• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Ketone smell

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.

Tina63

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Would anyone like the smell of ketones to stale garlic? I entered my son's room this morning and the room stank to high heaven of what seemed like stale garlic, only he hadn't eaten any garlic. He was a bit grumpy, but woke ok and got up eventually, showered, injected, had breakfast and left for school.

Only later did it hit me, could it have been ketones? Before he was diagnosed there was the smell in his room, but I never likened it to pear drops, now I wonder if that's what it was this morning.
 
Hi Tina.

ketones smell of acetone, or pear drops. A sweet, sickly, acidic smell if I'm right.

Maybe the garlicky smell was just gaseous odours that seem to emanate from teenage lads in the night ? 😱

Rob
 
I'd agree with Rob, ketones have a very distinctive pear drops smell (can you still buy pear drops? :confused:) I wouldn't liken it to garlic at all - he's not hooked up with a French girlfriend has he? 😱
 
Haha! My son bring home a girlfriend??? That'll be the day! Thanks for that - just a smelly boy then!
 
Errr, teenage male pheromones mixed with eau de old trainers/underpants lurking under bed ......
 
lol, smelly boy 😛
Yes Alan, you can still buy peardrops 🙂
 
lol, smelly boy 😛
Yes Alan, you can still buy peardrops 🙂

....too think.. I used to like pear drops before diabetes! Ketones have definitely put me off them these days!
 
....too think.. I used to like pear drops before diabetes! Ketones have definitely put me off them these days!

Indeed! If you tried to suck one now you'd be leapt on by paramedics trying to fill your veins with insulin! 😱 😉
 
Before she was Dx K's breath smelt strange quite often, but she was eating yoghurt and drinking fruit juice for England 😱 so we didn't think anything of it - wouldn't have called it peardrops - but sweet/sour sort of smell - (haha like fruit yogurt😱 ) definitely not garlicky.

Sounds more like my OH's socks...
 
Pete's eldest grand daughter had the worst smelling feet and shoes (aaaargh and her socks) that it has ever been my displeasure to sniff.

In comparison her bro smelled like roses, even though when he was 11, on a family fishing holiday (carp - they are covered in ..... well, snot, even if they don't do anything bodily on you whilst you are handling them, urrgghh) He stank, he had a ring round his neck and could grow Maris Pipers in his lugholes and his mama had told him his bits would drop off. All to no avail.

So I said if he didn't get in the shower within 5 minutes I would strip him on the bank and scrub his dick with my nailbrush and if he didn't believe me - he was welcome to test me. Four minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds .....

His dad said ' Oooer - she has handled more than one you know, I don't think she's joking!' (Been married twice, see? - nicely truthful statement!)

He showered funnily enough.

Of course he didn't take his towel so his grandad took it and said 'Grandma's sent me to inspect it' ROFL

:D

Your son would love me - I'd barge straight in when he was there, unannounced and demand to know what had died in there!
 
I think the whole smell thing will have to remain a mystery. Smelled fine later on once he had left - yes I know, that means it was him who ponged not something left in his room!! He doens't wear his trainers in his room, or indeed leave them there, they live in the hall. He does change socks every day (wears 3 pairs!!!) and does shower every day. Doesn't brush his hair mind, or consent to having it cut, but I really don't think it was a smelly body problem, he must have sneaked something garlicky from outside the house, that's all I can think of!

Before he was diagnosed there was a horrible smell in his room every day, and I would never have likened that to pear drops back then, but then I can't say that this mystery smell reminded me of those days either - it shall indeed have to remain a mystery! At least it smells nice and fresh in there now!
 
...it shall indeed have to remain a mystery! At least it smells nice and fresh in there now!

That means he's ditched the French girl and taken up with a nice Scandinavian girl...😉 Not a pine-y sort of smell is it?
 
Mystery solved - it was fresh pasta with obviously some garlic in the filling! It is a Tesco fresh pasta pack, he has had before, but they must have changed the recipe. I opened a pack this evening, and out popped that all too familiar smell. I can't say I noticed it the other evening, but it was very distinctive.

Girlfriend Alan? That'll be the day!!
 
Tina, for your sake I'm glad it was none of the things I suggested !
 
Glad its sorted. A common use for acetone is nail varnish remover - so presumably the smell is similar.

Richard
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top