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Mutiple Chemical Sensitivity
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| Intro post |
[Feb. 21st, 2009|10:04 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Jason Mraz --- I'm Yours | ] |
I have never been diagnosed with skin allergies/sensitivities, but I know for sure what I have. My grandma, mother, and two cousins have all been dx'ed as allergic to: artificial fragrance of any sort, methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, and formaldehyde. I have the exact same symptoms, from the same products, just not the fancy-schmancy insurance that will cover expensive allergy testing.
Why, oh why, is it so hard to find products that I am not allergic to? Currently, I do not wear makeup at all. I use mens' unscented (really actually unscented) shaving gel, expensive hippie-store shampoo, homemade (by a friend) conditioner, and plain lye/lard soap. I only wish this was enough, though! I'll go maybe a week and a half without a breakout, then I'm itching again. And it doesn't just stop at a bit of itchiness...it's a bumpy red rash that gets itchier as you scratch it. I can keep myself from scratching it open while I'm awake, but how do you stop your hands from doing their job while you sleep? I've tried petroleum jelly (to stop air from tickling the rash), I've tried bandages over it (to keep me from being able to scratch), I've even tried cutting my fingernails all the way down to the quick (OW. OW OW OW. NEVER AGAIN.), and I still end up with weeks of scabby arms and thighs and hips, and with blood spots on my clothing, and scars on the insides of my elbows, and with customers at work looking at me like i'm some kind of pox-ridden leper.
I hate my body for doing this to me, but at the same time, I know it's not my body's fault, after all my relatives have it too. I just wish there was something more than steroidal anti-itch cream that I could effectively use (not that the desoximetasone is particularly effective...it stops the itch as long as I haven't already scratched it within the past two hours. eyeroll.), so that I could stop itching all the time!
I'm also having a hell of a time getting my mother-in-law to quit using scented crap when I'm at her house. She seriously thinks that if the scent isn't strong, it's okay. Or, if it doesn't smell perfumey, it's okay (febreze, etc.). Or, my favorite, as long as she blows out the candle as I'm walking in the door...you get the picture.
I wonder if there are allergy shot type treatments for this? I don't even really know how allergy shots work. Do you get them a bunch and then wean off of them and not have allergies anymore, or do you have to keep getting them on a regular schedule to keep the allergies at bay? If the latter is true, are they more effective than otc allergy meds, at least?
Sigh. I just want to rip my arms off. I'll take pics of them next time they're flared up, for fun. How's that for something to look forward to? |
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| dry itchy skin |
[Feb. 3rd, 2009|06:43 pm] |
I've always had dry skin, but the past few years it's been getting progressively worse. I'd been wondering what I can do about it. It's terribly itchy, and it gets so dry it's painful in places. I have tried vitamin E, my diet is much better than most peoples, and so many different lotions and creams. (I am allergic to Aveenos products as they all seem to have oats in them.) The best thing seems to be a combination of shea butter, coconut oil, Burt's Bees beeswax & banana, and Alba's "Very Emollient Body Lotion". Even with those my skin is horribly dry and itchy. It's driving me crazy. It's worse in winter of course, though summer is not terribly better, though our humid climate and hot temperatures do help it. At the peak of winter (i.e. now) my hands also crack and bleed.
I do avoid all wheat and even oats in even my skin products, as I am allergic to them. I am also allergic to lanolin and most fragrances. I feel like I have tried so many things to no avail and am feeling frustrated. I have even been only showering every other day, but the day I shower my skin is always particularly itchy and painful. The soaps I use are all natural, and no one (unscented, without allergens) seems to work better or worse than another.
My roommate today said that this is a problem in women: after about age 35 they have trouble with dry skin. I am 40, and have already always had dry skin. Agh! A further complication is that I have dyshidrosis, a skin condition affecting my hands, but I don't have symptoms as long as I don't handle wheat or strong detergents.
Help! Natural suggestions are welcome. What has worked for you? Is there an herbal supplement I can take, or some sort of oil or lotion I can apply that will not be greasy AND stay on my skin? |
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| Newbie |
[Jan. 13th, 2009|02:13 pm] |
I just found this community and wanted to say hello.
I spent three and a half years as fragrance free for graduate school (half a year getting ready for it, 2 years in, and another year to get use to fragrance again). For the most part, all of my clothing is washed fragrance-free and my make up is mostly fragrance free and I typically stick to unscented soaps.
I have empathy for people who must live a FF lifestyle. During school, I hated elevators and the mall...I still cannot stroll throug Macy's--I use to have to get a friend to hold my hand and lead me through because it makes my eyes burn and I would need to hold my breath.
Anyway, I just wanted hi and all. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 20th, 2008|11:30 pm] |
Hello all, I'm new to the community.
I'm not quite sure if I have MCS. Normally, strong fragrances and chemicals just give me migraines, but more recently my chest feels kind of heavy when I'm exposed to some fragrances.
Just now, I spritzed myself with a bit of perfume I bought today. It's a very light fragrance, but my chest feels a bit tight, and I'm feeling nauseous. When I tried it on in the store, it didn't bother me, but now, the smell is overwhelming/making me sick.
Could this be a chemical sensitivity? |
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| removing perfume from clothing? |
[Oct. 19th, 2008|08:20 pm] |
I'm fragrance sensitive, as in, any kind of synthetic fragrance makes me quite sick. Some of the worst smells are hair products and detergent perfume. I recently got a like new second hand northface jacket (just in time for winter!) but it was obviously washed in detergent with a really strong smell. I've washed it twice and let it hang out for almost a month but it's still too stinky to wear.
meanwhile, my roommate just came back fro central america where she washed her clothes in really stinky detergent. she's re-washing everything, but even after a full wash cycle and dry cycle, her clothes still smell enough to make me sick.
so, does anyone have any ideas about how to remove fragrance/perfume form fabric? |
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| skin and eye allergies: makeup suggestions needed |
[Oct. 14th, 2008|01:16 pm] |
I just found this community and hope this post is appropriate.
I have had ongoing issues with my skin and the associated allergies, as well as with my eyes and makeup. Honestly I don't know if being a skin care nazi will help my issues but at this point I will try it. The problem is that if one tries to find natural, chemical-free skin care and makeup products without wheat (my shampoo has wheat in it), oats (my dermatitis lotions and soaps have oats in them), parabens (nearly every product I found had these), lanolin (not a toxic product but I am most certainly allergic to it and it is in all of my lipsticks), formaldehyde (the vast majority of all skin care and makeup products have formaldehyde listed under at least 25 different chemical names), by the time one pares down the list of available products it is extremely small, hard to find, and usually pretty expensive. Don't even get me started on "fragrance" listed on the label. I am allergic to too much to buy anything with undisclosed ingredients.
I'm wondering about having eyeliner tattooed on so I don't have to bother with that.
I've been using Burt's Bees creme lotion for my skin along with pure organic coconut oil with good results.
I've been using all natural fragrance-free (except for a little pure herbal oil) soaps for years. I know right away if my skin is allergic to any oils used as fragrances but since I do have more issues if the natural makeup does not work I'll also cull those out.
I don't want to just stop wearing makeup because I love it so. Honestly I rarely wear more than my eyeliner in any case but I would still like to get toxin-free lipstick, eyeshadow and powder.
The issues I have been having are itchy dry skin and severe eye pain and itchiness that doctors don't think is anything important. I have been dealing with these issues my entire life and am tired of it. The cremes and drops they prescribe don't work!
I appreciate any suggestions or INEXPENSIVE products that you have tried and liked. It's hard to tell from websites how well the makeup is regardless of products used in them. Many natural products do contain oats and lanolin which I am avoiding, the oats (and all wheat products) because I am intolerant of them internally and decided to also avoid them in topical products as well.
Thank you in advance for any help! |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 27th, 2008|08:35 am] |
I quit.
I am a special education teacher. Someone suggested to me that I'd work well with this adult she new, who had support staff because of her disability... connections were made, I hit it off with the woman, and her parents, they offered me a part time job on Saturdays... sweet way to make some extra cash, huh?
...
...
So I get hired, and go to her house for training ... her live in caregiver smokes. I said I was allergic and she said "I'll just keep it in my room" where she left it lit, door open, and ran in for a puff every few minutes. The next week I mentioned again that I was allergic to her cigarettes and candles...explained briefly, and left with the woman I support for the day. 3rd week almost killed me with the air fresheners she'd sprayed to try to cover it up...
So, Dr. put me on Loratadine so I could cope, but advised me not to stay in that job or on that med. "Your symptoms may be reduced, but your still filling your lungs with chemicals your body can't break down and flush out. You still don't have the enzyme needed for that, so exposure is still bad, just less painful."
I've now quit that job, my last shift is coming up in a few weeks. The live-in is mad at me because I said something to the administrators when the administrators asked how I liked the job. She says "Why didn't you talk to me?" I said, "well, I did twice, and that only made things worse". Now she won't let me in the house, which since I'm quitting, is fine. 3 shifts of awkwardness left (one today).
So, MCS lost me a pretty chill job. I don't know why I forgot I can't go to people's houses. It was dumb of me to forget. Kind of funny though.
Poll #1267968 MCS and homes
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: AllDo you go to people's homes?
I'm taking my older air filter up to my classroom this weekend. :)
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 23rd, 2008|08:54 am] |
Hi everybody! We are trying to network with friends who share our interests. We have skincare and mineral makeup available for those with special skin issues or those just looking for a natural alternative. We are very aware of multiple chemical sensitivities and custom make products to help our customers. We are hoping this dosen't read like an ad we are on a mission to get people educated about chemicals in products and what is going on their skin. We answer so many questions daily and see so many people suffering with chemical induced skin conditions that it frustrates us. We try to bring the most natural products to our customers and help them solve these issues. When we have a success story we LOVE to hear it. We have been getting many emails from customers who are seeing results and we are so very excited! We have our new cleansing grains on our site and our new tinted moisturizer called "FAERY GLOW". They are unscented. Our grains are chemical Free but do have ground herbs. Our grains consist of Purifying kaolin clay, ground herbs (calendula, lavender buds, white tea and chamomile), oats, collolidail oatmeal, organic milk powder, and coconut oil. We'd love to hear any suggestions or advice on products to carry. Thanks!!!
 tinted moisturizer  cleansing grains
www.faerieorganic.com |
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| Dr. Bronners sensitive soaps |
[Jul. 30th, 2008|03:25 pm] |
Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Classic Soaps |
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| Unlike any you’ve ever used. A combination of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils, creates a unique soap that cleans effectively without being aggressive and produces a velvety-lather that leaves the skin silky-smooth and refrefresed |
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I am selling Dr. Bronners Pure-Castille, fair trade non-scented, baby mild liquid soap. I am also selling
his Eucalyptus and Almond soaps together that have a very, very mild smell.
CHECK IT OUT:
Pure-Castille Baby Mild Unscented Soap: 24 FL OZ/59 ML DESCRIPTION:
Our unscented baby contains no fragrance so is great for people who have allergies or sensitive skin. Of course it is great for babies as well. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
INGREDIENTS:
Water, Saponfied Organic Coconut Oil*, Saponified Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Glycerin, Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vit. E), * Certified Fair Trade by IMO Here is my listing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120289274268&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling
I highly suggest Dr. Bronner.
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| Something to be aware of |
[Jul. 27th, 2008|09:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | I didn't vote for him, and it doesn't matter | ] |
This is more than a little frightening. I rarely post news articles to LJ, but this one seemed relevant.
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U.S. Rushes to Change Workplace Toxin Rules
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Political appointees at the Department of Labor are moving with unusual speed to push through in the final months of the Bush administration a rule making it tougher to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.
( Rest of the article under here, in case the link dies ) |
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| an atmosphere as unrelenting as rock |
[May. 3rd, 2008|06:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  nervous | ] |
The line "an atmosphere as unrelenting as rock" in the following poem made me think of how MCS makes me feel. Not quite what the poem meant, but I related to it. Perhaps you will enjoy this poem as well!
Tar by C. K. Williams
The first morning of Three Mile Island: those first disquieting, uncertain,
mystifying hours.
All morning a crew of workmen have been tearing the old decrepit roof
off our building,
and all morning, trying to distract myself, I've been wandering out to
watch them
as they hack away the leaden layers of asbestos paper and disassemble
the disintegrating drains.
After half a night of listening to the news, wondering how to know a
hundred miles downwind
if and when to make a run for it and where, then a coming bolt awake
at seven
when the roofers we've been waiting for since winter sent their ladders
shrieking up our wall,
we still know less than nothing: the utility company continues making
little of the accident,
the slick federal spokesmen still have their evasions in some semblance
of order.
Surely we suspect now we're being lied to, but in the meantime, there
are the roofers,
setting winch-frames, sledging rounds of tar apart, and there I am, on
the curb across, gawking.
I never realized what brutal work it is, how matter-of-factly and harrow-
ingly dangerous.
The ladders flex and quiver, things skid from the edge, the materials are
bulky and recalcitrant.
When the rusty, antique nails are levered out, their heads pull off; the
underroofing crumbles.
Even the battered little furnace, roaring along as patient as a donkey,
chokes and clogs,
a dense, malignant smoke shoots up, and someone has to fiddle with a
cock, then hammer it,
before the gush and stench will deintensify, the dark, Dantean broth
wearily subside.
In its crucible, the stuff looks bland, like licorice, spill it, though, on
your boots or coveralls,
it sears, and everything is permeated with it, the furnace gunked with
burst and half-burst bubbles,
the men themselves so completely slashed and mucked they seem almost
from another realm, like trolls.
When they take their break, they leave their brooms standing at attention
in the asphalt pails,
work gloves clinging like Br'er Rabbit to the bitten shafts, and they slouch
along the precipitous lip,
the enormous sky behind them, the heavy noontime air alive with shim-
mers and mirages.
Sometime in the afternoon I had to go inside: the advent of our vigil was
upon us.
However much we didn't want to, however little we would do about it,
we'd understood:
we were going to perish of all this, if not now, then soon, if not soon,
then someday.
Someday, some final generation, hysterically aswarm beneath an at-
mosphere as unrelenting as rock,
would rue us all, anathematize our earthly comforts, curse our surfeits
and submissions.
I think I know, though I might rather not, why my roofers stay so clear
to me and why the rest,
the terror of that time, the reflexive disbelief and distancing, all we should
hold on to, dims so.
I remember the president in his absurd protective booties, looking
absolutely unafraid, the fool.
I remember a woman on the front page glaring across the misty Sus-
quehanna at those looming stacks.
But, more vividly, the men, silvered with glitter from the shingles, cling-
ing like starlings beneath the eaves.
Even the leftover carats of tar in the gutter, so black they seemed to suck
the light out of the air.
By nightfall kids had come across them: every sidewalk on the block was
scribbled with obscenities and hearts. |
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| Auto Purchasing |
[Mar. 29th, 2008|08:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  worried | ] |
When buying a car, the last thing that happens is the dealership "details" the car. After all the paperwork, they vacuum and dust and make it all pretty...
And they give it new car smell!!!
Last time a new car came into my life, much explaining was done about allergies before the car got detailed. When we went to pick up the car, it had had new car smell done to it. I had to call a friend to come get me, and I couldn't be in the car for almost a month.
Anyone have any advice - what do I say to make them listen??!??!? |
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| I'm ready for my bubble, Doctor. (Questions too) |
[Aug. 4th, 2007|02:27 pm] |
Good grief. I thought I had reached the limits of absurdity in reacting to the river & tap water in Colorado. But no, that would be too easy. I now can provoke my typical anaphylactic allergic reaction (swollen lips, throat, itching...) by going into a room with a lot of chemical fragrances.
I've know for several years that chemical fragrances can trigger a migraine for me, but am new to having a anaphylactic reaction to it! My house is chemical fragrance free. I've put the whole story behind the cut, if you want to read the circumstances of the reactions. I have nasty corn allergy and far too much experience with the anaphylactic reaction.
Questions for you:
How did you find out that you are sensitive and/or allergic to fragrances?
What kinds of reactions and symptoms to do you have?
How do you cope with this?
Could you share any of your tips and tricks for coping with an over perfumed world?
Do you see an allergist?
If you use any meds, what has worked best for you?
Thanks for sharing your experiences and wisdom.
Here is the the scenario:
( Oh the DRAAAAMA: ) x-posted to food allergies |
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| greetings! |
[Jul. 23rd, 2007|10:15 pm] |
Hi there, I'm new to this community, and happy to have found it!
I am mainly just sensitive to fragrance, but pretty seriously so...well, strong chemical scents of any sort mess me up, too, but the regular problem is fragrance. perfume, scented laundry soap, you all know what I'm talking about; i just wish it was more widely known that perfume makes people sick. i recently had a 3 hour airplane flight with a perfume wearer just ahead of me, gross.
anyway, I don't have any pressing issues, just thought I'd say hi, but also ask if anyone has ever encountered hair was without fragrance... i LOVE hair wax but can't use it anymore because of the perfumes. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 2nd, 2007|10:16 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | cough for straight hair | ] |
John Freida - how I both love and loathe thee = take the fragrance out of your nifty nifty conditioners... |
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| air purifier selection help |
[May. 19th, 2007|10:44 am] |
Hey guys,
I'm trying to purchase an air purifier that will tide me over through the summer smog season. I just want a unit for my bedroom to have on while i'm not home and when i'm asleep so that i'll at least sleep well in there. I'm asthmatic and seem to react severely to smog, cleaning products, perfumes, bug sprays and cigarette smoke (nobody smokes in my home, however it does seep in through the outside windows). My biggest concern at this moment is the smog since i had such a horrible time during the last smog advisory.
Firstly, I have no idea what the ionizer is supposed to do, but do know to look for a HEPA filter.
Option 1
Option 2 |
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| Air purifiers |
[Mar. 26th, 2007|12:26 pm] |
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First off, thanks to all who offered advice last week about the scent incident at my house. Your advice worked so well that I never got sick from the melted plastic. :)
One piece of advice that I received was to purchase an air purifier. I purchased a small air purifier, but I'd like to purchase something that is more geared towards multiple chemical sensitivities rather than for allergens like pollen, cat dander and dust (I'm not allergic to any of those). My allergies are to chemical scents. Does anyone have any advice for a good air purifier?
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| In need of immediate advice |
[Mar. 22nd, 2007|12:52 pm] |
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I'm in a bit of a predicament and am hoping that someone out there has some advice. I've only got a few hours to resolve the problem...
I just received an email from my roommate saying that he accidentally melted the plastic handle of his coffee pot all over the stove. As a result, my house now smells of burnt plastic. Apparently the smell is quite bad.
I have severe sensitivities to chemical scents, and am still recovering from a very bad exposure to something that happened yesterday. Suffice to say, my system is already compromised.
I'm currently at work, and won't be home for another 6 hours or so. What can I recommend that he do to get rid of the smell so that I don't have a bad reaction when I get home?
He already has some windows opened, and I've asked him to fill a few small bowls with vinegar around the kitchen.
Help!
(x-posted) |
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| Scent free products |
[Mar. 1st, 2007|04:11 pm] |
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For any of you looking for scent-free products, here's a great Canadian web resource. :) www.scentfree.ca
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