What It's Like To Live With Only 4 Of The 5 Senses

Have you ever met someone who was unable to smell? Doesn't it sound crazy, right?

Well hello, my name is Hannah and I can’t smell.

What does that even mean?! Well, it means that I do not have a sense of smell. I only have 4 senses while most other people have 5. Sure there are some people who have 4 sense like me, but it’s never because they lost or don’t have their sense of smell.

I didn’t lose my sense of smell, I never had it. My mom tells a story of how she came into the house one day after work while I was home alone and she immediately smelled gas. Yes, this is extremely dangerous! I had no idea, I didn’t smell anything, I was just going about my business. Turns out that the pilot light was out on our gas stove, still dangerous.

My sister has held me down and farted in my face before and, while still gross, I didn’t smell it. Now that I think about it, I believe that my brother in law has done the same thing to me as well. Hey, they married each other and now I can see why. Haha.

Anyway, as I was saying, I have never been able to smell. I am asked all the time if there is anything that could be done about it. I don’t know, I’m sure I could get surgery or something for it but surgery scares me. And why wouldn’t I get that surgery? Well, I don’t miss smelling because I can’t miss something that I’ve never had.

Another thing people always ask me is if I can taste things. Smell is linked to taste so it would only make sense that I can’t taste things. Well, who knows if I am tasting things the same you are but I can tell you that I certainly can still taste. Sometimes when things are cooking I can taste the smell of them, like garlic, mint, and hard tack candy.

My friends and family forget I can’t smell all the time. My sister is really bad about asking me to smell things. I just look at her with a "Really? Are you serious right now?” face and she laughs and says “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Some people apologize when they forget like they have offended me in some way. That is not the case at all. I don’t get offended about that. It’s a weird and I expect people to not remember. Who would?

I am a very unusual person but I’m okay with it. I have learned how to deal with people who don’t believe me. I love when people just bombard me with questions. I think it is interesting that they find it so interesting.

My name is Hannah and I have no sense of smell.