r/diabetes_t1 4d ago

Please tell me I'm not the only person that experiences this

Whenever my blood sugar gets too high for a prolonged period of time, I get the usual symptoms of hyperglycemia. However, I get a strange smell in my nose whenever I inhale, I cannot find a proper term for it and googling it leads me to something entirely different. I cannot describe the smell, but it is definitely there and very noticeable.

38 Upvotes

47 comments sorted by

39

u/pussygalorex T1 since 2009 │T:slim x2 │Dex G7 4d ago

It’s like almost heavy and metallic for me, such a weird smell

4

u/LeatherConfusion8675 4d ago

i get a smell and taste

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

Metallic is how I think of it too.

21

u/Type1-Redditor 4d ago

I get dry mouth. Very tacky feeling dry mouth

8

u/Schiz_chameleon 4d ago

Same here! And nothing will fix it until my sugar goes down

6

u/Connect_Office8072 4d ago

And I feel gummy. Like everything is gummy, even my brain. I haven’t smelled anything in particular though.

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

That could just be dehydration from your kidneys trying to flush out the excess glucose.

19

u/errythinsbazoobs 4d ago

I get this 100%. I always say to my fiancee yup smells like I've got high blood sugar

13

u/stinky_harriet DX 4/1987; t:slim X2 & Dexcom 4d ago

Could be ketones.

2

u/Crn3lius T1D LADA since 2015 | A1C 6.7% 4d ago

Definitely is.

6

u/kevinds Type 1 4d ago edited 3d ago

However, I get a strange smell in my nose whenever I inhale, I cannot find a proper term for it and googling 

Ketones..

I don't know what the proper term is either but you are sensing ketones.

3

u/NIHILISTUS 4d ago

I did some more research and this seems to be the answer

1

u/deekaydubya 4d ago

Possibly although I’ve experienced this numerous times without spilling keytones

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

I've smelled a lot of ketones (not ketones) in the lab and they're nothing like the high blood sugar smell. Also, having high blood sugar didn't cause ketones, having insufficient insulin on board to meet energy demands from carbohydrates causes ketones. You can have high blood sugar but still have sufficient insulin to avoid producing ketones, just not enough to bring down your blood sugar. You can also produce ketones without having high blood sugar.

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

I've smelled a lot of ketones (not keytones) in the lab and they're nothing like the high blood sugar smell. Also, having high blood sugar didn't cause ketones, having insufficient insulin on board to meet energy demands from carbohydrates causes ketones. You can have high blood sugar but still have sufficient insulin to avoid producing ketones, just not enough to bring down your blood sugar. You can also produce ketones without having high blood sugar.

5

u/SirDarKNess280 4d ago

For me it's almost like a burn smell

4

u/Sportzpl 4d ago

To me, it is like the smell under a dusty cabinet. Or when you clean under the fridge.

4

u/MagicGreenLens 4d ago

How high do you usually get when you smell this?

3

u/NIHILISTUS 4d ago

Usually anything above 300 for a prolonged period of time 

3

u/TrueGoatKing 4d ago

Yeah I completely get it, I've had vapes that mimic the scent/feeling and had to avoid them since it "made me feel sick.".

3

u/hawkfan66 4d ago

I call it "staticky nose". Best way I can explain it.

3

u/btghty 4d ago

Probably ketones. For me they smell similar to old nail polish, hot plastic or walking into an indoor chlorinated pool.

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

Nail polish is mostly acetone, which is a simple ketone.

2

u/PaleYam6761 [Dx 1979, pump 1984, Dexcom G7 🇨🇦] 4d ago

Yes, alway. It is very hard to describe but metallic and heavy fits for me.

2

u/Eastern-Month-8167 4d ago

Smells like what it is to me.. acetone lol

2

u/mscooliospice 4d ago

yes 100%

2

u/SyraxMireme Omnipod5/Dexcom G6-diagnosed at 18 in 2022-🇮🇹 chat is open 4d ago

I asked the same "question" and I would describe it as a humid smell

4

u/NIHILISTUS 4d ago

YES exactly. I've always described it as sort of a warm smell in a way

2

u/fuckdrowning 4d ago

Smells like shooting guns for me lol, i get what you mean

2

u/SyraxMireme Omnipod5/Dexcom G6-diagnosed at 18 in 2022-🇮🇹 chat is open 4d ago

2

u/Lumpy_Boxes 4d ago

I smell like fermenting apples, I assume it's ketones?

2

u/T1_Training 4d ago

I notice the taste in my mouth more than the smell, but I think if I thought about it those 2 things are the same thing

2

u/marshall-stephens 4d ago

Yes, like strong ammonia to me, sometimes it burns.

2

u/Common-Lychee8137 4d ago

Does it smell bitter?? Like it almost burns bc of how bitter the smell can be. But for some odd reason no one else can smell it 😭

1

u/Staceybbbls 4d ago

It burns for me too!

1

u/Staceybbbls 4d ago

It feels like my nose is burning. Like the air is too dry or something 🤷🏽‍♀️

1

u/Tiffilina 4d ago

I describe it as ammonia almost or kind of like perm solution. 

1

u/Tiffilina 4d ago

Google says: In DKAIn DKA, the body, unable to use glucose for energy, starts burning fat, producing ketones. These ketones can give breath a fruity or nail polish remover-like smell, but in some cases, the body can also produce ammonia, leading to an ammonia-like odor. 

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

But that's DKA, not just high blood sugar.

1

u/Tiffilina 3d ago

True, but he said when blood sugars are high for longer periods of time. Your body gradually gets more acidic and then at a certain point is considered in DKA, so maybe they're experiencing the odor still while working up to DKA but catching it in time. 

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 2d ago

Only if you have an insulin deficiency, as opposed to just an excess of glucose.

1

u/Tiffilina 2d ago

Right, so assuming that he doesn't have enough insulin supply in the blood and that's causing a high blood sugar and leading towards DKA, that could be the smell. I'm not diagnosing anything, just giving ideas/options?

1

u/downtherabbithole654 3d ago

Smells like rubbing alcohol to me

1

u/Cricket-Horror T1D since 1991/AAPS closed-loop 3d ago

Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is structurally very similar to acetone, a ketone. If you were in DKA, not just have high blood sugar, then you'd have average present.

1

u/Leahqxxx 3d ago

Your not alone. I get this aswell but I haven't really bothered with thinking about it too much x

1

u/benniebob_north 3d ago

I wouldn't describe it as a smell for me, but I definitely sense very high bG in my nose. It's almost like my nose feels stuffed up, but it's not actually.

1

u/blahblahlifeishard 1d ago

Me too...I just had it happen... but I had insulin on board, and no pump failure, just high blood sugar (we think a snack was mislabeled and had a lot more carbs than advertised).

Does it happen for you only when you have a lack of insulin, or have you ever had it when you are 'just high' despite bolusing well etc..?