This scene is outside our house where the air is healthier than it is inside. Pristine and pure, our air we breathe must be as clean as the driven snow. photo by Barry Beall Do you know anyone with chemical sensitivity? You might have it yourself. Do perfume and other fragrances bother you? Can you use Clorox in your laundry without it taking your breath or making you cough?
I first noticed my chemical sensitivity when anyone wearing perfume came close to me. My husband had to stop wearing the cologne I'd always loved on him. When I was in the room with my sister June, I had to stay as far from her as possible because she loves perfume. I had to leave our church choir one Sunday because a sweet lady wore her favorite perfume.
This is a malady that is affecting more and more older people. It also hits children pretty hard. One woman said her two year old suddenly developed asthma and she learned it was from the cleaning products she used in the house. The child, whose immune system is not as strong as an adult's, couldn't handle the dangerous chemicals polluting the house.
This week, although I've gone as green as possible in my house, we are having a renovation done and after the plumber had come to put in the pipes for the washing machine, I had the worst attack I've had in many years. Turns out it was the glue used on the PVC piping. The harsh chemicals took my breath and I had to go outside to breathe. We closed off the new laundry room, placed an air filter machine in the living area but I had to retire to my little cubby hole of a room with my own air cleaner which runs day and night, close my door and hibernate.
When we can't get oxygen into our lungs our bodies shut down. My brain stopped working properly. I grew extremely sleepy, and coughed and wheezed until my throat hurt. I felt like my chest was weighed down with heavy bags, and I couldn't empty my lungs.
After that experience, my system was so overloaded that everything triggered asthma for me. It has been a hard week because of this ,and I can't wait until John finishes his work and we can, hopefully, clean the air in the house and get rid of the indoor pollution that seems to be killing me. Did you know that we have about 85% more pollution inside our houses than we have in the outside air?
My sweet sister, Gay, who has come up this week from Atlanta to help me, discovered today that her hairspray brings on my asthma attacks. She was so sure she had an unscented hairspray that would not bother me, but I can smell it on her clothes, and it triggers a coughing spell and difficulty breathing.
I am hoping that within a few days, I'll feel better but until then I might have to become a hermit and stay in my little room with my computer.
I first noticed my chemical sensitivity when anyone wearing perfume came close to me. My husband had to stop wearing the cologne I'd always loved on him. When I was in the room with my sister June, I had to stay as far from her as possible because she loves perfume. I had to leave our church choir one Sunday because a sweet lady wore her favorite perfume.
This is a malady that is affecting more and more older people. It also hits children pretty hard. One woman said her two year old suddenly developed asthma and she learned it was from the cleaning products she used in the house. The child, whose immune system is not as strong as an adult's, couldn't handle the dangerous chemicals polluting the house.
This week, although I've gone as green as possible in my house, we are having a renovation done and after the plumber had come to put in the pipes for the washing machine, I had the worst attack I've had in many years. Turns out it was the glue used on the PVC piping. The harsh chemicals took my breath and I had to go outside to breathe. We closed off the new laundry room, placed an air filter machine in the living area but I had to retire to my little cubby hole of a room with my own air cleaner which runs day and night, close my door and hibernate.
When we can't get oxygen into our lungs our bodies shut down. My brain stopped working properly. I grew extremely sleepy, and coughed and wheezed until my throat hurt. I felt like my chest was weighed down with heavy bags, and I couldn't empty my lungs.
After that experience, my system was so overloaded that everything triggered asthma for me. It has been a hard week because of this ,and I can't wait until John finishes his work and we can, hopefully, clean the air in the house and get rid of the indoor pollution that seems to be killing me. Did you know that we have about 85% more pollution inside our houses than we have in the outside air?
My sweet sister, Gay, who has come up this week from Atlanta to help me, discovered today that her hairspray brings on my asthma attacks. She was so sure she had an unscented hairspray that would not bother me, but I can smell it on her clothes, and it triggers a coughing spell and difficulty breathing.
I am hoping that within a few days, I'll feel better but until then I might have to become a hermit and stay in my little room with my computer.
