Ptsd Vs Chemical Brain Injury

[KwanYingirl]

In the 1990's I was overexposed to darkroom chemicals where I worked. I was severely anemic, chronic sinus and lung disease and finally lost the battle to reactive airway disease and chemical brain injury that affects all major functions of the limbic system. I have no balance, blind spots in both eyes, hearing loss, attention, memory both short and long term deficits, cannot do tandem walking. I was tested by a very famous doctor who wrote THE book on chemical brain injury.

I also have PTSD probably lifelong but only officially diagnosed at the time of my brain injury.

These two phenomena overlap, confuse me, consume me at times. I have chemical exposures that relocate emotional exposures. For years I have tried to protect myself from noxious fumes and noxious people.

Last week the building where my condo is had an ice dam that led a massive amount of water into my kitchen ceiling. I have been up with asthma attacks for a week, trying to get my condo association to do the right thing and gut my ceiling Sheetrock and insulation. The president has been so abusive it's making my head swim. She got some kid in with the IQ of a turnip, and he said all it needs is a coat of paint. I asked him if he had x-Ray vision to which he was confused...my point being that if my lungs speak then they should listen. Nope. The association is only going to pay for paint. What a bunch of assholes.

I have to deal with this all the time, especially from my family. They minimize my chemical sensitivities and go out of their way to trigger me for fun. At one picnic I showed up at my sisters house, I ended up in the hospital with pesticide poisoning. Oops, she said, she just wanted to bomb the Mosquitos in her yard. I am supposed to get notification when anyone uses pesticides so I can get away. I ended up in the hospital after a conference at a hotel that had new rugs. No one knows how to help me other than offering me Xanax while I get sicker from the fumes off the sheets and johnnies.

I can't tell you how often I meet with my therapist seemingly dissociative, but in reality I've had a chemical exposure. The symptoms are the same. I just want to crawl in a hole and get away from all the noxious fumes I get assaulted with. Perfumes, tobacco, laundry products all come in on my clients. It's all I can do to not shake uncontrollably.

Does anyone else have this constellation of disorders? I had gone for three years without an asthma attack, and whack, I'm back as sick as I was when I got taken out of work. I think I'm making progress with my trauma history and then get fumed out at the grocery store and have to sleep it off. I hate my life. I hate these greedy and neglectful people that have littered my existence since birth.

Sorry, had to vent. Thanks for listening.

 

[darrenS]

i was a spray painter for a few years and was exposed to several toxic mixes , synthetic leads , tuolene , zylene and so forth. I believe that is where i got fibromyalgia from , i dont suffer any after effects anymore , but if you put me near any paint thinners etc, i immediately start getting reactions, headaches, unexplained body aches and a feeling of being super anxious. With your apartment , if the sheetrock has been wet , it will cause mold and the easiest way to find out , just get a pencil and if you can push it through the sheetrock , you will see soon enough if its wet or damp. Because of the danger of toxic mold there are several govt orgs you can contact that have final say and your landlord cant do a thing other than compensate you

Wet sheetrock/drywall particularly in a ceiling is dangerous for several reasons - all of them to do with mold, possible dangerous particulates from ceiling...insulation, mice and so forth , if your celing is wet you are also in danger from the electricity - try the pencil if it shows dampness and is easy to push through , then just contact authorities

 

[KwanYingirl]

Yeah @darrenS its like being cut off at the knees when you get exposed. I'm sorry you can identify. Paints are full of toxins. Thank you for the advice. I'm hoping it will get gutted tomorrow. I won't bother replacing the Sheetrock and insulation until the roof gets fixed. I'm not giving my power over my indoor air to anybody. My insurance adjuster has a child with reactive airway disease so he is very sympathetic. If I have to resort to my insurance to cover the repairs then they'll go after the associations insurer. But guess what? We're both insured by the same company!