Body odor! This is not a common topic of discussion among hep b patients, and I know because I have been on the other HBList for quite a while now and this has never been discussed. It has really made me very worried, and the troubling thing is that it is the body odor that has affected my life significantly and not the Hep B diagnosis. I lost a high-paying job because of it. Please, it is not a deodorant problem, and I am still open to suggestions if any type of deodorant worked for anybody on this forum.
I have talked to doctors about it including my hepatologist. My hepatologist said once my liver vitals were correct, I should not be worried about anything. Some general practitioners recommended I eat yogurt to help with digestion. Well, I am aware of supplements that help with digestion but, yeah.
Because of the pandemic, I am not currently working and do not have insurance, but I am currently searching and worried that I might face the same treatment I got earlier because of this problem. I am in the USA, MO to be specific.
“In the case of liver disease, sufferers can experience excessive sweating and a foul-smelling odor that’s been likened to rotten eggs; which is the result of a blood-sugar spike, causes both fruity-smelling breath and a pungent body odor; and excessive sweat and odor can occur in people with due to their overactive parathyroid gland.”
This sounded exactly like the problem I am going through.
I must admit, chronic fatigue is also a problem for me.
I do not wish that others have this problem, but I will appreciate insights, lessons, leads, and directions on how to mitigate this problem.
Welcome to Hep B community and thanks for sharing your experiences. I think that this is an important question that others may be scared of mentioning, so thanks for asking it. I’m not sure however if that post is fully accurate, as I don’t think the author has any medical or scientific qualifications.
I don’t know if the body odour is a direct result of Hep B, I have not heard about it before. What might be useful is seeing an endocrinologist or dermatologists about your concerns. Your primary care provider may be able to give you an indication of which might be more useful.
I found a deodorant range by Schmidt’s they have three however the charcoal one is more comfortable and Countdown has it, plus a company called “natives” has similar. The base is baking soda and coconut oil which is also recommended as a mouthwash, baking soda I mean. I spent years testing practically every deo within my budget also experimented with blending my own which led to underarm stains and by chance came across the Schmidt’s range priced at around $14.
@Mawriz Did you use any supplement before the onset of the condition you described?
I’m just reading this now but I think the condition you described is similar to Trimethylaminurea (TMAU). I have read that secondary TMAU can be triggered by excess choline or other substances present in certain hepb/liver-aided supplements. What the chemicals do is to accumulate trimethylamine (TMA) in the body; it is meant to be oxidized to its odourless form (TMAO) by the liver, but since the liver is malfunctional due to hepb, the conversion is usually impossible/deficient. Thus, the TMA is excreted from the body via sweats, urine, and breath, thereby causing the pungent/fecal body odor.
You might want to ask your medical consultant about this and probably get tested for TMAU. And based on the results they can better guide you adequately.
By the way, did you find any deodorant helpful or have you been able to get any other alternative solution? The Schmidt deos and other natural variants don’t seem to help much.
Your response on what has worked for you would be highly appreciated.
My husband has complained every since he got jaundice that he can smell himself and he hates it. I do not have a great sense of smell myself, but I really haven’t noticed much of a particular pungent smell on him? I did notice bad breath though? But, since his Bili levels are coming down, he is less “highlighter yellow” and the bad breath seems to be improving. He said that he thinks the body odor is improving as well.
Is it possible the body odor and bad breath are related to high Bili levels?
I took some time off this site a while but I am back again. Sorry for the delayed response. I have not been able to get anything that helped with the odor but it has somehow subsided. Previously, I could smell the bad odor but after 2 years now I think it has resolved, not completely but it is now at tolerable levels. Now I can sit among my friends and talk without feeling guilty.