Multiple chemical sensitivity

 I have body spray I use on myself after getting dressed to go somewhere. I have to go outside and spray myself otherwise JJ will get a headache from it. One little spray kills him if I spray myself inside. Once it's on though it doesnt seem to bother him. Just when I spray in on myself and it lingers in the room that it seems to affect JJ.

When I took piano lessons I could not wear ANY body sprays, deodorant, lotion, hairspray, lip gloss....NOTHING with any amount of chemical or scent whatsoever.  My piano teacher was super sensitive.  I don't know what the reactions were though.

My mom and I both are sensitive to various chemicals - she gets short of breath and my reactions vary.  Additives in foods trigger stomach upset, while those in the air cause headaches and sometimes nausea.

I wouldn't say I have MCS, but  am sensitive and so I do try to avoid areas w/ lots of scented stuff.  Glade Plugins and various room sprays give both myself and DH headaches so we don't use them - I use a nice lavendar essential oil in water for room and fabric freshening, a natural bug spray for ants and roaches, and a lemon based "green" cleaner for most surfaces. 

I'm ok with most cleansers oddly enough, but I do try to steer clear of them when I can.  Bleach gives me a mild headach if I'm exposed to strong fumes for a while, but spot cleaning with it is ok.

Absolutely -- not only do I get migraines but I have asthma.  Spray Lysol anywhere near me and you'll send me home with an asthma attack.  My husband sprayed an enzymatic cleaner because one of the dogs had an accident and I've had a headache SINCE. 

Trying to work in the world is agony sometimes -- getting trapped in an elevator with someone with "their special scent" on -- aaaruuughhh!!!!

And people react to you like you're a leper.  They leer down their nose to you and exclaim in dismay "HOW DO YOU CLEAN YOUR HOME!!!  I'd HATE to think how dirty a home would be if you couldn't use LYSOL!!! .... You *don't* use Febreze?  You have four dogs?  Your house must smell horribly!!"

No, it doesn't.  It's marketing folks -- they've done tests and most any of those chemicals you use to clean your counters?  They really don't do a thing that a bit of soap and water won't do.  Or vinegar or baking soda.  But we see it on TV and think we have to use it all!! *sigh*

I get headaches from perfume...always have. Raid...ditto...Gasoline fumes...I consider that a normal thing since most of that stuff assails the nose and sinuses which would kinda affect your head at some point. I wouldn't call it a condition in my case...just a sensitivity. I have a very acute sense of smell in general, which only got more so once I had kiddos, so I am sure that's part of it.

calliecritturs

  They leer down their nose to you and exclaim in dismay "HOW DO YOU CLEAN YOUR HOME!!!  I'd HATE to think how dirty a home would be if you couldn't use LYSOL!!! .... You *don't* use Febreze?  You have four dogs?  Your house must smell horribly!!"

I guess it would never occur to them to wonder how people kept their houses clean and smelling nice in the days before you could go to a grocery store and have a choice of 50 bazillion different scented cleansers.

Joyce

 I break out in hives and a massive rash as well migranes. So it made working in a cosmetic's station at Shoppers Drug mart fun.. I can't use certain dish soaps, carpet deordorizers, or many perfumes. *sigh*

Several members of my family (including me) have chemical sensitivity problems.

My dad had problems with perfumes (including hair spray).  The first Bounce drier sheets gave him eye irritation problems.  My folks went to the grocery store once and pulled all of the All laundry detergent off the shelf to get the old boxes in the back.  The All formula had changed and was giving my dad the same problems as the Bounce, so they stocked up on the old boxes.

My biggest migraine problem has been cigarette smoke.  I also have migraine problems with many perfumes (including cosmetics and candles), but I am able to tolerate most hair sprays.  I did laundry at my folks place while visiting and asked my mom where the Bounce was.  A deep voice from the living room (my dad) literally growled, "We do NOT use Bounce in this house".  After talking to him about why, I threw out my Bounce and washed every sheet and towel in my house twice.  My eye irritation went away, too!! 

As a teenager my mother washed my bras in Tide once.  I was miserable the first day I wore one.  I itched and itched and itched, but I couldn't scratch.  I was ready to scream. 

Both of my sisters also have problems with many perfumes.  One has a problem with gasoline fumes and the fumes in fabric stores.  The current lack of full-service gas stations is a real problem for her.

My hands used to break out when I ate beef.  That problem seems to be gone and I wonder if it is because of a reduction in the use of antibiotics in cattle.

It is possible that my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are due to MCS that I have yet to identify.

There is a book called "The Canary Syndrome" that speculates that those of us with multiple chemical sensitivities are like the canaries used to detect gas in a mine and that we should serve as a warning to the rest of the population.  That book is out-of-print, but you might be able to find one in your local library.

Books that might interest you:

 I'm sensitive to all sorts of stuff, and I'm a dog groomer, LOL. I can't use most regular shampoos on my hair, and I have to pick out my dog shampoos carefully, or my hands will look like they've been burned. I can't eat anything with MSG. I can tell what dogs have had Revolution on them, because something in it drives me nuts, and breaks me out if it's fresh.

I just... clean with essential oils, vinegar, baking soda, and bleach if I have to. I use natural bath products for me, and for the dogs I groom (even the flea shampoo is chemical free, it's great!).  I use All Free and Clear on our laundry, but I keep eyeballing the Seventh Generation stuff. It might be time to switch. White vinegar in the rinse cycle cuts WAY down on static, so I don't use dryer sheets, any more. *shrugs*