Many people going through chemotherapy discuss an unpleasant body odor as a side effect. And yes, the culprit is indeed the chemotherapy drugs that affect both the body and bodily fluids. The positive news is that the smell typically disappears after the last treatment.
Daily care involving proximity with a malodorous patient in the terminal stage of cancer has often proved difficult for the caregiver. Whatever the cause of the primary cancer, three sources of noxious odor can exist or coexist: necrosis, superinfection, and perspiration and/or discharge.
Certain types of cancer and its treatment can change your senses of taste and smell.
Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
After each chemotherapy session, the drugs may remain in your body for up to a week. During this time, very small amounts of the drugs may be released from the body in your vomit, urine (wee), faeces (poo), blood, saliva, sweat, semen or vaginal discharge, and breastmilk.
Having Sex During Your Cancer Treatment
We recommend using a barrier device (condom or dental dam) during treatment and for a week after each treatment during oral, vaginal, or anal sex to prevent your partner from being exposed to any medication that may be in your bodily fluids.
It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.
If the enzyme is missing or its activity is reduced because of a variant in the FMO3 gene, trimethylamine is not processed properly and can build up in the body. As excess trimethylamine is released in a person's sweat, urine, and breath, it causes the odor characteristic of trimethylaminuria.
Sweating and body odor are common when you exercise or you're too warm. They're also common when you're feeling nervous, anxious or stressed. Unusual changes in sweating — either too much (hyperhidrosis) or too little (anhidrosis) — can be cause for concern. Changes in body odor also may signal a health problem.
Background: Smell and taste disorders are among the side effects of chemo- and radiotherapy. Although direct radionecrosis of the salivary glands and the taste buds might explain the chemosensory problems after radiotherapy, the olfactory and gustatory complaints seen after chemotherapy remain unexplained.
A return to normalcy is typical, but it takes a while – usually six months or so. “All who have done chemo do finally get back to normal,” Patricia said. “Treatment for breast cancer can take a whole year, but six months after it ends, life comes back – incisions heal, hair grows back, chemo brain fog lifts.”
Nasal and paranasal sinus cancer and its treatment can affect your sense of smell. But there are things you can do to help you cope.
Sweat can smell like vinegar because of diseases such as diabetes, trichomycosis, and kidney disease, or because of hormone changes, certain foods, or skin infections.
Several groups of drugs are known in the literature that can cause BO through excessive sweating such as antidepressant medications (bupropion hydrochloride, venlafaxine hydrochloride ect.), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ketoprofen and naproxen), analgesic (codeine), omega-3-acid ethyl esters, leuprolide ...
Take a shower every day. Showering removes the bacteria that causes sweat to smell bad. Make an effort to take a shower every single day, especially during the summer months. Wash with antibacterial soap to really clean underneath your boobs and get rid of sweat and odors.
Common causes of a fishy odour include poor hygiene, gingivitis, bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections. Advanced kidney or liver disease may also cause this condition. In the patient described here, a less common cause was found.
Bacterial infections:
Excessive panties are always wet vaginal discharge can be caused due to bacterial vaginosis. The discharge is thin, grey coloured and smells like a fish. It also causes itching around the vagina. Having multiple sexual partners and frequent douching are the common causes of bacterial infection.
The best way to keep your private parts smelling OK is to take regular showers or baths, wash the outside of your vulva or penis with warm water and a little soap, and wear clean, dry underwear. Other than that, there's no need to use douches or special washes.
In addition, if you smell a strong, fishy odor, you may have bacterial vaginosis (vaginal infection) or trichomoniasis (a sexually transmitted disease caused by a parasite). Schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss antibiotic treatments to stop the infection.
There's usually no medical reason to stop having sex during chemo. The drugs won't have any long term physical effects on your performance or enjoyment of sex. Cancer can't be passed on to your partner during sex.
When chemo drugs or their waste are outside your body, they can harm or irritate skin. Other people and pets could be exposed to the drug waste for a few days if they come into contact with any of your body fluids.
Bathe every day and use warm water. Avoid soaking in spas or hot tubs. Use a mild soap for bathing. Use a soft towel to gently wash skin.