MCS, a lot of us may have it and not know it
 

I have been reading a lot about Multiple Chemical Sensitive and was really shocked by what I found. This site a some good info on it.

http://www.ourlittleplace.com/mcs.html

I would love to hear what you guys think of this.


I have been fighting an awful headache with nausea over the last 2 days that Midrin & Imiterx didn't not help.



Here's a good list of SX I found...

Symptoms of MCS may be mild to disabling. The symptoms are essentially any symptom which the patient finds distressing and attributes to this cause. A partial list of common symptoms include anaphylactic shock, difficulty breathing, chest pains and asthma, skin irritation, contact dermatitis, and hives or other forms of skin rash, headaches, "brain fog" (short term memory loss, attention deficit), neurological symptoms (nerve pain, paralysis, weakness, trembling, restless leg syndrome, etc.), tendinitis, seizures, visual disturbances (blurring, halo effect, inability to focus), extreme anxiety, panic and/or anger, suppression of immune system, digestive difficulties, nausea, indigestion/heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, food intolerances, which may or may not be clinically identifiable (e.g., lactose intolerance, celiac disease): commonly wheat and dairy, joint and muscle pains, extreme fatigue, lethargy and lassitude, vertigo/dizziness, abnormally acute sense of smell, sensitivity to natural plant fragrance, natural pine turpines, insomnia, dry mouth, dry eyes, and an overactive bladder.
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Oh, I'm pretty sure that I have multiple chemical sensitivity. I cant walk down the chemcal aisle (where they keep all the cleaning products) in a grocery store without getting a headache or feeling sick.

If I need something from that aisle, I have to do it quickly and without breathing.

The cleaning lady that cleans our house bought a new floor cleaner for the kitchen. She knows that I have scent allergies. Her new floor cleaner was supposed to smell like almonds. I thought it smelled icky and then had to open all the windows because it was making my headache yesterday worse, and my eyes were burning.

I've told her that I cant have flowery scents or mostly any scents used in the house. Told her next time she wants to try a scented cleaning product to let me smell the bottle first (outside)

About the only scented cleaning product that I can stand is Orange Clean, and even that has to be in small quantities. Oddly enough, bleach doesnt really bug me much as long as it's in small quantities.

Perfumes on the other hand...before I went atheist, I had to quit going to church with my dad when I was in my early teens, because the old women would come to church just totally embalmed in their perfumes. Asking the church to request that people to use moderation in their stinky stuff didnt help.

I will never understand the people who think that spraying an entire can of Axe on themselves smells good. They're a walking toxic cloud! It's actually dropped me to my knees a few times when I've been in a store and some male child has gotten in to the cans of Axe body spray and decided to sample an entire can of it on themselves. That's enough for me to want to call the HazMat squad to come out and hose down the place.

Once, I was in a grocery store back in the mid90s when teenagers thought it was totally hilarious to skate thru a store spraying a can of Mace everywhere. That actually happened to me twice, at two different stores, but the first time was the worst.

I've never gotten a direct spray of it, but when you walk into a cloud of Mace that someone sprayed about 30 seconds before, it's still enough to drop you to your knees and make you temporarily blind and unable to breathe.

Yep, definately have MCS here. 1st symptom was sudden intolerance to alcohol(no more Kahlua for me), and now I get dizzy/nausea/brain fog around cleaners, perfume, new carpet, paint, etc. I can actually taste car exhaust(yummy). I also have 4 lesions so have MS also, seems like they are related somehow with me, as all symptoms started about the same time.

Take care, Diana

"One of the biggest offenders is PERFUME and other scented products. Did you know that many of the ingredients in your perfume are the exact same ingredients found in GASOLINE??!! I didn't either! The scary thing is that the perfume industry is NOT REGULATED at all - they can put any number of chemicals in fragrance without revealing what those chemicals are - or how they affect humans. We humans are all participating in a giant "lab experiment" against our knowledge and against our will, and it's making some of us VERY sick."

I am very sensitive to fragrances too, and have been for many years. I have lots of allergies (I guess that's what they are), but my worst reactions are to perfume and mold. I can smell mold from about 20 ft away from the source!!

Even as a teenager, at my first "real job", I had to ask one of the managers if he would please not cut through my area of the shop because I would have a headache for hours from his cologne. It's not all fragrances, but some are particularly bad for me.

Some kids got into my convertible car with their AXE a few years ago, and I couldn't even drive it for a week. I had to have it detailed and leave the lid off for that long before I could even get back into it.

I know some people hate the smell of smoke, and kick up quite a stink about it . . . but it doesn't bother me. It's the people with perfume and cologne that I get irritated about. :mad:

Cherie

No I don't.

But my gf is really bad.

I also saw a news story on this guy who is. He has a little cabin out in the woods somewhere and even with that he sleeps out on the porch. :eek:

I couldn't imagine being that sensitive to chemicals.

I got my hair cut a few weeks ago. There was an old lady at the salon getting her "do" redone for the week. I had to sit outside while she was in there because her perfume was so horrible. After she wafted away, went back inside the salon. Thought it would be ok.

Well, on the way home, I about froze my dad to death because apparently she was OOZING perfume. Everywhere she'd sat or touched or was near was just greasy with the stench. I think it made it's way into my pores like Venom did to Spider-Man and wouldnt let go. (opps...my inner nerd is escaping...)

I went home, changed my clothes, took a shower and I could still smell it! My mom washed my clothes, and the stink must have been stuck in my nose, because I swear I could smell it for days, and my car still had it for a few days after that.

I hate perfumes.


They dont do this anymore in the stores here, but does anyone remember walking into department stores and getting "maced" by the women trying to sell perfumes. The ones here never asked before spraying, they'd say "dont you just Looooooooove this wonderful scent???" *SPRAAAAAAAAAAY!!!* and everyone within a 20 mile radius collapsed to the ground like someone released a canister of V2 nerve gas.

I think some of those perfume commandos are directly responsible for some of my scent allergies.

My Mom used to have a huge sensitivity to perfume - gave her a horrible headache. Bacon used to do the same thing - she couldn't eat it or smell it or she would be in bed for a day.

My sister that just passed away also had chemical sensitivities - she had to use a special brand of face wash, cosmetics, etc. She also could not tolerate perfumes or any kind of scents (candles, room fresheners, etc.).

Myself and my other sister have no reaction to scents - we both use perfume (although sparingly - heavy scents make me nauseous) and other scents don't seem to bother us.

I also have experienced this problem. I can't handle going into candle stores or stores that sell bath and beauty products. I can't handle anything flowery. Spicy smells (candles) are ok. When they wax the floors at school or paint, I have to leave it makes me so nauseated and then I will have a headache. I love my 80 year old mother dearly, but when she visits I have to open the windows in my house/car due to the hairspray and flowery lotion she wears. I mainly buy nonscented products, but do like vanilla perfume (use lightly) and lotion. I hate the perfumed inserts they put into magazines. I throw them awy in the store if there is a magazine I want to buy. My cleaning lady mainly useds pine sol and glass cleaning products that I can tolderate.

I'm allergic to fabric softener, so it took me forever to find one that I can keep around without giving me a headache, let alone use - lol. I use the dryer sheets by bounce that are free of any other chemicals. Even then I have to keep a sharp eye out to make sure they don't get stuck in my clothes or it's hive heaven for me.

Wonderful allergy I got from my dad. :rolleyes:

Well this weekend I tried a little test, I got rid of all the air freshers, washed all my clothes & bedding in fragrance free soap, no fabric softener. Did not wear perfume, didn't clean with chemicals. Bathed in fragrance free soap and shampoo and was feeling better, headaches were way less. Went to Lowes because DH needed some wood and got a awful headache after just 5 minutes in the lumber department.

WOW, MX7 . . . that is GREAT news. :)

For several of my allergies, including mold, antihistimines help a lot with the symptoms; hives, runny nose, itching, itchy eyes, sneezing, throat swelling, breathing difficulties, etc. However, with fragrances, which cause a instant headache for me, antihistimines don't seem to help at all for that symptom.

My daughter was born with a ton of allergies, and they say most times the parents have allergies as well. Of course I tried to blame that on her dad :D, because I was so out of touch with my body. I didn't even recognize the reactions I had to things (except fragrances and soaps ~ I always knew about those).

After developing sinus polyps, which caused constant sinus infections, I was told to test for allergies. I had lots :rolleyes:. Now that I am aware of the symptoms, I KNOW when my allergies are acting up, even if I don't always know what the exposure was that caused the reaction.

Hope this discovery helps your headaches!

Cherie

I can't believe how much better I feel already. My headaches are almost gone, I'm not a tried and don't hurt as much. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ky/excited.gif

Julie!! It's always such great news when we figure out what is wrong, and even better news when we have control over it to some degree!!

Sorry I didn't see your post sooner. I have been working my tail off whether it be work or school. I have no time for me anymore. I'll tell you I was soooo tired today at work. Guess I better get used to it. I suppose its better to feel this way than to not have the $ to pay bills.....such is life huh?

Well keep on removing the offenders in the house and try to keep things to a minimum at the places you go! I know my Neuro is a perfume free office...he gets really sick and bad headahes if someone comes in with it on....

I'm so very glad you are feeling better...I can see it in your posts too :D Good for you!!!! :hug:

Since I have terrible allergies I guess I probably have this too. I minimize the amount of chemicals used in the house. I am glad you found that doing this has helped you tremendously. That is great news, Julie!

EDIT: BTW - Allergies can do some strange things to our bodies as well as create anxiety. DD16 always gets an upset stomach during allergy season (which is really bad this year). The poor girls eyes swelled shut the other day. We both can get somewhat irritable, tired, lethargic, etc. Controlling the allergies and allergens is so important. I use air filters in the house and get the HEPA filters for the a/c. This helps a lot. Although I can't control anything outside the house, I do whatever I can to control the inside environment. By doing this DD16 has not had an asthma attack in years. (Keeping my fingers crossed as I stated we are having a really bad allergy season here).

That's great news, Julie. I've cut way down on the cleaning chemicals I use - but not for myself. I do it because of my pets.....if they were to get into any of that toxic stuff it could kill them.

I don't know if you have this or not but I bought a Steam Mop and that little thing is amazing. You just just pure steam to clean with and it really works - even better than those harsh chemicals that leave a residue behind.

I used mine to clean an area of my hardwood floors the other day and it does such a good job. I cannot believe I wasted all that money on cleaning supplies for so long.

I was just thinking that something like this might help you, too. :)

I'm the same way, I can't even light a scented candle. I have unscented soaps and such. I use scented shampoo and conditioner and have a problem with itchy scalp. It has gotten worse with age.

Me too! My gynecologist said that even the unscented ones can cause problems if you use them for drying underclothes so I don't use them at all anymore.

I have several allergies and take Claritin every day plus Nasonex spring through fall. The worst one is the shellfish allergy, because I love shrimp!

My weirdest chemical allergy is to latex paint. I like to paint our house, but if I do, the fumes make me hyper and it's hard for me to sleep. I get moody too! It's the only thing keeping me from repainting, since now I take so many meds! Who knows what would happen? :eek:

HK - I have something similar except there are attachments and I can clean anything with it - windows, countertops, microwave, refrig., etc. It is made by Shark and I absolutely love it. It is currently at DBF's as we are using it while fixing up the rental and I miss it.

I am planning on getting a new one that is on wheels as that will be easier on me then carrying around the portable one. That way when I do the floors (and it does work awesome on the floors) I don't have to hold that thing with the shoulder strap.

Can you post a link to this one? I'm sure a lot of us would love to see it.

:)

They have them at Target. Here's the link to the one I am thinking of getting.

http://www.target.com/Shark-Ultra-St...leaners&page=1

The other one that I have been thinking about and got good reviews from Consumer Reports is this one.

http://www.target.com/McCulloch-Heav...leaners&page=1

Good points, tkrik! My daughter had really bad allergies, especially as a baby and toddler. She lived on 95% predigested formula for the first 2 yrs of her life, and could even nurse because of the allergens that came through from what I ate. :eek:

It can change our personalities too. There's a good book out there called "Is This Your Child?", that explains how much being exposed to allergens can affect our behavior, moods, etc. (The book is great resource for understanding adult allergies too though...)

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Chil.../dp/0688119077

It explains the "barrel effect", where-by exposure to various allergens will "fill the barrel", and when it overflows, this is when we get symptoms. That's the reason it's so hard to identify our allergens sometimes . . . one day we don't have a problem with something, but the next day we do because we have been exposed to other allergens that "filled the barrel".



Dilluted vinegar and bleach are great for cleaning too, although some people have a hard time with vinegar.

Good for you, MX7, for continuing to be your own best advocate!

Cherie

YESSSSS we are a culture that eats, breathes and drinks so many many new chemicals.

Accumately these chemicals raise havoc on our stressed brains/bodies.

I am lucky. I Have a nutritionist that has this amazing program that READS your body, all areas of the brain and systems and it flags what is stressed or in critical condition. Next he can offer detox products/programs and "whole foods" in tablet form that make up for the damage and get rid of the toxicity.

When I first went, he said my sytems were near organ failure I was so poisoned. He helped me detox and build up my systems. I no longer had that terrible fatigue, my balance improved and remains improved. He can test your meds and offer solutions to the side effects and still not take your meds away.

My husband, who was on meds for 46 years of seizures, he was toxic not only from his meds, too many with too high levels, he was toxic fromn chlorine from swimming. He drowned 2 times NOT from a seizure as thought but toxicity caused him to stop breathing. He was re-susitated.

But sadly, his meds made him more and more toxic, in and out of ER/hosp until one day he just laid down and died from brain shutting off/lack of oxygen. HE was ony 52 in perfect health other than seizures. See why I am so adament about this??

This nutritionist even saw my grandson at 3 who never could talk and had autistic characteristics. Turns out he had mercury poisoning and some other chemical. After months and months of detox and a change in diet, he started talking !!!

Yes get checked!! Its worth a try to feel better ~!

JAN

I forgot to mention because I have avoided this for so long . . .

I am very sensitive to wine too, and it causes bad headaches like fragrances. I think it has something to do with the formenting process (mold ~ or whatever it is they do to those grapes). That allergy got worse over the years as I used to be able to drink it without problem, but it got progressively worse so that I can't even have one glass.

Cherie

I have a hard time with vinegar as well as bleach. I make up a solution of baking soda, water, and lemon juice to do heavier cleaning (like the bathroom). If I use any chemicals to clean with I water them down a LOT. Truly, you don't need as much as they say on the bottles.

I did see on a website all these cleaning things you can make that don't have all the harsh chemicals in them. I can't remember what it is. If I do eventually remember I will post a link. It seems to me it was on one of those TV station sites like TLC or HGTV and the topic was maybe green living?

i use a steam cleaning and micro fiber cloths. very few chemicals.

i'm a clean freak. i vacuum my matresses once a week. toss all pillows in the dryer once a week. all have covers. ( not plastic. the plastic can be full of chemicals)

i also vacuum my whole house everyday. :o i hate dust.

Curious,

You can stay with me for a week and I'll treat you like a queen if you get my house all spotless? :hug: I love a clean house too but I don't have the energy to do it myself very often! DH is supposed to be in charge of that, but he isn't as detailed about it as I am. :o

But, back to the topic... If I do the dusting in the house, my nose is clogged up for two days, even with my allergy medicine.

you betcha wiz. i organize closets too. all color coded. even the hangers. :o

pantry..yup. all food separated and labels facing out.

Wow, I'm impressed!!! :) I need to learn how to be more organized!

Have you ever considered starting a business of organizing for others? There are people out there who need it and pay good money for it!

OMG! I like things neat and clean and have always considered myself a clean freak. However, you have certainly won the the title of "Qwean Freak." LOL.

I am by no means this organized but it is inspirational to me as I need to stay awake to midnight (see Stay Awake thread).

tkrik, i was a single mom for 8 yrs. it made my life so much easier. the habits stuck.

i can pm how i do it. pretty simple and sure is a time saver.

i will gladley wear the crown.

:p dm..i got my own now!

OMG! I am staying out of that one Curious. DM is going to be jealous and she will be shooting out more than pixie dust or fairy dust. LOL.

PM away. I've been a single mom for 16 years and haven't learned to be that organized yet. Well, OK, I admit things are color coded. Everyone has their own color towel, wash cloth, brush, toothbrush, etc. I buy DDs different brands of socks so I can tell whose is whose. Now that they are different sizes I don't have to worry about whose undies are whose I just put them in their "basket" to be brought to their room and put away.

It's the organization of the food items that gets me. By the time I get home from the grocery store I'm too exhausted to really care where anything goes.

Oh wait, we're hijacking MX7's thread. Start a new one Curious on organizing tips.

Sorry MX7 - back to the MCS issues that many of us have.

LOL, I'm sitting here just LOLing over all this, hijack away. :D

BTW, Curious you can't even come to my house, no one with OCD can come over. It's not BAD but when you have 9 people (8 of them don't know how to pick up after them selfs :rolleyes:) in one house it doesn't take long for it to become a mess. :o

Could you be allergic to the nitrates in the wine???

Well, I found a monkey with a crown!! http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/02...35_215X215.jpg:) She's a princess too!

Could be, Erin . . . :confused: I "assumed" it had something to do with the mold because my old boss had the same sensitivity and mentioned the "mold" factor. I know I am allergic to mold, more then anything else actually.

Are those same nitrates in anything else (like eggs?), do you know? Maybe I'm about to come to understand other sensitivities . . . :D

Cherie

I get headaches from red or purple wine or any kind of tea. The tea actually gives me nausea too. I've never been able to drink tea because of it. There aren't nitrates in tea are there?

I try to use natural products. I use microfiber cloths, and steam cleaners when ever possible.

I just hired on a new girl to help clean. I go through alot of cleaning girls. This one went away to college, that one got married, this one got a full time job with benefits....anyway..this new girl has been helping her mom clean houses for some time, and was amazed when she saw how quick, easy and clean things got around here with less products.

Bleach is a good thing, in SMALL quantities. My mom used to use cups and cups of it. 1/3 of a cup is great for a super sized load of whites/linens. I too vacuum the mattress and pillows. I steam it once a month to kill off those dust mites. In the winter I will haul it off to the deck for 6 hours to freeze them once a month.

since switching to less chemicals to keep my place clean, not only is it cleaner, but I have less headaches.

pet peeve is the girl who comes to church SMOTHERED in perfume and smelling like a wet ashtray under neath that. it just blisters my brain! I cant think, i cant function, I get off balance, and tend to feel out of body.

The owner of the cleaning company we use is always followed by a toxic green cloud of perfume everytime she comes over. It's really horrible. I dont see how people think dumping a gallon of stinky perfume is going to make them smell that much better.

At least the girl she's been sending us lately has agreed to not wear any perfumes while she's cleaning our house.

All this going up to the hospital all day long the past 2 days with DH there has been killing me know that I have been feeling better and know what's made me so sick for so long. And OMG I can smell SO MANY things know, almost everyone I pass by has a "smell" (I didn't say oder :D ) but I smell all kinds of things now.
I feel almost sick tonight, like I'm feverish, awful headache, very fatigued, kind of a lost feeling (brain fog) and forgetful, sore throat & edgy/jumpy feel. :confused:

Jan4you, just wondering what tests your nutritionist uses to read your body. I would like to get some specific tests to try to treat some of these crazy chemical sensitivities!

Thanks, Diana