Chemical Sensitivities

I know some on here have had this, but I think most of those folks are gone now. I rarely hear anyone else talk about it. Chemical sensitivities are one of my worst and most disabling symptoms and is one of the reasons I can't work anymore. Fragrance is the worst followed by smoke from fires and cigarettes.

Did/Does anyone else have this? Did it ever go away? If so, what do you feel got rid of it?

Mine just seems to keep getting worse. It's ruining my life and causes me a lot of inflammation and physical pain.

Mine were really bad a while ago. Every time I went anywhere I that wasn't outdoors I felt awful. Now it comes and goes. Yesterday the new curtain was just bothering me so much (even with the windows open). Today I'm fine. Sometimes the smell of bleach or or other chemicals really bothers me, and sometimes it doesn't.

Aerose91 said...
I had c.s. horrendous bad for a few years. Smoke, fresh cut grass and clothes from a dryer were my worst offenders.

I've nearly completely cured my chemical sensitivities by changing my environment and fixing my circadian rhythms. I know not everyone can just move but i was so bad i got rid of all my belongings and went to live in the desert in a tent. I eventually got rid of the tent because it was bothering me and just lived outdoors. Once it started getting too hot i had to move to living in my car and still do, today.
I'm not saying you need to do all that but removing myself from all offenders for a period of time nearly completely reversed it

My parents and I are living with relatives because of mold in our house. We thought we'd be here a few weeks or months. Nothing worked out as planned. We're still here a year and a half later. They use fragrance and I can't get away from it. There is some mold in their house too, but not like our house. I had their house tested. I try to go somewhere every day cause I don't like being cooped up in house, but I usually end up hanging around stores or sitting in my car for hours hanging out on the forum. There really is no outdoor place that close to here where the air is clean and there's a place to be, like a park or something. I tend to go to an outdoor outlet mall, as that is the next best thing I've found, but when my sensitivities are bad, I can smell the fragrance and chemicals from the stores from the parking lot if the wind is blowing. For some reason it doesn't bother me quite as much in public places as it does in the house. It may be because there's a lot more cubic space of air in the public places than in the house.

I probably don't do myself any favors going anywhere. I was just thinking while ago about the doctor who told me I had CIRS from mold tried to explain. I was supposed to get in a clean environment with an ERMI < 2 and basically stay there and not leave the house until I recovered however many months that was supposed to take. When I had this house tested, the ERMI was 3.43. A year ago a different relative offered us his house as he was moving. I had it tested, and Aspergillis was higher in that house than in mine.

I wish I could live in tent like that, but I would be too scared. I wouldn't know how to take care of myself by myself like that.

Aerose,

Do you still have the same vehicle you had before or did you get rid of the old one? I know people can have issues with their vehicles, too, either mold or mycotoxins cross contamination from their prior moldy environment. I've often wondered that about your situation.

Notime4lyme said...
Mine were really bad a while ago. Every time I went anywhere I that wasn't outdoors I felt awful. Now it comes and goes. Yesterday the new curtain was just bothering me so much (even with the windows open). Today I'm fine. Sometimes the smell of bleach or or other chemicals really bothers me, and sometimes it doesn't.

Mine used to be random like that, too, although I don't think it ever completely went away. It would just "be there" and then it would get much worse, like when I took cholestyramine and then abx briefly. Then after I started Buhner's protocols, it just seemed to get worse and stay that way and at times get even more worse.

I feel like if I could get in a mold free, fragrance free house then I would be less inflamed overall and have a fighting chance to recover. My stress tolerance has just about hit the bottom. Nothing my parents or I have tried to accomplish has worked out. It seems like it's literally going to take an act of God for anything to change for my good. In the beginning, I had cognitive impairment but was still researching and learning and trying to gather information about what to do. (The magnitude of mold illness is more overwhelming than Lyme, and the learning curve is steep.). At this point, I am too mentally, physically, and emotionally spent to handle trying to get practical help anymore. I wish God would just heal me or kill me. I just can't fix all my problems. It's too much for me. I'm sorry to be such a downer today.

The Dude Abides said...
I've had chemical sensitivities for a little over 30 years. Things like perfumes/colognes, scented candles, air "fresheners," diesel exhaust, clothes dryer exhaust, cigarette/cigar smoke, hand sanitizers, and on and on. So, I can empathize with everyone.

The only thing I've been able to manage is staying-away from all that stuff, to the best of my abilities. We were in a restaurant, recently, and I passed an older lady who was wearing perfume. Just that brief, passing exposure made me feel nauseous. I've also been driving in city traffic with my car window down and some person in front of me was smoking and blowing cigarette smoke out the window and I could smell it and had to roll-up my window. It's awful.

A big dose of any offending smell will often trigger a migraine, in addition to nausea.

Chemical sensitivities is one of many things that people have claimed to either improve or overcome with the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS) program.

/retrainingthebrain.com

I've never purchased or tried the program, though.

.

Sounds like me. My sense of smell is that strong, too.

I've read info before on MCS and it isn't too encouraging. There's no medical consensus on the cause or, more likely, causes. Some think it's all psychological (my behind) or incurable. I believe it could become incurable depending on the cause and mechanism of action or injury to the body. In my case, I don't think it's incurable and pray it doesn't get to that point.

There have been a couple times since my full blown Lyme/co symptoms started in 2015 where mine receded to my pre-2015 state. The first time was in April 2016 after being on an elimination diet for a number of weeks (as much as I could stand). The diet didn't seem to have any real effect on my gut or other symptoms other than reducing some general inflammation. The improvement in chemical sensitivities that occurred then didn't last but a few weeks, if I remember, but the change was dramatic. I cannot say the diet brought that change about, though, as there were too many other variables at play.

The second time was April 2017. I had just stopped working (reduced stress and EMF), had mostly recovered from a 2 month herx following 7 days of minocycline, and it was prior to my beginning of self-treatment with Buhner's. It didn't last nearly as long that time. Now that I think about it, it was around that time that my diet really went south and also when I started leaving the house everyday going places (more mold/chemical exposures).

This may sound strange, but I feel like hormone issues are playing into my symptoms as well. All of my symptoms, not just the chemical sensitivities. I also feel like Bartonella is a strong player in mine and has been lifelong. I'm sure there may be genetic detox stuff squashing me, too. I can't think of any other family members who have these kinds of chemical sensitivities, though. Not the disabling kind. I guess it all has to do with gene activation not gene existence.

The Dude Abides said...
It's a muddled mess, to be sure. But, I would encourage you to pursue your gut instincts.

My migraines started in the military, after vaccines and dental work. Then, about a year later, after being transferred to another command, we had regular, prolonged exposures to a variety of chemicals -- both on our skin and the vapors getting into our eyes and lungs. That's when my chemical sensitivities started.

Thanks, Uncle Sam.

Wow! So sorry, Dude.

WalkingbyFaith said...

Aerose91 said...
I had c.s. horrendous bad for a few years. Smoke, fresh cut grass and clothes from a dryer were my worst offenders.

I've nearly completely cured my chemical sensitivities by changing my environment and fixing my circadian rhythms. I know not everyone can just move but i was so bad i got rid of all my belongings and went to live in the desert in a tent. I eventually got rid of the tent because it was bothering me and just lived outdoors. Once it started getting too hot i had to move to living in my car and still do, today.
I'm not saying you need to do all that but removing myself from all offenders for a period of time nearly completely reversed it

My parents and I are living with relatives because of mold in our house. We thought we'd be here a few weeks or months. Nothing worked out as planned. We're still here a year and a half later. They use fragrance and I can't get away from it. There is some mold in their house too, but not like our house. I had their house tested. I try to go somewhere every day cause I don't like being cooped up in house, but I usually end up hanging around stores or sitting in my car for hours hanging out on the forum. There really is no outdoor place that close to here where the air is clean and there's a place to be, like a park or something. I tend to go to an outdoor outlet mall, as that is the next best thing I've found, but when my sensitivities are bad, I can smell the fragrance and chemicals from the stores from the parking lot if the wind is blowing. For some reason it doesn't bother me quite as much in public places as it does in the house. It may be because there's a lot more cubic space of air in the public places than in the house.

I probably don't do myself any favors going anywhere. I was just thinking while ago about the doctor who told me I had CIRS from mold tried to explain. I was supposed to get in a clean environment with an ERMI < 2 and basically stay there and not leave the house until I recovered however many months that was supposed to take. When I had this house tested, the ERMI was 3.43. A year ago a different relative offered us his house as he was moving. I had it tested, and Aspergillis was higher in that house than in mine.

I wish I could live in tent like that, but I would be too scared. I wouldn't know how to take care of myself by myself like that.

Aerose,

Do you still have the same vehicle you had before or did you get rid of the old one? I know people can have issues with their vehicles, too, either mold or mycotoxins cross contamination from their prior moldy environment. I've often wondered that about your situation.

I remidiated my car before leaving. I shampood every surface, sprayed lysol through the intake air vents and soaked everything in vinegar overnight. Once i did that i didn't touch it again until i was leaving, where i took a shower right before and had a new pair of clothes in the car ready to go. I also wrapped any clothing and camping gear in plastic wrap just to be safe and didn't open it until i reached the desert.

Once i was out there, off the grid, i worked on my circadian rhythms. It was very easy- as soon as the sun comes up, get up and get sun in my eyes and on as much skin as possible for at least 30 min. Then eat breakfast. Stay in the sun as much as i can tolerate throughout the day, moving to shade if i need it. Eat my second meal a little before the sun sets and no more eating after dark. Once the sun goes down, no electronics, no artificial lights. If i needed light i would light some candles. Whenever i start getting tired, go to bed. I made sure not to look at a clock at all, just let my body adjust to the light cycles. Within a week i was waking up an hour before sunrise and falling asleep soon after sunset. I am able to maintain this situation by staying outdoors as much as possible and never looking at a clock

GabrielleM said...
So sorry you're dealing with this, WalkingbyFaith. I'm almost sure you've thought of this, but would getting a freestanding air purifier and putting it in the room at home where you are most often help? I deal with a lot of car exhaust and other pollution where I am in NYC, and this seems to help me quite a bit. This GermGuardian is the version I have. https://www.amazon.com/GermGuardian-AC4825-Sanitizer-Allergens-Guardian/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1523751939&sr=1-4&keywords=air+purifier

Here's the same URL, shortened and hyperlinked: /www.amzn.com/B004VGIGVY

Air purifiers and HEPA air filters never did anything for me