dont know how to explain it, but like i needed to shower; i felt dirty but it wasn't exactly a "I didn't wipe right dirty". I don't know if anyone can relate to that really vague sort of experience lol. But i dont know how else to explain it. Eventually I felt it everyday and I forgot what it was like to not feel that way. Maybe it was some sort of leakage but whenever i would wipe it would come out clean >.>

And as for symptoms, I cant be much help there. I guess there were no perpetual symptoms that would cause me to take notice or to associate with something else.

And now that I think about it, i guess that's what scares me. I know i had some type of odor issue, maybe if only at the beginning. But it was there. And maybe it came out of nowhere and went away the same way...

I changed my diet and treated a fungal issue. Which, for sure, has been something that caused really bad odors but I'm not sure it would have caused a fecal odor.

Sorry if that wasn't much help guys. I've spent much of that time in a daze.


----------



## tds2n (Jul 16, 2012)

.


----------



## j123 (Oct 16, 2012)

When my LG first satrted I did feel as if I had pooped my pants a little. I used to check all the time and NEVER found anything on my jocks or on my arse. I used to wipe so much too, like even if I wasn't having a BM I would wipe with wet toilet paper and then dry tp. The only thing was if I relate to my first post, is that I would only ever get the fecal odor if I was constipated, had an incomplete bowel movement or ate something really, really bad (like a mcdonalds beef burger or a crappy processed pie). Other than that I experienced the rotten odor, the really, really [email protected]#$ing bad fart odor, the rotten garbage/egg odor and the sewerage odor.

The difference with my case is that I can almost always smell my LG, so I know when I smell. Then seeing the reaction on peoples faces and peoples comments gave me severe anxiety knowing it was me.


----------



## Maria Slan (Jul 16, 2013)

this is not mental process. in case of Candida, the stress contribute to raise hormones that feed the Candida. thus, stop telling us that is the problem of our head, ok? Actually, this point is stupid. Sorry, for being gross. But it is.


----------



## pocketfullofposies (Aug 15, 2012)

Maria Slan said:


> this is not mental process. in case of Candida, the stress contribute to raise hormones that feed the Candida. thus, stop telling us that is the problem of our head, ok? Actually, this point is stupid. Sorry, for being gross. But it is.


i'm not telling anyone anything, to be honest. And im 100% sure this doesn't apply to everyone. I just wanted to get my experience with this out there in the hopes that this might help someone else. While trying to figure out what was wrong with me, this was one of the first sites that came up. that is why i am posting it on this ibs site. I cant even explain what i was going through as all of this has been super confusing. But that's how my experience with this has gone. Even I was pissed that there was even a remote possibility of this being a mental thing. But after 5 years it turned out to be just that, for me.

From being on here over the past year, i've come to the realization that not everyone's case is the same on this site. So its not fair either to assume that everyone has candida. I mean i just read how someone was cured from taking anti-inflammatory medication because he was suffering from mild rectal inflammation (if im not mistaken). So its best for everyone to do more research before anyone commits themselves to an assumed cause before you start experimenting with treatments that could potentially harm your body.

Everyone's case is different and i'm not assuming this to be everyone's case. And that's my fault for not making that clear. I apologize.

Really, this is for those that are questioning whether or not they are really affected by this, like i was. I would have hated it if i had struggled with this for many more years had i not received this information. I just hoped that maybe i could have helped even just one person by making this post.

I wish everyone good luck. I may not have been dealing with the same causes as everyone but i understand the process of going through this and trying to deal with it all. so if anyone who reads this ever feels like talking to someone feel free to message me. this ###### can really suck sometimes (and thats putting it really mildly).


----------



## Maria Slan (Jul 16, 2013)

well, pocketfullofposies. I'm sorry for saying those heavy words. I was just angry with the point, not you.

However, I did not make any assumption anyway. I have read all most cases in here and the other sites also. I read and compared them to possible theories. think about it for days and tried to make connections. But many hypotheses from me, which did not prove by experiments, can not be written so simply.

Come on. Don't believe in what people say about your head. It's normal. You should know many people here cured by stop stress. Stress raised your hormones and weaken your immune system. I agreed with you maybe it is not Candida. But the reason I only mention about Candida because it is the things I have and did research, I tried to give you an example not assumptions. Maybe your reason is different, but I bet it is not your head, guy.


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

I can only speak for myself but I have this. I don't smell but I think I do. I'm going to a therapist and am on medication for it. I suffered for 7 years with it. I now go out all the time and get no reactions. Before I looked for reactions but now I don't. I still think I smell but I know I don't. It's hard to believe but for some people it's all in their minds. By the way in america they call it somatic delusions. That's what I was diagnosed with. I'm schizophrenic so I hallucinate smells too.


----------



## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Good for you Lucky & Pocket! May your success continue!


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks a lot BQ. It's been 7 months and it's like I'm living a new life. I went to a support group for mental disorders and had to ride in a little van with 6 other people. It was great. They didn't open any windows or do anything out of the ordinary. I also went and got my hair done and the lady said my conditioner smelled like cake. She was so nice to me. I would have never believed when I was at my worst that I could do that. But I did and nothing happened.


----------



## pocketfullofposies (Aug 15, 2012)

luckyhope said:


> I can only speak for myself but I have this. I don't smell but I think I do. I'm going to a therapist and am on medication for it. I suffered for 7 years with it. I now go out all the time and get no reactions. Before I looked for reactions but now I don't. I still think I smell but I know I don't. It's hard to believe but for some people it's all in their minds. By the way in america they call it somatic delusions. That's what I was diagnosed with. I'm schizophrenic so I hallucinate smells too.


Hey, luckyhope, it's good to hear you're making progress with this issue! It's definitely a day-to-day thing and I really admire your strength at overcoming this. I too started seeing a therapist and it has helped a lot, and i would recommend that to everyone on here that are lucky enough to have such outlets, regardless of where this odor is stemming from; going through this there are times where you can easily give up believing that the world is nothing but cruel, but there are definitely people out there that are willing to help should you choose to seek it. I wish you well, luckyhope!











BQ said:


> Good for you Lucky & Pocket! May your success continue!


Thanks BQ!


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks a lot pocketfullofposies. I've been through it all because of this. The seclusion, rejection or at least perceived rejection. I even tried to commit suicide more times than I can name. But its all looking up from here.

Therapy is a god send. Whether you have an odor or not it can build up your self esteem and help change your thinking patterns. It helps to know that there is someone that you can trust either than family. They're out for your best interest. Even if you have body odor they'll help you learn to accept it. And if you don't they'll help you figure out why your thinking is flawed. So its always worth a shot.


----------



## lone_paladin (Sep 29, 2011)

Maria Slan said:


> this is not mental process. in case of Candida, the stress contribute to raise hormones that feed the Candida. thus, stop telling us that is the problem of our head, ok? Actually, this point is stupid. Sorry, for being gross. But it is.


I had no idea that stress fees Candida!! This makes things more understandable. Thanks for this info.


----------



## horizonzero (Nov 17, 2013)

It gets worse with anxiety but the physical symptoms are still there having a wet anus 24/7 and ODS is not a psychological symptom


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

I know I shouldn't be asking this but would someone wear you clothes, lay on you and fall asleep, stand close enough for your clothes to be rubbing on theirs, hug you if you smelled even a little? Like if it wasn't bad enough to cause reactions but there was still a smell.


----------



## westr (Jan 27, 2012)

there is a strong chance you have a physical issue, there is a stong chance to diagnose this costs a lot of money, there is a strong chance your doctor wants to diagnose this by spending as little money as possible, there is a strong chance your doctor has never heard of this and an even stronger chance he has never once fixed this issue. ORS is a real thing and there is a chance you have this also.

my closest friends have never smelt anything from me, I've ( tmi ) smashed several pasties since this happened with no complaints, and yet get comments at work. so when a doctor drums it in to you that your problem is ORS, there is a moderate chance that you may still have a physical ( or anything other than mental ) problem, but there may still be enough doubt in you due to your 3rd party reactions and variance in symptoms due to varying environmental factors that the ORS diagnosis may stick.1

my advice is to continue trying things like ACV, diet, probiotic, physical observations. and keep screaming for a defecography.


----------



## horizonzero (Nov 17, 2013)

westr said:


> there is a strong chance you have a physical issue, there is a stong chance to diagnose this costs a lot of money, there is a strong chance your doctor wants to diagnose this by spending as little money as possible, there is a strong chance your doctor has never heard of this and an even stronger chance he has never once fixed this issue. ORS is a real thing and there is a chance you have this also.
> 
> my closest friends have never smelt anything from me, I've ( tmi ) smashed several pasties since this happened with no complaints, and yet get comments at work. so when a doctor drums it in to you that your problem is ORS, there is a moderate chance that you may still have a physical ( or anything other than mental ) problem, but there may still be enough doubt in you due to your 3rd party reactions and variance in symptoms due to varying environmental factors that the ORS diagnosis may stick.1
> 
> my advice is to continue trying things like ACV, diet, probiotic, physical observations. and keep screaming for a defecography.


What he said part and partial , Some of us may have three main reasons - Physical problems with rectal/anus area , Mental issues ie social anxiety , constantly checking if you smell but also The overgrowth of candida and Leaky gut through poor diet. All Three play a major part and act coherently together.


----------



## tummyrumbles (Aug 14, 2005)

Leaky Gas is caused by gas in the colon, and most gas is from malabsorbed stool. Too much gas is painful to hold in which is why we leak it out. All leaky gas is caused by food intolerance. The reason why Leaky Gas is hard to cure is because until you get your diet right complete evacuation might take a while. Also getting your diet right isn't easy either as the problem foods like wheat and starches tend to be the most satisfying. People are generally tactful and very few people find it easy to tell someone to their face that they smell but keep it up and they'll let you know one way or another.

If you have constant gas and difficult and long bowel evacuations think seriously about giving up all grains and high FODMAPs. You can fill up on non-starchy nut based and coconut based breads.


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

See I don't have any symptoms of leaky gas. I don't have anything but heartburn. I take regular bowel movements and haven't changed my diet. I eat and drink everything but never got a reaction. I also have other symptoms that it's all in my head. I'm schizophrenic. I think many things that aren't true. I've been in the hospital like 4 times in 2 years. And never got a reaction when I was there. I even would go a week without taking a bath and that's the only time I got reactions. But they weren't extreme reactions. Someone came in and said what's that smell. And another patient said he hadn't taken a bath in a few days so it's probably him. I once asked my brother if I smelled and he brought up his girlfriend. He said she thought she smelled because her brothers and sisters use to make fun of her. He said she had vaginal and underarm odors. And that to him she smells like juices and berries.

Strangers are nice to me. I even had a stranger in the hospital ask to borrow a shirt of mine. I have strangers sit next to me when there are open seats. Stand really close to me in lines. Treat me nicely. I even went and got my hair done. I also went to church and the people there hugged me and asked me to return. I've been in crowded cars with strangers and no one complained of an odor or opened a window. I went out to the bar and was drinking. It was crowded and there were people sitting next to me just talking. I went to the bathroom and someone used the stall after me. We sat there for at least an hour and no one did a thing. The bartender even came from behind the counter and hugged me for my birthday. Then he stood there in front of us and did tricks with the bottles the whole night. I've gone out without taking a bath that day. And for the longest time I would take a bath the night before going out not the day of. And nothing.

The only reactions I've gotten were a boy played with his hat around me. A boy looked at me and then whispered to his mother, Two incidences where someone said whew. That's it. Other than those I've never gotten a reaction. And belive me I looked for reactions all these reactions could easily be explained. The boy was playing with his hat because he was bored( we waited there for 30 minutes and he was there before us). The boy looked at me and whispered to his mom because I was staring at him the whole time he was there. One lady said whew because the door opened and she felt the hot air. And the other said whew because she was tired ( she was a waitress and waiting tables). Plus the same day that lady said whew my waitress rested next to me as she took our order.

I went out for 6 months believing I didn't smell and got no reactions. I did everything I wanted to do. Sometimes going out everyday in a week. And nothing. This is coming from someone who thought her smell could fill a room. And could be smelled for yards away. My 7 year old niece rested her head on my lap twice. Once when I hadn't taken a bath that day. She also laid on my arm and fell asleep. I was out with my sister and we went to her friends house. The friend sat on the floor next to me. And we smoked a blunt.

Remember all of this happened with no change in diet. I eat fish, eggs, drink alcohol, smoke weed, etc... Plus if my doctors are lying they would lie to me about my breath too. And they've told me my breath smells but just chew gum and use an oral irrigator. They said no one would ever complain of an odor around me unless I stepped in dog doo doo or something like that. They said they can guarantee it. So why should I believe it's a physical problem?


----------



## Maria Slan (Jul 16, 2013)

Hmm, if you have problem with your mind then you can continue to take the medicine, why you posted your daily life on this page. seem weird.


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

Maria Slan said:


> Hmm, if you have problem with your mind then you can continue to take the medicine, why you posted your daily life on this page. seem weird.


I posted my life in this thread because people don't believe it can all be in your mind. They think it's impossible to think you stink when you really don't. Maybe I shouldn't have written as much as I did but I felt the need to get it out. There are many people that suffer from this and can't find any relief. They come to these forums looking for answers and it feeds into their delusions. They need to know things like this exist. And can be treated.


----------



## Maria Slan (Jul 16, 2013)

well, ppls have different reasons for the sickness, how can you so sure they have the same sickness with you? I do think your problem are really serious, since you re thinking you re in need to save someone but actually you re not. Please take some psychological medicine and get some rest.


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

Maria Slan said:


> well, ppls have different reasons for the sickness, how can you so sure they have the same sickness with you? I do think your problem are really serious, since you re thinking you re in need to save someone but actually you re not. Please take some psychological medicine and get some rest.


I know people have different reasons for their sicknesses. I'm not saying that my experience is the majority. It's actually the minority. I am on medication and get lots of rest. I don't see anything wrong with what I wrote. It goes with the theme of the thread. The thread was about if it's mental or physical and I'm just telling my story about how it was mental. I don't see why that was wrong to do. These sites have so many stories from sufferers of body odor but never has stories from mental sufferers.


----------



## Maria Slan (Jul 16, 2013)

When I have read your post, I do think that there re something abnormal with your mind. (and you also confirmed you are having problems with your mind and still on the medication now). So with someone have problems with their mind, its better to go to treatment more than make a thread and post their daily life on the page.

This page is for helping ppls, and you are just the minority who is having problems with your mind, and why you re saying this page feeds into ppls delusion? You must know that the forum s not only for posting, it s also the proof for many of us. We showed it to the doctors to prove that the sickness is real. The way you are doing now, make ppls think about us as crazy ppls. Who would agree?

However, have you ever seen someone tell ppls that " I have problems with my mind then please believe me"? Will ppls believe you? I dont think so.


----------



## pocketfullofposies (Aug 15, 2012)

Guys, i made this post in the hopes that others who are not really sure what they were dealing with, like myself, would find this thread and maybe question and seek help for whatever it is that is going on, instead of taking everyone's word on here as 100% applicable to themselves. From what I've gathered not everyone's symptoms are the same, nor is everyone sure from where the odor is coming from, in regards to finding one solid answer for everyone visiting these forums.

If you've been diagnosed or have really got it down what is really going on with your own body, then that's really awesome and you've gotten through the first and maybe hardest step there is to go through when dealing with all of this. And maybe that's why this thread might be causing some issues with some people because it really sucks when you have no idea what IS going on. But what may be even worse is believing you have something specifically and seeking treatment for that, when it can be something different.

Im going to be completely honest and say i have really no idea what is going on. Maybe at one point i did have a body odor, i don't know and right now it would be super confusing and frustrating to even process or understand all that i went through before, when all i know is what i am going through now.

From what i'm noticing from others is that my breath smells and i cant help but maybe think it ties into me having a body odor or believing i did. I went to a doctor and told me it might have something to do with the foods that im eating and the toxins bacteria leave behind entering my blood stream through the intestine, and from my blood into my lungs, to the air i breathe out. So im gathering that i dont have enough good bacteria in my gut to counteract the bad.

I know i said this was completely a mental delusion i was experiencing. Either it was or it wasnt, but im sure now that i dont have the body odor that i was thought i did. And I know if i didnt seek help i would have been stuck believing it was something when it wasnt any longer.

I say all this not to convince people this is the same for everyone, but maybe for some it might be. Trust your gut guys (pun fing intended lol). You know your body better than anyone else can and if something doesnt click or make sense in regards to yourself then maybe its not right. We can all get through this once we know what it is we're dealing with exactly. And as always im here if anyone wants to message me, whether its about all this or the new x-men movie thats coming out and hoping they dont mess it up like the first few haha.

I wish everyone well


----------



## luckyhope (Jul 21, 2012)

pocketfullofposies said:


> Guys, i made this post in the hopes that others who are not really sure what they were dealing with, like myself, would find this thread and maybe question and seek help for whatever it is that is going on, instead of taking everyone's word on here as 100% applicable to themselves. From what I've gathered not everyone's symptoms are the same, nor is everyone sure from where the odor is coming from, in regards to finding one solid answer for everyone visiting these forums.
> 
> If you've been diagnosed or have really got it down what is really going on with your own body, then that's really awesome and you've gotten through the first and maybe hardest step there is to go through when dealing with all of this. And maybe that's why this thread might be causing some issues with some people because it really sucks when you have no idea what IS going on. But what may be even worse is believing you have something specifically and seeking treatment for that, when it can be something different.
> 
> ...


Thank you...That is exactly what I was trying to say but couldn't find the words.


----------

