What you need to know before visiting a person who has MCS

[Guest guest]

What you need to know before visiting a person who has MCS

I can't wait to get together, it has been so long since we last sat and

chatted over a cup of tea. Life sure has changed in many ways since we last

visited with each other, hasn't it? For me, interacting with other people is

one

of the hardest things for me to deal with these days while having a difficult

to control illness. Even well meaning people can cause me to have what may

have started out as a " good day " into a life threatening medical nightmare or

disaster. As if living with such a difficult health situation is not bad

enough, it is often equally difficult for me to ask others not to make me ill

in

my own home by using various chemicals/products that seem completely

harmless (to them). Thus, causing an entire other set of issues due to

isolation,

alienation and friends/family avoiding me because being in my company or

visiting me is simply not " convenient " for my would be guest. If you are

planning

to visit my home for a few minutes, hours, or for and extended over night

stay, here are some basics, which may help make our visit enjoyable and lessen

the chances of my becoming too ill to enjoy our visit as well as lessening your

chances of feeling hurt, bad or embarrassed for contributing to my illness.

After all, breathing is a necessity, chemicals and fragrances on ones body

and clothing are not. The truth of the matter is I have never really been in

the company of another person who made me sick… it was the chemicals they had

on their body and clothes that has gotten my health to the compromised point

in which it is today.

These are just some basics, but better to ask me than to assume.

Personal hygiene

Simple rules-of-thumb:

-- If the word perfume or scented (natural or otherwise) is on the label of

your product, don't use it before you come to visit me at my home … Yes, even

your breath mints, gum and mint toothpaste smells could knock me for a loop.

-- Things you cannot smell affect me and make me pretty sick; after all,

it's the chemicals not the odors that make me sick, so … just ask if you're

in

doubt.

Cosmetics have exemptions from labeling laws, they are literally allowed to

state they are fragrance free, when they in fact do have fragrances in them

referred and often labeled as " masking fragrance " which is used to cover up

the smell of the product itself. Obviously, fragrance is fragrance, no matter

the reason; it's in there and it will make me very ill.

Shampoo

All brands you can buy in a supermarket have fragrances in it, even baby

shampoo. Please do not " drop in " after you have just come from the salon or you

have just shampooed or colored your hair. This will make me sick. If you

will be staying over night at our house, I will supply the guest bathroom with

" safe " products for you to use while visiting, including: toothpaste, shampoo,

conditioner, hairspray, lotion, soap etc. Please DO NOT bring any of your

own personal products into the house.

Soap is like shampoo. The worse offenders to me are Dial Soap and ALL other

" deodorant/scented " soaps. Safer alternatives are available like Neutrogena

Fragrance Free soap or Basis soap. Again, ask me and I will help you out

here. Keep in mind that the soap you may wash your hands with in a public rest

room or in an airplane before you get to my house will make me sick because

chances are good that this soap will contain a perfume /fragrance.

Currently the ONLY soap that is safe around me is Neutrogena Fragrance Free

Facial soap which we also use as a GREAT shampoo bar and Kiss My Face

Fragrance Free Pure Olive Oil bar.

Deodorant

Most all deodorants have fragrances or " masking fragrances " and other

harmful chemicals in them. A good alternative is the crystal sticks, or any of

the

chemical free varieties. Ask me which deodorant would be ok for you to use

while you are at my home.

Hand cream

There does not seem to be any safe hand creams for people chemically

sensitive. Best to leave yours at home. I have some nice fragrance free lotion

that

is great even for your face.

Perfumes, fragrances, colognes, after shave, hair care products, nail polish

and/or remover etc…

Just got to say NO! There are not any " safe " products that I am not

neurologically sensitive to. Please leave them all at home. Those " all natural "

fragranced products are not safe around me either. While some products are

worse

than others, all WILL make me sick to some degree, probably too sick to enjoy

your company.

Lotions, hair gel, hair spray...

Amazing how much stuff people pour on their body every day, isn't it?

Please do without these products around me, in our home or when visiting.

Clothing… What to avoid: ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- Newly washed clothes, unless they are just washed in

baking soda and borax at least 4 to 6 times. ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- Any/all clothes washed in any scented (natural or

synthetic) detergents or bleach, this will make me sick. ·

-- DO NOT HAVE ON --- Freshly polished nails (same day)… the same goes for

" just " colored hair. ·

-- Just washed hands, which were washed with a bar or liquid soap, which has

fragrance or germicide in it. ·

-- New clothes - new fabrics are treated with formaldehyde and formaldehyde

makes me terribly sick. ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- Dry-cleaned clothes ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- Moth balled clothes ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- ANY Clothes EVER previously washed or dried with fabric

softener / dryer sheets of any kind…This is the worse for me and will make me

very sick. ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- ANY Clothes EVER previously washed or dried with fabric

softener / dryer sheets of any kind…This is the worse for me and will make me

very sick. ·

-- DO NOT WEAR --- ANY Clothes EVER previously washed or dried with fabric

softener / dryer sheets of any kind…This is the worse for me and will make me

very sick.

Do not pack (if you will be staying overnight) or wear clothes that have

been in the closet next to other clothes, which have " lingering "

perfume/cologne/aftershave smells, fabric softener smells, deodorant smells or

detergent

smells.

Overnight guests

I do not use any fragranced detergent, softeners or laundry/cleaning

products. I wash clothes in borax and/ baking soda; it works well even for

dirty

work clothes. Chances are good if you are staying over for more than a couple

of

days, you will need to do a load of laundry.

Any clothing previously washed and/or dried using products that contain

fragrances cannot go into my machines or come into the house for that matter.

Even if they were washed and dried last month (fabric softeners and dryer

sheets

leave a long lasting waxy film that sticks on your clothing --- for ever)

this waxy chemical that stays on clothing makes me very ill.

PS… MCS is NOT an allergy or an " allergic " reaction to " smells. " It is a

serious neurological disorder triggered by chemicals. I am obviously much more

neurologically/chemically sensitive now than I probably was the last time we

saw each other, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy each others company and

have some fun, it just means I need to be more careful to avoid Central

Nervous System problems, seizures, migraines or the need to be on oxygen.

More on MCS --- If I were to tell someone that I had Cancer or Multiple

Sclerosis lets say, that person I'm talking to can accept this in a detached,

impersonal way. The issue usually does not personally challenge them. Now if I

tell this person that perfumes, every day household chemicals, scented soaps

and fabric softeners make me horribly sick, since he/she most likely use one

or more of these products regularly, the issue is immediately personal.

[Guest guest]

Hi Shan, did you write this yourself or repost it? Either way, it is a most

excellent and handy handout!!! Thanks, Aylwin xox