This is a rant about a health problem, so I don't know where to put it.

So my roommate, Debbie (she's in her late 40s I think), frankly stinks when she's on her period. Stinks. As in, I can't sleep, eat or go into the bathroom without wanting to puke. I walk in the door and know instantly that she's on her period. My bedroom is across from the bathroom (where she keeps her dirty laundry, as well) and I can't sleep because the smell is so bad. I end up sleeping in my office, which is further away.

It must be what she eats. I can't think of any other reason for this. No one else in our family is like this, at least, enough for me to notice on this level.

Ugh. I wanna puke now.

Ugh. I wanna puke now.

I warned you, dear. This is one of a thousand reasons why I'm trying to move out. I've had to put up with this for almost 2 years. I am at an end.

Would food cause this? She eats a lot and very bad (2-3 servings of fries daily, fried chicken, 4L of diet pepsi daily, dozen or so of eggs weekly [improvement from the 24 weekly before her BF had a heart attack], 2-3 loaves of bread weekly, pounds of ground beef, etc). The last time she was at the doctor, they said her iron was "fantastic", so maybe it's all the iron?

*blink*

Does she bathe everyday? Seriously does she? Is it a hormonal thing? Maybe she needs an anti-bacterial soap? Oy that must suck.

No offense to your roomate but with that kind of diet how is she ticking?! Yikes.

She showers daily. And she has different clothes daily, so I assume she changes. Honestly, I don't think she notices at all.

I bought the last pile of soap and got a neutrogena-style anti-bacterial. It's the only soap in the house, so I assume she's using it. No change.

I think it's the acutal blood that smells, not her body all over. I can't go into the bathroom to change the garbage even, because the smell is that bad (and that would be with her starting her period that morning). I typically go through a bottle of febreeze during this time, spraying everywhere I go, so I can breathe.

I thought I was being oversenstive, but my BF came over (who's sense of smell is a lot less then mine) and he asked what the strange smell was. He thought someone was cooking meat.

/sigh

Is she using pads and leaving them out? I know that smell...it gives me a instant headache and urge to hurl. I dont see how it could smell that bad if she used tampons and flushed them. ugh...

ETA: Maybe a stong sented room spray could help cover the odor...or burn some candles

That is just too bizarre for me to even imagine. Is it a ........ blood smell? Like, an unwashed kind of smell? I'm wondering about the bathing, like tigzie said. Does she properly dispose of her pads and such?
Ew. Just...ew. :sick:

No offense to your roomate but with that kind of diet how is she ticking?! Yikes.

she's a relative, so no offence taken :) She has a better diet then some of the others. When I say that women in my family are overweight because of their choices, I really mean it. I'm afraid how their hearts will respond when they all enter menopause.

Her bf (also in his 40s) had a massive heart attack last year around this time from eating like this. He has changed his eating habits completely, and she has to a large extent, as she can't cook food like this for him anymore. But, she eats what she wants when he's not arround.

If she can live to be her age with how she eats, then I should live to be 100 on how I eat :)

See I too know of this smell and it's yuck-eeee. She really has to um...clean well down there and dispose of pads ASAP. I mean outta the house apparently. And also maybe she needs to switch brands of pads to something more breathable...?

Yikes, Krista. I don't know what to tell you. :sick: She's not aware of this at all?

The only thing I could think of has already been mentioned -- improperly disposed of pads and tampons. But still... I've never heard of anything like this. Maybe you should give her some info on the keeper -- since that gets washed out, there wouldn't be any period-related trash around. Ugh.

So... with the new job and all, are you any closer to getting out of there? :-/

She doesn't wear tampons.

It's a blood-like smell. /shutter Have you ever cut your face and bled really bad? I did once and got blood all in my nose, etc. The way it smelled the next day is what this reminds me of.

I have been eating take-out for 2 days (I went to my bfs last evening for supper; I couldn't handle it anymore) and haven't been able to do more then walk in the door and rush upstairs into my office and shut the door. Even the cats smell funny.

She does leave her dirty pads in the bathroom for a couple days, if I can't get to them. But, she herself smells like it as well. So, it's a dual thing. /sigh

I get the headache, too Eva. It's like inhaling fumes.

She does leave her dirty pads in the bathroom for a couple days, if I can't get to them.

Now that's just gross. Ick. Pads gross me out in general, but... ew.

Keeper? lol sorry, I wish you knew her. You'd realize how funny that is. She's afraid of buttons for god's sake. She won't touch a box of tampons; she made me throw out my sister's tampons from under the sink when she moved out (I don't have a real period, so I don't need them). While the BF was having surgery after his heart attack, he heard her in the hallway screaming "if they kill him, what will happen to me?" and, my person favorite, "now I have all this extra worry on my shoulders. Doesn't anything think about me?" Honestly, suggesting the Keeper for my person benefit is out :)

Is she aware of it? I honesly don't think she cares. Some members of my family are rather, um, well, not cultured in the ways of the social graces and she is one of them. She tells people when she's on her period and stuff (like I couldn't notice), but no one at her work has said anything. They don't seem to cringe when they're around here (I can't drop over to her workplace to pick up food - take out place - when she's on it; too disgusting for me to talk to her).

Maybe it's me. The house smells like it, so maybe I smell it all the time? I'm willing to accept that.

As for finding a new place...well, see, there's a small problem. When I lost my job 2 years ago, I ended up having to declare bankruptcy about 6months later. One of the creditors happens to be the largest renter in Edmonton...and I kinda owe them 1 month's rent. Now, they got my damage deposit, so we should be square (according to me, my lawyer and my trustee), but according to them, that was a forfeit for losing my credit and I still owe them $650 (they lied and didn't add themselves to the bankruptcy; after it was al filed, THEN they said oops, Krista does owe us money, but it was too late to add it to the bankruptcy, so I wont pay them now because of it). ANYWAY, so they do all these credit checks and what not on you here. That company won't rent to me (obviously); neither will their partners.

I was supposed to move into my bf's basement, once his ex was able to find a place, but she can't get one either. And, due to problems, he's just going to sell the house and split the cash. So, it'll probably be another 6 months before he ahs a new house that I can set a spot up for myself in. I don't want to wait that long. I'm giving it until I return from my visiting my parents in jan. If he hasn't been able to sell his house/find a new house to buy, then he's going to rent an apartment in his name and then add me as a permanent resident later. /shrug

Sheesh, that was long winded. I really needed to vent, huh?

holy hell. i feel ill. that is massively nasty! sorry yuo have to deal with that. i would have to give in and say something - my sense of smell is too sensitive to handle yucko crap like that.

The scary thing is? This annoys me less then the tobacco smoke. This makes me nausous for 5 days of the month (which is right now, btw), but the smoke is all the time.

I kinda got to pick my battles. Of course, no one listens to my pleas to stop smoking in the house. She just does it when I'm sleeping. Yes, because an asthmic won't notice if she's asleep :smoke:

i've found that it's only really old blood that smells bad. perhaps she isn't changing her pads frequently enough or emptying the bins enough. ask her if she could empty the bin that she uses more frequently while menstruating. that's what i would do.

Ok So I've been thinking because...gee Krista I feel for you :)

How often does she change those things?! Whatever it is she's gotta start changing more often most likely. And tell her to start throwing out some of the trash. I mean really!

And remember ladies, scrub that underwear! :up:

ETA: Kreeli, you same-time-poster you! :p

Maybe it is the old blood I'm smelling. I'll ask her bf the change the garbage and put the clothes downstairs (trust me - it's easier). I'd do it myself, but I can't go in the bathroom. Last month, I went to McDonald's (just across the street; you can imagine the lovely neighbor I live in then!) to pee. You read right. I couldn't go in the bathroom.

Now that you bring it up, she does wear the same nightgown a few nights in a row and it's covered in blood stains. And it's in the bathroom. Hm...I didn't even think of it.

Oh jeez, Krista. What a mess! Venting is certainly allowed. :) I hope you can hold out until January...

Her nightgown is covered in bloodstains?!?! This is getting grosser by the second... :sick:

btw, thanks for letting me vent about this. I try not to vent about RL too often, but my living conditions are just...not at my standards, shall we say?

Dont get me wrong; I'm not miss molly maid here. I'm horribly messy. At this very moment, I have 4 glasses on my computer desk because I keep forgetting to bring them downstairs :notvegan: Honestly, if it's bothering me, it's bad.

Perhaps me and the cats should just take the tent and move into one of the city parks. The homeless people here are very friendly and I'm sure they'd share a tree space with me. /sigh (I guess I shouldn't laugh because there was a time when I seriously had to consider that).

hygiene..it is a GOOD thing!

So I have heard. Sadly, I didn't even notice it until it was brought up. I guess I've come to expect that this is normal behaviour. ugh

I don't care if someone wears the same nightgown a few times in a row; you're only sleeping in it. But, it shouldnt be...dirty.

/sigh I can't believe I didn't even notice. We'll just say I blocked it out, ok?

Perhaps me and the cats should just take the tent and move into one of the city parks.

haha! I almost suggested that, but then I thought it would've sounded mean! Of course, with the funky smells and the cigarette smoke, I would've moved into a tent, oh, two years ago. I can't believe you've put up with it this long!

haha! I almost suggested that, but then I thought it would've sounded mean! Of course, with the funky smells and the cigarette smoke, I would've moved into a tent, oh, two years ago. I can't believe you've put up with it this long!

The threat of homelessness in Edmonton during the winter is a scary thought. Of course, if it got that bad (which I was a week away from), my BF would have taken me in and we would have dealt with it somehow, but it was a scary prospect at the time, as well. Then, they offered to let me move in (ok, my Mother threatened them and said I was moving in, but whatever), and here I am. It took so much longer to find a job then I thought. I paid my rent every month and paid my share, even when it was the only money I made that month. I've paid my dues here.

when people don't take care of themselves, physically, it's often a symptom of an underlying emotional or mental problem. especially when it comes to hygiene and personal cleanliness -- in fact these are often the first things to go when someone is depressed. i'm sorry to hear about your tough living situation, krista. it sounds to me like your roomie isn't very healthy, physically or mentally.

Maybe you could try getting her a different brand of pad. I believe they make deoderant pads. Also FDS spray/powder might help (provided someone isn't just spraying without keeping clean as well - then it's just menstural smelling FDS....yech!!!). Changing pads often is a must if you have strong smelling mentstural flow. Tampons/Cups are best (but you said she won't use them). I'd definately bring the problem up to her - she should know.