My Story
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My Story
I was young and excited to get my degree in Environmental Science, but wasn't sure what area of Environmental Protection I wanted to work in. It all became so clear when I became ill with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS), and Lupus. I moved to the southern Appalachians at age 26, after finishing my degree. Having lived in the desert for 5 years the trees were a welcome change.
Shortly after moving I developed mild Asthma which I wasn't that concerned about at first. My allergist put me on several different inhalers over the course of a year. None of them worked for me. The inhalers caused my heart to beat irregularly and made me nervous. Over time I noticed my Asthma was caused by food, chemical preservatives in processed foods (nitrites, sulfites), chemicals inside buildings, and certain days where the air seemed thick and polluted. I was then put on a heart medicine for my heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure, which made things worse. It caused depression, weakness, and dizziness, and seemed to make my food and chemical allergies worse. I tried to get off the heart medicine against my doctors advice that my heart condition would worsen. I could not get off the medicine without horrible withdrawal symptoms. The doctor wanted to put me on an antidepressant to alleviate the depression caused by the heart medicine. The antidepressant made my situation even worse so I stopped taking it. I couldn't sleep, and felt extremely detached from the world. I decided I had to get off the heart medicine also and go through the horrible withdrawal symptoms.
After weaning myself off the heart medicine, I actually felt better for a while. But within a few weeks, I developed severe headaches. I had an MRI which showed nothing of significance. My sense of smell was growing very strong at this time.. I started to smell odors stronger than ever before, but didn't know what was happening. Eventually, I was only able to eat 6 foods without having severe life threatening asthma attacks, vomiting and nausea. I lost over 80 pounds, and became very weak, unable to walk to the mailbox without being extremely fatigued. I have lost so much weight that my bones ache making it difficult to sleep.
Being an avid outdoor enthusiast and very active person, this was extremely hard to accept. I couldn't do anything I used to do. I began to react to many different environments instantly. I would go to the mall where new carpet with adhesives had been put down and get dizzy, weak, and have heart palpitations, or I would go into certain buildings and be in excruciating pain where I could not function and would have to leave. I eventually found this was from the cleaners used in buildings, some of the building materials themselves, and the perfumes and detergents people brought into the building on their clothes and bodies. If I am exposed to perfume, or other toxins, I also get a Lupus rash like a sunburn, where my face peels, and bleeds. I cannot take medicines either due to many of the ingredients (additives/preservatives/fillers).
For the past 4 years, and over 10 specialists, and $50,000 worth of tests, doctors visits, and medications none of the doctors could figure out definitively what was happening to me. I had many abnormal test results, such as mercury poisoning, thyroid autoimmunity, severe lack of digestive functioning, heart abnormalities, lung age of 65, DDE (a metabolite of DDT which was banned in 1972) in my blood, high arsenic, nickel, and chromium levels...... but nothing that showed one specific etiology. I began to take my health in my own hands and did research on what was happening to me. I talked with my doctor about my suspicions of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and CFIDS (many of the symptoms overlap).. My doctors had other patients with MCS and agreed that this is what I had. They determined this by the criteria set by a multidisciplinary survey of 89 clinicians and researchers.. I had already been diagnosed with CFIDS early on. I was relieved to finally know another piece to the puzzle, but the journey to solve it I am finding is an even greater challenge.
Now when I go outside many days it is as if I am entering an enclosed garage where a car has been idling for 15 minutes, or a dryer that has 10 dryer sheets in it. I smell all kinds of chemicals I never smelled before. Fabric Softener, detergents from neighbors dryers, heater exhaust, car exhaust, and household chemicals. This led me on a journey to find out why my body was reacting this way. I began to do as much research as I could on products that were fragranced, chemicals, and on building materials and found some startling information that most people are unaware of. Almost all of the products we use today are extremely toxic to the human body, many contain ingredients that cause cancer and other serious illnesses, and many of those ingredients are absorbed through our skin and lungs. Many of these chemicals are stored in our body and circulate through our bloodstream.. I couldn't believe that the government and manufacturers were aware that all of these toxic, dangerous chemicals were on the shelves and were not regulating them at all. The amazing thing I found was that there are much safer, simpler, and less expensive alternatives, that aren't being used, but could be.
I have reached a point now where I can no longer function in society. I live in a small converted shed with plumbing and electricity. I am unable to go into most buildings for more than 10 minutes without having significant symptoms. I cannot be within 10 feet of a person who has used any kind of chemical personal care product such as shaving cream, deodorant, hairspray, soap, shampoo without having symptoms, sometimes life threatening. I cannot go outside when neighbors are doing laundry as the smells from the laundry chemical residues are extremely irritating, or when neighbors are mowing their lawns. I cannot tolerate car exhaust, fumes from charcoal grills, and wood smoke from chimneys.
My shower has a filter on it and my studio has a filter attached to the incoming water line as I cannot tolerate chlorine at all. I have to filter all my drinking water. My computer is in an aluminum box vented to the outdoors as I cannot tolerate the fumes created from the toxins in the computer. I have had to sell most of my belongings because I could not tolerate them anymore. Most of my clothes have been replaced with 100% organic dye free cotton along with my bedding as I was reacting with asthma and hives to the foam in my bed and the dyes in my old clothes. I have a house filter and a car filter that filters out most chemicals. I also use a respirator to drive at times. Recently I have become sensitized to my house. When the sun heats the outside up, it causes the adhesives and formaldehyde to off gas into my house. I have put tarps up outside so that the sun heats the tarp rather than my house. This has reduced the problem, but hasn't cured it.
I miss being close to others the most, a hug, feeling a part of society, having friends over, going out for a nice dinner, buying something new and not having to wait 3-6 months for it to outgas before I can tolerate it being in my space, being able to go to a park where people barbeque or spray pesticides/herbicides, eating pizza, French fries, or a chocolate bar, and many other things most people take for granted. My life now is hell. My main motivation is to educate others so that MCS or some other disease does not take their life away as it has mine. Many people think a horrible disease won't happen to them. That is exactly what I thought my whole life, until one day, at 30 years old, my life was gone, all due to chemicals, many of which we do not even need to use.
What Can You Do? Link to Other Peoples Stories
E-Magazine-People with MCS Becoming the New Homeless!
Where do I go from here?I am looking for a place to move to. My ideal would be an affordable community with others who have MCS where the air, and water is clean. I would like to move to Santa Fe or Taos, NM, or Tucson, Arizona. If anybody has any housing available with clean air and water, where there has been no spraying of pesticides, and a house made of mostly nontoxic or offgased materials for rent or for sale please email me at this address. Anybody interested in possibly starting a community please email also.
More About MeI was born in NY and was adopted, and I grew up for the first 5 years of my life in the Chicago area. My family moved to NH and I spent 16 years there. I had a pretty normal life for the most part. I attended the University of NH for 3 years for Environmental Science, and then moved to NM and eventually completed my degree at the University of NM. Before and during school I held many jobs including Swimming Instructor, Lifeguard, Waiter, Cashier, AIDS Educator, Coffee Shop Manager, and Independent Living Instructor. I used to renovate houses as a hobby. I also did my internship in the Costa Rican jungle giving rope tours of the cloud forest there. When I graduated from college I wanted a change from the desert so I moved to NC. I had trouble finding a job in the environmental field, so I became a Case Manager for the developmentally and mentally disabled. I did this for a year and then became a Program Manager at a home for the mentally ill. This is when my illness began. The building in which I worked was a sick building.
I would describe myself as a kind, compassionate, caring person. I have a love for nature, and for animals. I have 2 wonderful dogs that are my best friends. I used to enjoy and still would enjoy if I could…..hiking for days, swimming, traveling to exotic places or anywhere really, eating out, biking, rollerblading, dancing to good music at a club, flying in planes, and renovating houses. Most people say I am the mellowest person they have met and that I have a calming effect on them. I have also been told I can be impatient (type A, wanting my life to go forward at leaps and bounds)….although with MCS all you can do is be patient, so in that respect I have learned a lot. I came down with MCS in my late 20’s, some people get it when they are still growing up or in their early 20’s when they haven’t had any chance to live. My advice…….live it up while it’s good, don’t take one single moment or person for granted.
[линк]
Shortly after moving I developed mild Asthma which I wasn't that concerned about at first. My allergist put me on several different inhalers over the course of a year. None of them worked for me. The inhalers caused my heart to beat irregularly and made me nervous. Over time I noticed my Asthma was caused by food, chemical preservatives in processed foods (nitrites, sulfites), chemicals inside buildings, and certain days where the air seemed thick and polluted. I was then put on a heart medicine for my heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure, which made things worse. It caused depression, weakness, and dizziness, and seemed to make my food and chemical allergies worse. I tried to get off the heart medicine against my doctors advice that my heart condition would worsen. I could not get off the medicine without horrible withdrawal symptoms. The doctor wanted to put me on an antidepressant to alleviate the depression caused by the heart medicine. The antidepressant made my situation even worse so I stopped taking it. I couldn't sleep, and felt extremely detached from the world. I decided I had to get off the heart medicine also and go through the horrible withdrawal symptoms.
After weaning myself off the heart medicine, I actually felt better for a while. But within a few weeks, I developed severe headaches. I had an MRI which showed nothing of significance. My sense of smell was growing very strong at this time.. I started to smell odors stronger than ever before, but didn't know what was happening. Eventually, I was only able to eat 6 foods without having severe life threatening asthma attacks, vomiting and nausea. I lost over 80 pounds, and became very weak, unable to walk to the mailbox without being extremely fatigued. I have lost so much weight that my bones ache making it difficult to sleep.
Being an avid outdoor enthusiast and very active person, this was extremely hard to accept. I couldn't do anything I used to do. I began to react to many different environments instantly. I would go to the mall where new carpet with adhesives had been put down and get dizzy, weak, and have heart palpitations, or I would go into certain buildings and be in excruciating pain where I could not function and would have to leave. I eventually found this was from the cleaners used in buildings, some of the building materials themselves, and the perfumes and detergents people brought into the building on their clothes and bodies. If I am exposed to perfume, or other toxins, I also get a Lupus rash like a sunburn, where my face peels, and bleeds. I cannot take medicines either due to many of the ingredients (additives/preservatives/fillers).
For the past 4 years, and over 10 specialists, and $50,000 worth of tests, doctors visits, and medications none of the doctors could figure out definitively what was happening to me. I had many abnormal test results, such as mercury poisoning, thyroid autoimmunity, severe lack of digestive functioning, heart abnormalities, lung age of 65, DDE (a metabolite of DDT which was banned in 1972) in my blood, high arsenic, nickel, and chromium levels...... but nothing that showed one specific etiology. I began to take my health in my own hands and did research on what was happening to me. I talked with my doctor about my suspicions of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and CFIDS (many of the symptoms overlap).. My doctors had other patients with MCS and agreed that this is what I had. They determined this by the criteria set by a multidisciplinary survey of 89 clinicians and researchers.. I had already been diagnosed with CFIDS early on. I was relieved to finally know another piece to the puzzle, but the journey to solve it I am finding is an even greater challenge.
Now when I go outside many days it is as if I am entering an enclosed garage where a car has been idling for 15 minutes, or a dryer that has 10 dryer sheets in it. I smell all kinds of chemicals I never smelled before. Fabric Softener, detergents from neighbors dryers, heater exhaust, car exhaust, and household chemicals. This led me on a journey to find out why my body was reacting this way. I began to do as much research as I could on products that were fragranced, chemicals, and on building materials and found some startling information that most people are unaware of. Almost all of the products we use today are extremely toxic to the human body, many contain ingredients that cause cancer and other serious illnesses, and many of those ingredients are absorbed through our skin and lungs. Many of these chemicals are stored in our body and circulate through our bloodstream.. I couldn't believe that the government and manufacturers were aware that all of these toxic, dangerous chemicals were on the shelves and were not regulating them at all. The amazing thing I found was that there are much safer, simpler, and less expensive alternatives, that aren't being used, but could be.
I have reached a point now where I can no longer function in society. I live in a small converted shed with plumbing and electricity. I am unable to go into most buildings for more than 10 minutes without having significant symptoms. I cannot be within 10 feet of a person who has used any kind of chemical personal care product such as shaving cream, deodorant, hairspray, soap, shampoo without having symptoms, sometimes life threatening. I cannot go outside when neighbors are doing laundry as the smells from the laundry chemical residues are extremely irritating, or when neighbors are mowing their lawns. I cannot tolerate car exhaust, fumes from charcoal grills, and wood smoke from chimneys.
My shower has a filter on it and my studio has a filter attached to the incoming water line as I cannot tolerate chlorine at all. I have to filter all my drinking water. My computer is in an aluminum box vented to the outdoors as I cannot tolerate the fumes created from the toxins in the computer. I have had to sell most of my belongings because I could not tolerate them anymore. Most of my clothes have been replaced with 100% organic dye free cotton along with my bedding as I was reacting with asthma and hives to the foam in my bed and the dyes in my old clothes. I have a house filter and a car filter that filters out most chemicals. I also use a respirator to drive at times. Recently I have become sensitized to my house. When the sun heats the outside up, it causes the adhesives and formaldehyde to off gas into my house. I have put tarps up outside so that the sun heats the tarp rather than my house. This has reduced the problem, but hasn't cured it.
I miss being close to others the most, a hug, feeling a part of society, having friends over, going out for a nice dinner, buying something new and not having to wait 3-6 months for it to outgas before I can tolerate it being in my space, being able to go to a park where people barbeque or spray pesticides/herbicides, eating pizza, French fries, or a chocolate bar, and many other things most people take for granted. My life now is hell. My main motivation is to educate others so that MCS or some other disease does not take their life away as it has mine. Many people think a horrible disease won't happen to them. That is exactly what I thought my whole life, until one day, at 30 years old, my life was gone, all due to chemicals, many of which we do not even need to use.
What Can You Do? Link to Other Peoples Stories
E-Magazine-People with MCS Becoming the New Homeless!
Where do I go from here?I am looking for a place to move to. My ideal would be an affordable community with others who have MCS where the air, and water is clean. I would like to move to Santa Fe or Taos, NM, or Tucson, Arizona. If anybody has any housing available with clean air and water, where there has been no spraying of pesticides, and a house made of mostly nontoxic or offgased materials for rent or for sale please email me at this address. Anybody interested in possibly starting a community please email also.
More About MeI was born in NY and was adopted, and I grew up for the first 5 years of my life in the Chicago area. My family moved to NH and I spent 16 years there. I had a pretty normal life for the most part. I attended the University of NH for 3 years for Environmental Science, and then moved to NM and eventually completed my degree at the University of NM. Before and during school I held many jobs including Swimming Instructor, Lifeguard, Waiter, Cashier, AIDS Educator, Coffee Shop Manager, and Independent Living Instructor. I used to renovate houses as a hobby. I also did my internship in the Costa Rican jungle giving rope tours of the cloud forest there. When I graduated from college I wanted a change from the desert so I moved to NC. I had trouble finding a job in the environmental field, so I became a Case Manager for the developmentally and mentally disabled. I did this for a year and then became a Program Manager at a home for the mentally ill. This is when my illness began. The building in which I worked was a sick building.
I would describe myself as a kind, compassionate, caring person. I have a love for nature, and for animals. I have 2 wonderful dogs that are my best friends. I used to enjoy and still would enjoy if I could…..hiking for days, swimming, traveling to exotic places or anywhere really, eating out, biking, rollerblading, dancing to good music at a club, flying in planes, and renovating houses. Most people say I am the mellowest person they have met and that I have a calming effect on them. I have also been told I can be impatient (type A, wanting my life to go forward at leaps and bounds)….although with MCS all you can do is be patient, so in that respect I have learned a lot. I came down with MCS in my late 20’s, some people get it when they are still growing up or in their early 20’s when they haven’t had any chance to live. My advice…….live it up while it’s good, don’t take one single moment or person for granted.
[линк]
Re: My Story
Това не е моята лична история, но е подобна и е една от милионните тъжни истории на хора- от бебета, малки дечица, ученици, тинейжери, и зряли хора по света, които в разцвета на живота си падат жертва на отровните човешки продукти и дебилността на участниците в химическата промишленост. Бъдете информирани, не си затваряите сетивата към проблемите на тези, които вече са с опърлени криле. Застанете твърдо зад тях и предпазете собственото си бъдеще .
What to do?
Start an activist group in your area or join one!
Start a group with friends and neighbors to work on eliminating dangerous chemicals. Most communities have a hazardous waste day at the dump where you can bring all your cleaners, personal products, paints, and solvents. It is amazing to see the people who work these hazardous waste days in full protective gear as they take these products yet we are told by the media and government that they are safe for our homes.
Start a group with friends and neighbors to work on eliminating dangerous chemicals. Most communities have a hazardous waste day at the dump where you can bring all your cleaners, personal products, paints, and solvents. It is amazing to see the people who work these hazardous waste days in full protective gear as they take these products yet we are told by the media and government that they are safe for our homes.
Re: My Story
Калина, клишетата, които използваш, са в състояние да отблъснат много хора, дори и такива, които се интересуват от тематиката, която те вълнува. Ако наистина си си поставила за цел да накараш хората да се замислят, би имала по-голям успех, ако промениш подхода си. Това е съвсем приятелски съвет. Немалко достойни цели са се провалили по подобни причини. Неслучайно communications е наука. 
Re: My Story
" da si obarnem jivot na living hell" - този живот вече Е преобърнат в ад, задачата сега е да го превърнеме в това, което е бил преди това.
Един въпрос, ако съседката ти до която живееш е в подобна ситуация и ти знаеш за това, ще промениш ли начина си на живот заради нея, или ще я принудиш с игнорирането на проблема и да напусне комплекса или ти ще напуснеш комплекса ?
Любопитна съм също и към избора на другите, прочели темата?
Един въпрос, ако съседката ти до която живееш е в подобна ситуация и ти знаеш за това, ще промениш ли начина си на живот заради нея, или ще я принудиш с игнорирането на проблема и да напусне комплекса или ти ще напуснеш комплекса ?
Любопитна съм също и към избора на другите, прочели темата?
Re: My Story
Калинче , всички си имаме маниякалности, но тази твойта е една от най-разпространените. След това има само една крачка до маниякално-депресивен синдром и после хапчета и разговори с шринкове до като свят светува. Защото истината е че тези работи не се лекуат, но фармацевтичната индустрия трябва да лапа все пак
а така докато активизираш масите и гледаш някъв химикал да не ти влезе по дупките губиш нещо ценно-психичното си здраве, това дето като се изгуби няма лекуване.....
а така докато активизираш масите и гледаш някъв химикал да не ти влезе по дупките губиш нещо ценно-психичното си здраве, това дето като се изгуби няма лекуване.....
Re: My Story
Не е ли по добре да предотвратиш проблема, а не да се мъчиш да го поправиш, след като е станал. Скоростта с която се развива това заболяване обхваща все по-вече и по обширни слоеве от населението. Аз лично не се вманиячавам, но искам да информирам колкото се може по-вече българи, особено тези в САЩ. С преместването си тук, със стреса от имиграционния живот,смяната на климата, средата, храната, нов начин на живот, квартири с кои знае какво в тях от предишни наематели, всичко това натоварва химията на организма и започват промяни. В такъв момент човек е по уязвим към всичко наоколо,към което все още няма изработен имунитет. А към химикалите имунитет не се изработва, те са си отрова.......
Не смятам, че ще промениш начина си на живот, но не ми определяй психичното състояние. Светът винаги изглежда различен през очите на различните хора, и това , което на теб ти се струва маниакалност от моя страна, на мен ми се струва на пълно отричане на света и витаене в пухкави розови облаци от твоя страна. Няма да ти слагам диагноза, не претендирам и не съм забършила психиатрия
Не смятам, че ще промениш начина си на живот, но не ми определяй психичното състояние. Светът винаги изглежда различен през очите на различните хора, и това , което на теб ти се струва маниакалност от моя страна, на мен ми се струва на пълно отричане на света и витаене в пухкави розови облаци от твоя страна. Няма да ти слагам диагноза, не претендирам и не съм забършила психиатрия
Re: My Story
Вземи прочети малко какви биохимични процеси настъпват при стрес и по-важното какво настъпва след тях. Нормално всичко това завършва с адаптация. А в 21 век,на технологийте и химикалите няма къде да се избяга, пък и на мене ми понясят добре. Ади,ни са втилясвай много 
Re: My Story
Nie imame zdrav gen, ne boj se!
Kato troskot, hlebarki ili kakto iskash go narechi. Povecheto mi poznati americantzi imat njakakvi alergii, dokato pochti ne poznavam balgari, oplakvasti se ot alergii.
But that's not even the point. Tova, koeto se govori tuk e, che povecheto hora njamat namerenie da si sasipvat psihicheskoto zdrave poradi eventualnata, potentzialna, minimalna verojatnost da se razbolejat ot nesto podobno - tova moje i da ne se sluchi i naj-verojatno njama, dokato razbivaneto na psihikata ste se sluchi sas sigurnost. Tvojata rabota e kato prikazkata "neroden Petko padna ot ljulkata."
Sto li si gubja vremeto... pishi me v grafata na prasetata i da prikljuchvame.
Kato troskot, hlebarki ili kakto iskash go narechi. Povecheto mi poznati americantzi imat njakakvi alergii, dokato pochti ne poznavam balgari, oplakvasti se ot alergii.
But that's not even the point. Tova, koeto se govori tuk e, che povecheto hora njamat namerenie da si sasipvat psihicheskoto zdrave poradi eventualnata, potentzialna, minimalna verojatnost da se razbolejat ot nesto podobno - tova moje i da ne se sluchi i naj-verojatno njama, dokato razbivaneto na psihikata ste se sluchi sas sigurnost. Tvojata rabota e kato prikazkata "neroden Petko padna ot ljulkata."
Sto li si gubja vremeto... pishi me v grafata na prasetata i da prikljuchvame.
Re: My Story
Щях да се притесня, ако по твоите критерии изглеждаше, че съм. Ако някога настъпи деня, в който започна да пиша неща от сорта на "милионните тъжни истории на хора", "падат жертва на отровните човешки продукти" и "опърлени криле", упълномощавам уважаемите участници в клуб "Българи в Америка" да ми опърлят русокосата главица за назидание. Но не чакай с притаен дъх.... 
Еволюция
Виж сега, има и такова нещо, нарича се еволюция.. Ако околната среда се променя, трябва да се променяш и ти, ако не можеш - този свят не е за тебе, да оцеляваш и да пръскаш дефектни гени. Цинично, но факт. Преди 100-ина години все още е имало естествен подбор, ама много напреднаха съшите тези технологии, дето толкова ги плюете. Затова сме станали 6.5 млрд. и скоро и чисти химикали няма да ни изхранят...
I'm not lost! I'm just EXPLORING
I'm not lost! I'm just EXPLORING