For finally thinking to order some of the little cotton round thingys otherwise known as "dentist rounds" or "nosebleed rounds" and having them arrive ahead of the day I actually need them, yay to self for planning ahead!
I have a dentist appt. coming up and I can't wear my usual masks there to protect me from the fragrances since they have to get to my mouth, and their office is one of the absolute worst when it comes to so many different chemicals/scents/fragrances.
I can cut these little cotton rods in half, roll some of my coconut/cbd/orange oil blend on them, shove them up my nose, and hopefully make it out of there without the usual raging headache/burning nose and throat, heart palpitations, and all the other symptoms of being inescapably stank bombed.
Also incredibly grateful for an art and trauma therapist who is willing to potentially try to make their new office space a fragrance-free zone, as she and one of her staff members are also very unpleasantly affected by fragrances.
After I explained the ongoing hurdles of trying from a patient perspective to reach out to what are supposed to be the most helpful places (medical and mental health arenas) only to be made more ill than I'm actually helped, even when many of these places already have policies on file regarding air quality/fragrances/etc. that they don't enforce, she was very open to having the conversation, perused the resources in great detail, and was quite eager to learn more.
Most days I feel unheard, unseen, overlooked, bothersome, made fun of, and simply kicked to the curb in my efforts of trying to advocate for the things that greatly affect my quality of life and that of other living beings, most of which go against every "norm" that currently exists pretty much. But moments like those help remind me it's worth every single bit of effort and that there IS potential/hope around at least a few corners.