How to measure progress

[StillBattling]

Hello everyone,

The main issue I am facing dealing with bb is I am not able to measure my progress with any treatment. I understand currently only the following economical means are available to measure/test it.

1. Tongue smell: I really want to know if tongue smell should really be considered. I have asked 2 friends to perform lick test and both said it is normal for tongue to smell ,although they don't have bb.

2. Tongue coating: Again not reliable sign. However I definitely feel better after scraping.

3. Nose rubs: This has been a controversial topic. I agree people do rub their nose once in a while. The issue with me is everyone seems to rub nose every time I speak. And I have kind of become paranoid looking for nose rubs as the same people rarely rub their nose while talking to others. One thing I have noticed is the same people do not rub their nose when I have mint in mouth.

I have asked my sister and one close friend and both denied smelling anything on me. But I am failing in all above three tests especially the nose rubs test.

[ExhaleSafely]

I too struggle to understand to what degree I have bad breath, and whether or not it's 24/7. Thus, I try to distinguish others' reactions to me while I talk to them. This method however is inherently inconsistent and filled with confirmation bias.

Regarding nose rubs: I think it could be possible that brushing and scraping the tongue surface tends to make it more rough, and also dislodges pieces of tongue skin that can later get sprayed out while talking. Basically I think that brushing the tongue might actually make others rub their nose, as they may suck in some particulate that you project towards them while talking. Thus, you might be interpreting this reaction as a false positive for BB.

Can you indicate how you have confirmed you have BB in the first place, and what sorts of reactions you are picking up from people as you interact with them? Maybe we can narrow it down further.

[StillHoping]

Just like you; I have been very confused lately in trying to determine my level of BB/progress. Especially after meeting 3 others from this forum on 2 separate occasions and we couldn't smell anything on each other.

After this, I decided to pay more serious attention to "reactions". In terms of others reactions to us - I think them backing away or slightly covering their nose is a more reliable way of determining if your BB is flaring up as opposed to nose rubs. One of my coworkers has very strong body odor [in fact, others have come to gossip to me about her problem :S] and I noticed they never rub their noses towards her. They may avoid her, back away or look away while communicating to her. Meanwhile, I am constantly getting nose rubs from these very same people!

My best friend says she thinks there is something about me that makes her nose itchy causing her to constantly rub it but she claims it is definitely not because of an odor. Soo at this point, I am inclined to believe that PATM might actually exist and possibly many of us on this forum have it [ofcourse we might have this in ADDITION to having BB also - I believe this could me my case].

Remember your BB might also be intermittent! But I'd say put more credence into when you see people physically recoiling as opposed to simply rubbing their nose.

[StillBattling]

I was brutally told 3 times that I my breath was bad. So I am too scared to take any blunt reaction again. As a result I avoid speaking directly to face since then.

Now a days people don't recoil or make faces when I speak. and this is when I am at least 1-2 meter away. but they will definitely rub their nose every time I speak which is very bothering.

if there was a way to measure the intensity, then at least we can check if certain protocol is working. BB being subjective is of major concern as I don't know if I have been cured over the years and unnecessarily stressing on people's reactions.

[ExhaleSafely]

I think my theory isn't too bad concerning the tongue surface and particulate. In your case too, you mention that when you have a mint in your mouth you no longer receive the nose rubs. now it could be that indeed the mint is masking a smell so people don't rub their nose. Or, it could be that the mint is causing increased salivary flow, and that extra liquid is essentially matting down all the tongue particles and general rough/rawness. However, it could also be that the increased saliva is covering (literally) a smelly region, acting almost as a cap or lid until it dries back out and "opens" the smelly area again.

In any case, it's not too bad, as maybe your source is from the mouth and thus could be identified easier.

Probably in your case, look for additional reactions that would indicate an irritant in the air (sneezing, coughing, rubbing eyes, etc.). But, really that is only half of what you could do, as asking people for brutal honesty will ultimately help you out the most.