Phantom Cookies and Rotten Lies: Parkinson’s and the Nose That Knows Too Much

So here’s something I never thought I’d say: sometimes Parkinson’s makes you smell things that aren’t there.

Yep. PD’s not content just making your hand shake like it’s late for a meeting — it’s gotta mess with your senses too. Most folks know about hyposmia — the loss of smell that hits many of us early on. You wake up one day and coffee smells like… nothing. Garlic bread? Nope. Just air with calories.

But that’s not the weirdest part.

Sometimes, Parkinson’s gives you a little bonus feature — a funhouse mirror for your nose called phantosmia. That’s when your brain just straight-up invents smells. Not subtle stuff either. We’re talking full-on, “Wait, is someone baking cookies in the middle of this auto body shop?” moments. Or the opposite — suddenly thinking your car smells like a dead raccoon in a sauna, and no one else can smell it but you.

There’s also parosmia, where real smells get distorted. Like your shampoo starts smelling like pickles, or your clean laundry smells like burning wires. It’s like your nose is playing a cruel, unnecessary prank.

This isn't a joke (well, okay, it's kinda funny after the fact). It’s real, it’s underreported, and it’s part of the PD circus. And let me tell you — when your nose decides to go rogue, it’s not easy to explain. Try telling someone, “I smell burning toast and peanut butter” in a room with neither, and see how fast they start Googling “stroke symptoms.”

Here’s what I’ve learned:

You’re not crazy. You’re just living with a neurological DJ that sometimes plays the wrong track.

These phantom smells are real to your brain, even if they’re invisible to everyone else.

Keep track of them — meds, timing, stress. Bring it up to your doc. You deserve to be heard, even when your nose is lying.

I’m sharing this because someone out there right now is sniffing the air, confused, embarrassed, maybe thinking they’re alone. You’re not. You’ve just got Parkinson’s — the disease that keeps on giving… even when it’s completely unnecessary.

Hang in there. Laugh when you can. And if you smell cookies — hell, enjoy it. Even if they’re not real, you deserve a little sweetness.

Stay shaky,

Richie Pikunis