Unraveling your illness - My symptoms were the same. MCS and Americans with Disabilities Act

[Guest guest]

Be happy! Diagnosis is the critical first step. With so many others likely affected in your building, don't be a hero fighting the system right away. Find your cure.

Your symptoms, filling a book, sound just like my symptoms. I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). I don't think I ever breathed through my nose until diagnosing myself at age 30. My symptoms disappeared in a matter of days when I got away from artificial fragrances (perfumes, soaps, laundry detergent, air fresheners), cleaning products (carpet cleaners), new carpeting. I also have a food sensitivity (mine is to dairy) that greatly amplified both my chemical sensitivities and my "traditional" allergies to grass and trees. Most people with MCS have similar experiences and sensitivities. Initial trigger seems to be overexposure or chronic exposure to petrochemicals (pesticides, fragrances) or formaldehyde (new construction), or to mold. For me, if I never discovered the food problem, my other symptoms would have been masked by this constant. I did an "elimination diet" to diagnose this.

Unfortunately, avoidance appears to be the only solution. Once sensitized, detoxification (water and saunas are always good) will reduce sensitivity but does not appear to ever eliminate it, at least for me.

I don't know what it is about your building that triggered you, but obviously if 4 out of 6 were triggered by the building, this is likely a major problem for all in the building.

Personally, I suffered two major "health collapses" due to new carpeting in buildings I lived in.

Fighting the fight is scary. I got into a battle in a 900-person building I worked in over the simple matter of the air fresheners in the bathrooms. They gave me headaches. I was only requesting they remove them from one of the 6 bathrooms in the building. The building manager threatened me with termination if I tampered with them!

MCS ("multiple chemical sensitivity") has been declared a disability. If this is truly your diagnosis, I would suggest finding a doctor to categorize you as such before raising a stink at work. That way, you may be able to fall back on the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) if they try to fire you.

Finding a doctor that specializes in Environmental Illness ("EI") may be challenging, but they are out there.

I don't have myself officially diagnosed this way. Many at my local MCS support group have the "easier to obtain" diagnosis of Fibromyalgia or Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Be careful to minimize your exposures - many slide into worse and worse condition as time goes by if the don't get into a "clean" environment.

Clean up you home as much as possible - remember you spend about as much time in your bedroom as you do at work.

There are many MCS resources on the web. I belong to a private group called MCS-HOPE that has members far more experienced than I who could likely advise you on how to proceed.

PM

p <gubba410@...> wrote:Hello everyone. This is my first posting .. low energy, sinuses ...constantly treated for infection, headaches daily... ...so many doctors ...MRI's to a CAT Scan ...Not one ... could explain constant symptoms; sinus pain, fatigue, muscle tightness, join pain, excessive low energy ...8 years of both emotional and physical hell. could fill a book .. doctors told me 'it's all in your head'.

.... nasal surgery ... returned to work ...by the end of the day...stuffed up again. ...talking to co-workers ...a girl left because of health conditions related to the building.

....not once did I ever think it was the building ...thought it was the New England area.

building opened in 1989 ...large ...8 floors ... 1500 people.

.... talking to other people of the 6 I spoke with, all 6 have sinus problems and headaches.

4 of the 6 claim that they never had these problems prior to being relocated to the new building.

I'm very overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. I'm sure I have the same fears that most do..that having worked for the company for 12 years, I will be fired if I bring attention to this matter.

On the other hand, I use to be so active and an upbeat person and now I feel like I'm 110 years old and simple chores are very taxing to my health.

Can anybody provide me with some ideas on how I can approach this? What needs to happen (other than me quitting my job). Over the years, I've kept letters I've written to doctors pleading with them to help me..and several times kept a journal of how I was feeling to see if it was something I was doing.

Kindest Regards,