Congenital vs. acquired

[LunaLarsen]

Hi.

My name is Luna and I am not deaf. I am anosmic, that is I have no sense of smell.
I strayed onto this forum by chance and I find it very interesting.

I was hoping you would help me to answer som questions that I have been thinking about.

For anosmics there is a big difference between being born without a sense of smell (congenital anosmia) and loosing ones sense of smell later in life (acquired anosmia)
I am a congenital anosmic, and the bad part for me has been growing up anosmic. You see anosmic children don't know thay are anosmic, because noone tells them that they are.
They have to figure it out on their own. I have had som bad experiences due to my anosmia while growing up, mostly because I don't know what smell is...
But now that I am all grown up and have figured out what it means to be anosmic I have learned to live with it, and don't think much of it.
Acquired anosmics are usually affected very deeply by the loss of their sense of smell. They didn't think much of their sense of smell before they lost it and suddenly they don't have it and for som reason that is the end of the world to them.

Congenital anosmics often accuse acquired anosmics of whining.
Acquired anosmics often accuse congenital anosmics of beeing insensitive.

I was wondering if the same tendencies exist among deaf people.

It seems obvious to me that being deaf can make life difficult whether it is congenital or aquired, so maybe congenital deaf people are more undestanding of acquired deaf people than congenital anosmics are of acquired anosmics.

What do you think?

 

[RedFox]

That's interesting about not being able to smell. I'm congenitally deaf and at first, my mom thought it'd be sad that I'd miss things like music, but then figured that I'd notice things that she won't.

 

[hohDougRN]

Was there any documented cases of problems in 1st or second trimester of mother's pregnancy? That is such peculiar thing! I feel well versed in diseases even uncommon ones- so you've got me stumped! Way to go, now I have serious homework to do tonight so I can be prepared for the anosmic test tomorrow. (off topic) on hobby I have is to find a disease or something I don't know a lot about each day and make it my day focus to learn it. Welcome here, and for now, you have me perplexed.

 

[LunaLarsen]

I'm congenitally deaf and at first, my mom thought it'd be sad that I'd miss things like music...

By miss did she mean miss out on?
When my mother first found out that I couldn't smell she had problems understanding that since I have never been able to smell I don't MISS being able to smell. She feels sorry for me for not being able to smell flowers and other nice things.

I find it strange that when people find out that I can't smell they always think "it must be terrible not to be able to smell nice things like flowers", they rearly think "Oh it must be terrible not to be able to smell fire, or a gas leak, or toxic chemicals og if you stepped in something unplesant and have managed to drag it all over the house before you notice"

But when I think about being deaf, the first thing I think is "No music! that must be terrible!" But I guess not being able to hear the truck behind you og not being able to follow a conversation is a lot worse!

Was there any documented cases of problems in 1st or second trimester of mother's pregnancy?

I don't know, but she had problems holding on to her babies when she was pregnant. She had 3 spontainous abortions before I came along and managed to hang in there and come out alive . I think it was a problematic pregnancy.

Most likely my problem is that the area of the brain that it supposed to process the sensory input from my nose is underdevoloped.


I have another question for all of you (and please forgive me if it is a stupid question). Are you sad that you are deaf?
The reason i ask is that it is difficult for me to understand how much of a problem being deaf is. People who loose their sense of smell think it is horrible but I am use to it and usually don't think much of it, to me it is normal.
Is being deaf just annoying or is it a terrible thing?

 

[Secretblend]

By miss did she mean miss out on?
When my mother first found out that I couldn't smell she had problems understanding that since I have never been able to smell I don't MISS being able to smell. She feels sorry for me for not being able to smell flowers and other nice things.

I find it strange that when people find out that I can't smell they always think "it must be terrible not to be able to smell nice things like flowers", they rearly think "Oh it must be terrible not to be able to smell fire, or a gas leak, or toxic chemicals og if you stepped in something unplesant and have managed to drag it all over the house before you notice"

But when I think about being deaf, the first thing I think is "No music! that must be terrible!" But I guess not being able to hear the truck behind you og not being able to follow a conversation is a lot worse!




I don't know, but she had problems holding on to her babies when she was pregnant. She had 3 spontainous abortions before I came along and managed to hang in there and come out alive . I think it was a problematic pregnancy.

Most likely my problem is that the area of the brain that it supposed to process the sensory input from my nose is underdevoloped.


I have another question for all of you (and please forgive me if it is a stupid question). Are you sad that you are deaf?
The reason i ask is that it is difficult for me to understand how much of a problem being deaf is. People who loose their sense of smell think it is horrible but I am use to it and usually don't think much of it, to me it is normal.
Is being deaf just annoying or is it a terrible thing?

I find it annoying cause there are few things I would love to be able to hear. Music would be one and being able to keep up with conversation without effort would be other.

There are pros and cons of being deaf. One pro would be that I don't have to hear unpleasants things. Like thunderstorms when sleeping. Languages that people use while out and about. I've been told that I'm lucky I don't have to hear conversation going around me cause most of the time they are useless.

Just like everything else, there is pros and cons.

 

[omegaman]

Does having no sense of smell also mean that you cannot taste food?

 

[LunaLarsen]

Does having no sense of smell also mean that you cannot taste food?

The most common question anosmics are asked

The simple answer is that anosmics can taste (not being able to taste is called ageusia)

The more complicated answer is that what anosmics mean by taste and what other people mean by taste are 2 different things.

What you mean by 'taste' is probably 'the sensory input you experience when you eat' which is a combination of taste, smell, the chemical sense(trigeminal sense), texture and temperature. Anosmics like me cannot detect the smell part of that. I have been told that the smell part is a big part of what other people call 'taste'.

To me taste is what the tastebuds can pick up (i.e. sweet, salty, sour/acidic, bitter and umami)
The chemical/trigeminal is what the nerve endings in the soft tissue in the mouth, nose and eyes can detect. The chemical sense usually detects irritating things (often chemicals hence the name ) like amonia and onoin juice . Among other things it can pick up the HOT of chili and the minty/fresh-feel of colgate toothpaste.
So of the sensation from chilli, pepper, pebbermint, mustard, ... is picked up by the chemical sense.

All in all the chemicals sense and the taste buds can pick up something like 10 different sensations.
The averege human can detect between 100 an 400 destinct smells.

 

[RedFox]

By miss did she mean miss out on?
When my mother first found out that I couldn't smell she had problems understanding that since I have never been able to smell I don't MISS being able to smell. She feels sorry for me for not being able to smell flowers and other nice things.

She meant not be able to hear and enjoy it. There are plenty of hard of hearing and deaf people who like bass music, which is easy to feel.

I have another question for all of you (and please forgive me if it is a stupid question). Are you sad that you are deaf?
The reason i ask is that it is difficult for me to understand how much of a problem being deaf is. People who loose their sense of smell think it is horrible but I am use to it and usually don't think much of it, to me it is normal.
Is being deaf just annoying or is it a terrible thing?

I don't see it as a terrible thing because I've been deaf all my life so I'm used to it.

 

[hohDougRN]

I don't know, but she had problems holding on to her babies when she was pregnant. She had 3 spontainous abortions before I came along and managed to hang in there and come out alive . I think it was a problematic pregnancy.

Most likely my problem is that the area of the brain that it supposed to process the sensory input from my nose is underdevoloped.


I have another question for all of you (and please forgive me if it is a stupid question). Are you sad that you are deaf?
The reason i ask is that it is difficult for me to understand how much of a problem being deaf is. People who loose their sense of smell think it is horrible but I am use to it and usually don't think much of it, to me it is normal.
Is being deaf just annoying or is it a terrible thing?

Have you ever had MRI to possibly diagnose any issue with the olfactory bulb, olfactoy cortex, thalamus or hypothalamus? If not too personal, do you have any other disorder that I may like to mechanisms in the brain of same location. The Cranial nerves are most sensitive to developmental problems during first 10-12 wks of conception if there were any issue there with mother. You would most likely have some other disorder or related issue within the frontal cortex of brain or hypothalamus.

AS far as your question, deafness is not terrible thing. Like yourself I just adapt my life to be condusive to others as best I can whether by other sences or physical assistive device like hearing aids,VRS, TTY etc. I was not born deaf, but lost my hearing at age 21. AT first yes it was Terrible thing, after acceptance of situation, it was just annoyance to me. After getting HA's I was much more functional. Between lip reading, HA's, and me obviously having had perfect spoken english ability before deafness, I am ok in social settings and nothing annoyance to me anymore. I still talk to people so sometime it take minute or my indication I cannot hear them much. Every thing just second nature to me and I think nothing of it whatsoever now.

 

[LunaLarsen]

Have you ever had MRI to possibly diagnose any issue with the olfactory bulb, olfactoy cortex, thalamus or hypothalamus? If not too personal, do you have any other disorder that I may like to mechanisms in the brain of same location.

I have epilepsy. It is not severe, 1-2 small attacks a year, but it is one of the reasons why I suspect the problem to be in the brain. I actually have an appointment with a neurologist next week, and I suspect he will send me to have an MRI. Statistically speaking, it is probably an underdeveloped olfactory bulb. Hopefully I will know in a few weeks

 

[Bottesini]

By miss did she mean miss out on?
When my mother first found out that I couldn't smell she had problems understanding that since I have never been able to smell I don't MISS being able to smell. She feels sorry for me for not being able to smell flowers and other nice things.

I find it strange that when people find out that I can't smell they always think "it must be terrible not to be able to smell nice things like flowers", they rearly think "Oh it must be terrible not to be able to smell fire, or a gas leak, or toxic chemicals og if you stepped in something unplesant and have managed to drag it all over the house before you notice"

But when I think about being deaf, the first thing I think is "No music! that must be terrible!" But I guess not being able to hear the truck behind you og not being able to follow a conversation is a lot worse!




I don't know, but she had problems holding on to her babies when she was pregnant. She had 3 spontainous abortions before I came along and managed to hang in there and come out alive . I think it was a problematic pregnancy.

Most likely my problem is that the area of the brain that it supposed to process the sensory input from my nose is underdevoloped.


I have another question for all of you (and please forgive me if it is a stupid question). Are you sad that you are deaf?
The reason i ask is that it is difficult for me to understand how much of a problem being deaf is. People who loose their sense of smell think it is horrible but I am use to it and usually don't think much of it, to me it is normal.
Is being deaf just annoying or is it a terrible thing?

I am not sad at all. I don't think it is annoying or terrible. I think it is just natural for me.