Thank you so much, Debra. This really sets a good example for me and for a lot of others, I'm sure.

I, too, would never want to go back to being around and using chemicals the way I once did. Perhaps my own living situation is the reason that I am still reactive...since I have to live in apartments that other people own and I can not control the environment as I would wish to. However, that being the case, everything that I do now that is healthier and greener, is for the good, and hopefully someday I will be feeling well again.

I would love to work from home, and have done some things on a small scale, like photo note cards that I make and sell. The glues and paper sometimes give me reactions and I have to lay off of it at times, so it isn't the little "cash cow" that I had hoped for. But it brings me much pleasure to see how the cards delight people when they see and buy them. The creative process is so much more important to me than the money.

Thanks again!
Ruth

Anyone who has found Debras wonderful website, is blessed to be part of a shared family. We MSC family members have much to share with each other in our own unique ways. We learn from each other, share with each other and help each other like no one else may have been able to. Only if you have any form of mcs would you be able to really know how another truly feels.

We all have allergies to different things.... But I do feel that i am an exception to the rule. from all I have read about other mce sufferes. I have 2 main things i react to, one is a severe reaction, hives, itching, cold and flu symptoms, stuffy nose, sneezing, and runny pussy eyes.

Now my other Life threatening allergic reaction is to...???

I think its acryliates that is in super glue??? There again not sure.But through my own life saving and almost 2 near death experiences, is what leads me to think this to be more true then not?? This is how i discovered I had mcs. I was 24 at the time, I am now 46. and I was learning to fix hair in a school near my home. The class had to learn as part of your grade how to apply acrylic nails of all bad things to learn to do. Before this school, I lived a normal everyday life and had nothing in the world i was allergic to.

Well I took my nail kit home and did my nails at home and to this day I dont know why I didnt apply them in class like we were suppose to do??? But GOD must have had a hand in that matter because what happened to me the first time in my life, I do feel that if i did it in school I would not be alive today.

I had applied my last nail right before my husband at the time and I were to go eat dinner at my mothers home about 10 min from our home. We got to her house and dinner was already on the table, thanks to me being late doing my nails, and i had just sat down when all the sudden I didnt feel so good.

Now from the actual time frame of applying my last nail, to the time i had the feeling of an on coming severe reaction, was about a 2 hour time frame .So I had the nails on me for about 2 hours when I thought I was going to die right then and there.

The first thing that happend and to this day I will never forget what all I felt. I had a severe stumach cramp come on me so bad i doubled over and ran to the bathroom, then I threw up and I got so hot and sweaty all over I had to take all my clothes off from the sweat that came pouring out of me. I am not a sweater at all so this shocked me when this happened.

Then I tried to stand up and the room did a whirl and i felt like I done a complete summersalt. My mouth became numb around my teeth like i had a shot of numbzit in my gums and then a very bad metalic taste came. I was gaspig for air my heart was beating so hard i thought it would stop and my chest felt like an elephant was slowly applying weight to my chest because it got soo tight.Then the feeling of me leaving my body came over me like i was really dying and leaving. Thats the only way I can put this horrifying feeling into words.

All I could think at the time was im dying and I dont know why. As I stood there in total confusion i looked on the counter for a wash rag to wipe off with and i seen a bottle of nail polish remover. I came to realize that, that bottle was my life line. I poured the bottle in the mouth wash glass and stuck all 10 fingers in the glass to loosen the glue on those nails. I figure because they had been on me for such a short time they had not cured to the hardness it usually takes.

I litterally tore off not only the fake nails but also all of my own nalls top layers. But i knew that what I was feeling had to be something to do with those nails.Within 10 min I had litterly tore them off of me.It took over 3 hours before the cramping to stop along with all the other mysterious symptoms that just hit me out of nowhere to settel down.After i finally was able to walk with some help I laid on moms sofa for a long time thinking about what in the world just happened.

Well the next day I didnt return to school I was soo sick and my head hurt and it was the worst flu I had ever had in my life. I finally got out the nail kit and read all the info and in little print it said, in rare cases allergic reacions CAN occure or even death. THAT was all I needed to know and I never returned to school........From that day on, my life was changed forever.

As time went on I had more and more allergies and lots of colds.I had bouts of hives and then developed severe dry eyes so bad i had to stop wearing normal makeup.I now have migrains and a lot of things makes it hard to breathe. I did finally go and see an allergest and had a skin prick allergy test done to see what was wrong with me.Out of over 5oo skin pricks I was only severly reactive to the mold test.

Way back then the dr never heard of anyone being allergic to super glue and he acted like that was in my head.Because the tests he did showed nothing I was allergic to other than mold.

As the years passed I had one other life threatening reaction that landed me in the ER and the paramedics thought I was tripping on drugs and was afraid to touch me. They said I was uncooperative and was having trouble staying focused and was very confused and unable to communicate in a clear manner.They hooked me up to an ekg machine and seen my heart rate was soo high they thought it would stop and my blood pressure was extremly high and no causes for either.

What brought this on was, We were having our brick home sealed with a spray on sealer and withing 1 hour is when I felt the feeling of dying come over me. I for some reason heard a soft but firm voice rush over me like a cool breeze that told me to run outside in the fresh air. Just as I had ran in the yard I had unknowingly ran right through the over spray mist and there I was covered with the over spray. After that I have no memory of what happened till the confusion stopped and my mind cleared and I came around to normal functions that I realized i was in the er with oxygen on me that was so much it made me dizzy. They said my oxygen saturatiuon was so low they didnt know what to do for me and why I was so messed up.

I was finally able to tell them what happened. They looked puzzled and called the men who were sealing the house to call poison controll in order to see what to do for me. The men said the spray was so safe that they spray it on schools and nursing homes when children and the elderly are in the building and the EPA says its safe for that use. Hmmm. I tried to return home later that day and I had to stay in a hotel for 4 days till the fumes evapored enough to not give me that dying feeling. Well I called the men who sprayed our home and saaked for s info sheet on for the chemicals in that product. Well what do you know, once again I see acryliates as a main ing in this spray. hmm looks like i made my first connection as to why I get "messed up" around this acryliates stuff.From then on it was up to me to do research to see what was wrong with me.

There at the ER once again I was looked at like it was all in my head and I am the crazy one.

I cant go into any mall or building if there is a anil place in the area because now that I have been sensatized to it all it takes is less than 10 min and I have to get fresh air or I feel like i am dying and the numbness and the metal taste is there in a matter of min.I now listen to my body and let me body tyell me the warning signs and now I know I must run outside in order to get fresh air and remove my self from harm.

We then a few years later, we had our hous sprayed with an injectable jell to kill carpener ants into the walls. Withing 1 week is when my eye problems started and my nervous system went hay wire on me. Now I cant be around bug spray it sets my eyes on fire and i end up with a migrain and hard the breathe. It depends on how fresh and how consentrated it is as to how fast I react. I have noticed that if I have been some place thats been sprayed it may take 3-4 days or a week later and I have a delayed reaction.

Through research is how i came to find Debras website here,and her book,The Non Toxic Home and Office. I learned to read labels and understand the chemical components in Everything I was using. The EPA had changed a lot of chemicals in many products i was using and now avoid due to the fact the acryliates is now added to numerous items I now cant use.

I also have the book,called... Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winters and Debras latest book, Home Safe Home. ANY MCS suffer should have all 3 of these books. I would not know what I would do if I never found these books. They all 3 have saved my life time and time again in educating myself to the dangers i now face in my daily life.

Now as to why I wrote such a long blog, that may not get posted due to the size... but i did want to atleast share with Debra my case to see if this really may be in my head like everyone sems to think??? I am now divorced and live on, way below poverty level income with no other help or medical insurance. I cant go and have the right tests done to see exactly what chemicals I may be allergic to among other allergens i may not even be aware of??? I was told the tests I need would run over 6,000 dollars and thats just the first series of tests and more to follow.

I have since then tried to get state funds, medical card, disability and so forth but I do not qualify due to the fact any normal dr and any normal allergy test for food, dust, grass, and normal allergens shows nothing on me and the mold is not enough help to get me the help I need. Because no dr will state I have mcs because the normal allergen tests show nothing which they do not test for chemicals where I was able to get tested years ago is not facts enough to say I have mcs.

I told them I have to be tested for chemicals and they said they dont do that kind of testing there. I was told where I can get that kind to prove I am allergic to chemicals but now my life circumstances have changed and I cant afford the tests and I cant get help from anyone because I dont qualify.

So everyone including my friends and some family all treat me like its all in my head. Because no one can actually see with their own 2 eys any of the allergic reactions, like a numb mouth, confusion and not think im faking it, a fast heart rate, ringing in the ears, headache and all the other internal symptoms I have.If they cant see it, they dont believe it. In my life as it is now I have over come a lot of the things that would have been a danger to me or cause me to die from all the educating myself to these dangers. But I am now faced with something i cant fix. Almost all the jobs i consider is a danger to me in one form or another all due to that one chemical is in soo many things i cant even begin to list what all I have read it is in. Most businesses I would be qualified for, all have carpeting and it is replaced every so often and the commercial glue and the fumes from new carpet send me flying out of any building in a matter of minutes.I cant return for up to a year to that business if they install new carpet. But I have no way to prove, this is not in my head. It is real and it is leathal to me to be exposed to such things through past life threatening reactions.

I had a lawyer tell me that if I can sit in a restraunt long eonough to eat my dinner then I can work too.I can take short sessions in very few places but by the time i leave i am conjested or my skin turns read and I get hives or my eyes burn and I get a migrain come on. I did try to get help through a job core training company untill i started to turn red and splotchy and itching from the air plugins that was in the building. When the counselor seen that, she sent me to s shrink because she thought I needed mental therapy!!! Talking to a shrink and taking mental drugs will not make this go away!!!

This is how i have been treated since that first reaction. No one seems to believe in something they just cant see.

Does anyone else have any of these kinds of symptoms and is this normal for a glue allergy? Or is it really all in my head?

I wanted to write to the president to see if he could help me get the tests I need so I can get disability or other help but figured he wouldnt belive it either???

I would like to hear from anyone else who shares this same allergy and hear about their life and how they have been treated.

Debra,

I have MCS myself, but this question is from a woman I recently met.I dont have answers for her, so I thought Id ask you/your readers.I am passing on her questions as best I can. If anyone can offer her suggestions, I know she would apreciate it.

She has MCS and isnt even able to use a computer which is why I am writing for her. She isnt able to be out in the workplace due to her MCS. For the last decade she has been living in her home, and off the equity of her home. This is soon to run out, and she will lose her home if she cant come up with a solution.

She was wondering if there are any programs set up to help people with MCS, any disablilty available, questions along those lines. She also wondered if there was anyone living in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago that would want to be a roommate/pay rent in her "safe" home. Any other ideas /resouces for her?

Nancy

An idea for the woman from northwest Chicago who would like to rent out a room in her home to help with expenses...please go www.planetthrive.org as they post ads for people who want to rent their homes or spaces, and they also post ads for people who are looking for safer places to live.

Please don't waste any more time seeing a regular doctor to diagnose MCS, go to an Environmental Specialist. Have someone get on the internet and find these specialist in your area. Not all of them will provide the same services but at least you could get a diagnosis and check to see what treatments they offer.

I see a Dr. Allan Lieberman in Charlotte N.C. at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine: www.coem.com. They have lots of useful info on their website about their programs and help for everyday living solutions! Phone 843-572-1600.

The chemicals they test for are: petrochemicals, mercaptain, newsprint, chlorine, formaldehyde, metabisulphites and tobacco. Acrylic is a petrochemical. Their testing is done without preservatives. Each time they prick you to test it costs about $7.00 each time so you could get the chemicals done for pretty cheap because there aren't very many of them. You might have to have say 1-3 pricks for each item tested. They test you for your optimal dose. Food,lodging and travel will be your other expenses. I've had 1/2 of all the foods done, all pollens, all molds and I was there for about 2 weeks. I even stayed with another woman that rented out her home to MCS people coming for treatment because I can't stay in a hotel.

You will have to see the doctor for a consultation the first day and case history person so call to find out how long you'll need to be there and how much the doctor visit, etc will be...plan to stay a day or two or three. Initially we stayed two days. They make and mail my allergy vials to me and trained me to give my own shots. This was the best thing I could've done. You don't have to do all of the testing at once. You can do howvever much or little you want. Hope this helps! Take care!

Debra,

I don't think any of us MCS sufferers have any desire to go back to our lives the way they were. We have all learned that our previous lifestyles has made us sick and why. You mention in your post that you are able to go out into the "public" environments where there are so many toxins and you do okay because you can return to your safe home. I think this is all we really want, to go about life like any "normal" (and I use normal loosely) person. Our homes will always be as toxin free as we can make them. We would just like to be able to have dinner out with a friend, go to the movies, take a vacation, hold a job like we did before.

Many people with MCS can't heal themselves since they are banned by this affliction from holding a job. We all know that money makes the world go round. IF you are unemployed its impossible to get your own home and so many are forced to live in rentals or share with family and have no control over their environments. We make do with what we have.

I get so tired of hearing people say we can't go back to the lives we once led. Yes, we can, so long as we don't include those chemical products that made us sick in the first place.

Sandy

Yes, You can apply for disability at your Social Security Office. Give them a call to set up the appt. or you can do it online too. Do it as soon as you can. It took me about 1 year to get. I've heard that it usually takes about 2 years. I had the medical documentation to back it up with the chemical testing and diagnosis from two environmental specialists along with a laundry list of other medical problems. The paperwork is well worth the headache of doing.

HI - I got very sick on a plane coming back from SF in 1998 - and have been told by my doctor to NEVER travel on a plane nor a boat where I don't have access to an outdoor lanai during the trip - both modes of transport are cleaned with harsh toxic chemicals, and pesticides are used as people eat all over ships and planes. When I got sick in 1998, the doctor said it was from toxic chemicals having been used recently in plane to clean it, and also, pesticide use to deter pests in the plane. He also warned me taht planes that travel to Australia and New Zealand, for instance, where the countries planes flying TO these countries are required to "spray" pesticide throughout cabin of the plane (which the stewardesses used to do - which is alarming to see being done - and so NOW, these pesticides are circulated throughout the cabin THROUGHT THE AC/AIR SYSTEM - and there is NO getting off the plane before they do this, for ANY medical reason - we have called around for other friends with MCS who are still able to travel - there are no exceptions!)are often ones that also are going across the US and between the continental US and Hawaii too. So one has to be cognizant of what TYPE of plane flies to those countries, and if ever traveling again at some point, to NEVER travel in those types of planes. Since I don't fly anywhere anymore (sadly), I have not looked into which types of planes fly to these countries and thus, which to avoid when traveling throughout the US.

Has anyone had this problem before, and come through to the other side and be ABLE to fly? Apparently not all planes are equally toxic, and I happened to get on one whose cleaning and pesticide treatment had been recently done - jsut a bad luck of the draw kind of thing. When I have called the airlines, they are not helpful - they have no idea what is being sprayed, or when, or what chemicals are used...adn whetehr their airline uses less-toxic products than another. So that has been a dead end for my inquiries.

Thanks for any help you can give1 I am able, by the way, to travel for a half hour plane ride to the outer islands - but then am stymied as to where to STAY! "Green hotels" really are not non-tosic - this has more to do with being green in terms of recycling, using green products in their hotel - NOT non-toxic. Hm. Thanks for any help1 Aloha, Les from Hawaii