HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Fragrance Sensitivity

Support Forums
>
Allergies
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread
Posted 3/7/2024 8:31 AM (GMT 0)
I am usually found in GERD forum but lately from last one year or so i started experiencing a very strange symptom so thought to seek help here about what to do....
about an year ago I used a floor cleaning product and right after opening the bottle i started feeling dizzy and then my chest became heavy as if something is stuck inside, eyes also because heavy and I felt my head is spinning. I thought i am having a GERD attack as it usually happens, took some Gaviscon and a PPI and after an hour i got some relief... Since that time whenever I smell any chemical, gas or air fresheners, the same symptoms starts to appear. I was wondering if someone has experienced this. Is it an Allergy or I now have Asthma or something and what should i do in these situations ? Interestingly Perfumes don't cause any of these symptoms. Appreciate any help you can give.

Post Edited (fa83) : 4/9/2024 6:31:48 PM (GMT-8)

Posted 3/28/2024 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi: I'm usually on the fibromyalgia forum, but just saw your topic.

Ever since I had Covid in late 2021, I've had an issue with certain scents. It seems to be something in soaps and perfumes. Not a pleasant smell at all, although I don't get dizzy or have other issues with it. I can be in a store and 'pick up the scent' even a couple of aisles over. I have to be very careful now selecting soaps and perfumes--some are fine and others I can't tolerate at all.

Maybe that's something to consider if you had Covid. While I had Covid, just for a day I had a much worse scent in my nose. I'm glad that went away, but also hope this particular scent issue goes away, too. It does seem somewhat better than when it started.

I hope you can find answers and the issue clears up soon!
Posted 4/10/2024 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your reply, I visited my GP and discussed this situation of mine. He ran some tests and diagnosed this situation as "atopy" Yes I had COVID and you may be right about it and this developed after repeated exposure to COVID.
My doctor prescribed me montelukast sodium for two months and after a month I can see some improvement. Let's see if I can get it resolved.
Posted 5/10/2024 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
about 35 years ago I has my sinuses "burnt" when they purged a machine at the plastics factory I worked at. That was when I first started having issues. Every year my scope of things I could use got smaller and smaller. Now I have to read every label on stuff I buy for the chemical "Parfum" as it could be one chemical or 1,000 chemicals, they don't have to tell you on the label. I now use 7th Generation products as they're plant based, Grandpa's Soap Company shampoos and conditioners, essential oils for perfume and Tom's deodorants. I found Green Goo for cracked skin and Resta, which they gave me in the hospital, for peeling skin. I was in a coma for 5 weeks, on a vent, with the "vid" pneumonia. Never lost my sense of smell, though. I had feeding tubes for 6 1/2 weeks and the food carts they brought to everyone else while I had my moo juice was unreal. My first one was....ooooooh...someone's getting pasta!!

Check out some of the alternatives. For a stuffy nose, Baby saline is good and I do echenacia/goldenseal for unclogging the nose and boosting the immune system. If you have breathing problems (I still do) I use NOW brand NAC with quercitin and zinc. That stuff alone has been a Godsend!!
Posted 6/11/2024 1:42 PM (GMT 0)
You might want to look into multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). A popular treatment for that is limbic system retraining, such as the program Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS).

Another possibility is mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). People develop it alongside many chronic illnesses, including long COVID. You said that the montelukast was helping, and since that's a mast cell stabilizer, it seems like a fair guess to explore MCAS. Most folks with MCAS need to use a combination of mast cell stabilizers and sometimes antihistamines, combined with reducing triggers, to address their reactivity. Since mast cells are part of the immune system, they are found throughout the body, so reactions can happen in any body part or system. Allergy-like symptoms (even including anaphylaxis), GI issues (including GERD), chemical sensitivities, cognitive issues, neurological symptoms, skin symptoms, etc. all can be caused by MCAS. Triggers can include any substance you breathe in or ingest, exertion, stress, heat, cold, friction, high-histamine foods, medications, body or cleaning products, mold, alcohol, and more.

I hope you find ways to reduce you reactivity very soon! I know it can be so frustrating.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply