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Other Here i go again - chemical sensitivity

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KwanYingirl

MyPTSD Pro
well, it was bound to happen. My daughters getting married in May at a remote camp in the Poconos. We will be sleeping in cabins with 8-10 People. She just informed me that they will be bombing the area around the campfire and where the ceremony will be, pesticides. And she’s getting spray on bug deterrent for the guests. So now on top of having to smell perfume, I now also get to be poisoned by pesticides. The last time this happened I ended up in the hospital and couldn’t drive home for three days. Plus on top of the f*cking chemicals, everyone will smell of smoke from the campfire and they’ll be drunk and disorderly.
I called the Holiday Inn to see about a safe room to stay in but they have fragrance plug ins in every room. Not to mention that they also use scented detergent to wash the linens.
There will be no safe place for me. Where’s the mother of the bride? She’s out back puking her guts out.
f*cking chemicals. I’m doomed.
 
Can't begin to imagine how hard this is. We already feel we don't fit in this world, and then to have very serious health issues on top of that , that restricts the social things you can do.... I can't imagine the frustration and what ever else you are feeling. Truly hope there is a solution for you.
Maybe you can find a place to pitch a tent.... then have some place to get dressed for the wedding... what a horrible delima...I know you don't want to miss her wedding. I am sorry that this has turned into a problem and not the joy is should be.
 
Admitting I am ignorant of the ins and outs of your reaction to perfumes. But, have you tried (probably, I assume), a drug like Reglan or other drug that helps to prevent vomiting? If not, it might be worth discussing with your doc and getting a prescription to be used during the wedding. This is the medicine that I use (for other reasons). IF you could take something long enough to get you through the wedding, it is worth a try. The other suggestion would be to rent a small travel trailer that you could set up in the parking lot of the event. So sorry that this is so hard for you.
 
RV?

Won’t help with exposure to the guests and wedding venue, but could get you there & back again, and give you a place to decontaminate during the day.

***

Similarly.... :cautious: :shifty: ... You’d look a bit like a Disney Pirate / Cirque du Soleil ninja with the lower half of your face wrapped in Asian Silks to match your dress, but would you have time to have one made with the interior layered with filters / hiding a nasal cannula to an o2 tank?

I had a ‘purse pooch’ size o2 tank last year when I was sick; they come with their own carrying bag (but you could slip that inside a silk bag to match the mask), in packs of 4, & only last a max of a couple hours depending on what you set the regulator to. There’s also a larger little one (about the size of a 2 liter soda bottle) but the little ones were my fav for social events.

The filtered & supplemental air wouldn’t entirely fix the problem of chem exposure, but barring a true gas mask & NBC suit, nothing would... ?
 
Good ideas!! There is one cabin on the grounds that my daughter has offered to me. She is going to camp out. Although a tent sounds safe, I can’t repel mosquitos so not an option. I’m going to see my MCS doc at Mass General. I’ll ask for an anti nausea med. if I can get through the wedding ceremony, then I can go back inside to eat and mingle with her friends. Everyone will smell like bug spray. I have a respirator I can use, but my daughter doesn’t want me to wear it because she thinks it would make a happy day a bummer. Happy for her I guess. Tough shit for me. I have to keep my brain safe or I’ll never be able to drive home a 7 hour drive. If I can have that private cabin, I can slip away from the reception. If I could afford to fly I’d do that. In fact I think I’ll see what that would cost. Last time I checked prices they were over $800. And my friend is coming with me. We’ll part ways in NH because she’s in Northern NH and I’m in Maine. I have tried oxygen before but it doesn’t detox me. Pesticides are the greatest threat, the smoke from the fire pit will be difficult.

Ha! Round trip ticket from Portland to Philly is down to $317. Would have to rent a car to drive to the mountains but my home is only a 20 minute drive from Portland. This may be doable!!

My friend could fly from Manchester to Philly and we could meet there.
 
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If you can stand the smell of listerine mouth wash, it repells mosquitoes. Use it in a spray bottle with a little water..... Garlic soaked in water will also work I’ve heard... Don’t know if either work, but it’s what I’ve heard...
 
@She Cat yes!!Listerine works. Have to keep spraying it because it evaporates and I can only speak for the original yellow brand. Don’t know if it could deter the mosquitos on the surrounding plants, etc.

I hate to admit it, but I’m hoping for rain. Isn’t that awful of me????
 
No, my mom was allergic to fragrances, so I asked all the guests not to wear any, and she stayed in my guest room and I bought the special detergent to wash all the linens. I didn't have to worry about mosquitoes, but I would never put my mother in medical danger for any reason, let alone one I could chose to do differently. Why doesn't she have the wedding at an indoor venue, then go camping with her friends?
 
Be prepared on the plane, too. I don't fly, but have had a few friends recently tell me they spray all the passengers with some kind of pesticide now. Yikes! Not sure if that applies to international flights only, but I think I'd go fully prepared just in case.

I can't even imagine trying to make it through formal events. I'm a step-mom, so the pressure isn't quite as heavy as being the bio mom, it seems. I haven't attended a formal ceremony for years. Missed all of the awards ceremonies and graduations. I usually feel like shit for not being present, but when it's my health at stake, I have to keep choosing in its favor. Most folks can't begin to imagine the impact of the sensitivities, nor really seem to care about learning more, much less accommodate them. It gets old feeling like you're being judged as simply being "difficult" rather than taken seriously. Grrrrrrr...

Sitting here in silence in a comfortable scent-free space with you as you try to navigate the toxic stank of the everyday world. Take good care of you.
 
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