First, the paranoia you’re feeling is your body’s risk management system working exactly as intended. Paying that much attention to a surgical incision isn’t paranoid, it’s just good stewardship of your own healing. So the instinct here is 100% correct. Where I’d push back gently is on the idea of a ‘smell test’ as a primary or early screening tool.
The myth is that you can smell trouble early. The reality is that by the time a wound has a distinct, foul odor, the bacterial colonization is often well-established and has been for some time. The volatile compounds our noses can detect are byproducts of significant microbial metabolism. It’s a lagging indicator, not a leading one.
This is a principle that gets drilled into you in any environment where sterility is non-negotiable. A contaminated vial of injectable medication, for example, looks, feels, and smells exactly the same as a sterile one.