MCS affects millions of Americans with debilitating health effects. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it isn’t real.
Remember, just because you can’t fully understand something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If someone mentions to you that they have an environmental illness, sick building syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, or mold poisoning, take them seriously. Most of those who suffer from such diseases are already hesitant to talk about it because people often look at us as if we have a big blemish on our foreheads. Surely, we are making a big fuss about some little allergy! Could not be farther from the truth.
The Social Security Administration, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other agencies recognize MCS. More than 36.5 million Americans are chemically sensitive, and more than 5.2 million are at risk of losing their job as a result. Yet this devastating disease is poorly understood or accepted in the real world.
It is difficult to explain this affliction in a way that others can really understand how serious it is. It is chronic and can be life-threatening. We have to be very aware of our environment and we need people to respect our disability as if we had any other disease. We are very real people with a very REAL disease. Most of us end up with MCS, multiple chemical sensitivity, as a result of a single exposure to a highly toxic chemical or long-term chronic exposure. For example, I have a good friend with mcs due to exposure to toluene. However, in our case, we were chronically exposed to numerous molds and dangerous mycotoxins, trichothecenes and aflatoxins for 18 months.
As we inhale, absorb, and ingest these poisons, our entire bodies are affected. Our immune system breaks down, our cells get damaged, and we have multiple organ damage. At this time, we do not know of any cure. The effects of MCS are never identical in two people. Our genetics and our bodies are all different. There is no exact pattern of symptoms, as we are all uniquely made. Also our levels, types and duration of exhibitions vary.
My doctor said that mcs is well recognized in the environmental community as a spreading phenomenon. The initial chemical triggers a biological reaction mechanism that causes the body to react to a wide range of substances that never seemed to bother us before. These can be air fresheners, pesticides, cleaning products, perfumes and many other things. Sometimes we cannot predict how we will react to what. Often we don’t even know what triggered the reaction.
We often seem perfectly normal looking. We are often told, “but you don’t look sick!” People, often even family and friends, feel that our symptoms are greatly exaggerated. Sometimes we get an immediate reaction. Other times it seems that we suffer a delayed reaction to an exposure. It is very frustrating and difficult to deal with.
What others may perceive as minor exposure to inks, paints, smoke, perfumes, carpet cleaners, exhaust fumes, electrical fields, electromagnetic fields, and other agents can rob your quality of life for days or weeks. We may even lose our lives! Obvious and immediate reactions may be headache, nausea, tiny pupils, seizures, muscle pain, mental confusion, slurred speech, loss of voice, and lack of coordination. Delayed reactions can include long-term neurological impairment, respiratory failure, bloodshot eyes, choking, insomnia, and severe chest pain, among other things.
With very few doctors who understand this disease and many who even deny its existence, they often try to treat the symptoms with antidotes that can further weaken our immune systems and do us no good. So the cycle continues. Our body becomes weaker and weaker.
We get to where smaller and smaller exposures are needed to cause an adverse reaction. We become even more hypersensitive. It seems that everywhere we go something makes us sick. We can be very careful and still have no control over some situations we find ourselves in.
We remain in a state of confusion. One day we may seem half normal, and then out of the blue we have a severe reaction. It was not our choice to have this disease and we fully understand that it is difficult for others to understand. We couldn’t even understand it ourselves until we felt it happen again and again. Many of us had no idea what was happening to us. Our sense of smell is very acute. All we ask is that you show us the same respect that you would show other people who are disabled or have a chronic illness.
If we tell you that certain products and chemicals bother us, know that we have already seen what these toxins do to us. We never forget the pain inflicted by various chemicals, mold, VOCs, and other things we react to.
We are being honest with you. We really can’t tolerate certain things! If you care about us, please take us seriously! Somehow, you may think that if you tell us you’re not wearing scented perfume or hide the fact that Pest Control just sprayed your house with pesticides, we’ll probably be fine. It doesn’t work that way. It’s not the smell that makes us sick. It is the biological action of chemicals on a now sensitized brain and body.
You really are playing with our lives when you don’t try to avoid using these products around us. We know that the world is not going to change for us. However, we do not want to live in a bubble. We want to be close to the people we love. A life without family and friends feels like a mere existence that becomes very empty and lonely. If you really care, please be aware of the seriousness of this health issue and do what you can to help us deal with an already difficult condition.
