Phantosmia, Part II

So after a week of saline rinsing my nose and spraying Flonase, the phantom smell is stronger than ever. I still think it’s more sinusitis related than something neurological but it’s starting to bother me.

I’ve noticed something weird though. Since it’s so dry at night with both the forced air heating and radiator space heater, I bought a humidifier to increase the humidity in my bedroom. I noticed if I breathe the cool output mist, then the phantom smell disappears. This is true near the humidifier but once I step further away, the smell comes back. I’ve also noticed that if I put on a blue surgical mask, the smell also goes away. If it’s neurological, then the smell should be fairly consistent at all times. So why does the mask and the humidifier block the smell? Is it humidity since I’m breathing in my exhaled breath while wearing a mask? Or are there physical particles in the air triggering an allergy/immune response? Particles that are blocked by the mask or pushed away by the humidifier vent. Maybe by coincidence the concentration of air irritants increased enough to trigger a response the same day I used tap water for a nasal rinse.