Fragrances and Asthma / Allergies

When I was 4-5 yrd old my parents took me all over western Pa to doctors to determine why I often had a little 'throat hitch' in breathing.

After a few years they found a doctor about 7 miles away who tested (I don't remember exactly how) me and found that I had severe allergies to 1) Dust 2)feathers 3) molds and 4) ORRIS ROOT.

Orris root as I was told, is the foundation for nearly all scented items - from perfumes, to after shaves, hair sprays, etc...etc. Later I developed a serious allergy for VOC's as well as most foam substances that most always 'de-gas' the components from which they are made and they are as bad or worse on my breathing as anything else All such items had and have the same effect on me tho in different initial degree but all came to the same intense level of negative effect quickly.

I have often thot to write my own prolonged history on this forum re: the above as I remember perfectly from a very young age how what and where things affected me, including different geographic areas where I have lived, but it would be quite long so I refrained from doing so.

But just a proximity to any scented items, still gives me a reaction that quickly affects my breathing.

Everyone is an individual and is different but the 'rare' xtra-sensitive people can never compare themselves to the 'averagely' sensitive who have or often appear to have all the answers for all others.

I'd also like to report how a known dangerous antibiotic can give some people A-fib, but will refrain from that as well as I have another severe sensitivity to some antibiotics and would not be looking for advice or debate, but simply offering experience that might make sense to one or two others.

Still, you might want to seek out an older allergist. The last one I visited 7-8 yrs ago paid so little attention to what I told him, he ended up giving me a nasal spray that gave me glaucoma. BION. (And a very highly respected ophthalmologist confirmed as much.)

Yes, peroxide is quite safe. It breaks down into oxygen and water. Zero toxicity.

It can burn the skin a bit though, so a bit of caution re its use, if some spills on you.

Checking and improving your indoor air quality

Never hurts to remove strong cleaning chemicals like ammonia and bleach.

Can pretty much do everything without them, except in maybe extreme issues.

Do you need to improve your indoor air quality? What do you smell when you walk in your front door? Do you smell air fresheners, dryer sheets? Who knows what chemicals are in these products and how many are harmful to your health?

Who knows what they do when they accumulate in your body? Or what their synergistic effects might be? [“Synergistic” means that 2 + 2 = 5, that when two or more are added together, their total effects might be worse than the sum of either separately.]
https://www.createyourhealthyhome.com/improve-your-indoor-air-quality/index.html

sorry about the difficulties. You are certainly not alone. Many folks have these issues.

Here is the website of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine.

That is the organization of the physicians who treat these illnesses:
https://www.aaemonline.org/
They treat the Ground Zero workers, survivors of burn pits, Agent Orange, all type of chemical injury.

+++

The Environmental Health Clinic in Dallas is one of, if not the leading clinic treating these illnesses:
https://www.ehcd.com/
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I have the same issue. So hard to navigate. I have literally been in an allergist office and an ENT office where they had fragrance. I am amazed that they don't have any idea about what causes a lot of our symptoms.
Hi I can't even walk by my neighbors home while they are doing laundry because the fumes from the scented detergent coming out of the dryer vent caused me to have an asthma attack.
It is really tough
Auto Immune Disease is brutal

To complicate it further, I lost my smell and taste with Covid three years ago. So there are times when I don't even get a warning of the onslaught.

I live in an apartment complex where we all use the same laundry room. So many people insist on using highly scented laundry detergent and fabric softener. Those fragrances stay in the air and when l go in to do my laundry the smell is terrible. I know that one time it sent me to the hospital. I wish my neighbors understood about how fragrances affect me.

The only thing you can really do is get a package of good N95 masks and wear it when you are in the laundry room

I agree with the mask idea. Try to go to the laundry room at an odd time. Maybe there won’t be so much activity.

People who recommended to me said it is preferable to get the youngest doctor and the oldest lawyer.

My own experience with doctors for my two asthmatic children was that all pediatricians did not understand asthma.

Later when I developed asthma I learned to get a referral to a pulmonologist and NOT to waste time going to an allergist.

In fact I learned to go through reputed asthma treatment hospitals to find a good Pulmonologist who had trained at a well known asthma hospital like National Jewish where my cousin had to live for 2-3 years.