Staying (Lung) Safe this Holiday Season

Posted by Merry, Alumni Mentor @merpreb, Dec 18, 2021

My husband and I recently picked up holiday decorations. One thing that I love to hate is candles. If they have scents or smoke they aren't allowed in my house. I can't handle them, no matter how gorgeous. I have to be very careful around roasting chestnuts on an open fire because all fires are smokey! We tried this once and I had one very apologetic husband, lol.

It really isn't funny anymore because after so many years with lung cancer and COPD anything that sets my lungs to swelling hurts a lot.

I am very careful of wearing masks, getting any vaccines I need. To stay healthy, I wash my hands, or use a sanitizer. I make sure that all of my medications are filled as much as they can be, especially my inhalers!

The holidays can be one of the most wonderful times of the year, With some planning and care, we can do our best to protect others and ourselves.

It has been an honor to be your mentor. I want to take this time to wish you and your families a healthy holiday and new year!

I know that I have missed some helpful hints to stay safe this year. It would be a wonderful gift to share what you do!

Warmly
Merry

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MODERATOR'S NOTE
The knowledge exchange shared in this discussion helped to create this article written for the Mayo Clinic app and website. Knowledge for patients by patients and beyond Mayo Clinic Connect.
– How patients with lung conditions avoid winter irritants https://www.mayoclinic.org/connected-care/how-patients-with-lung-conditions-avoid-winter-irritants/cpt-20525811

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

lilly2 | @lilly2 | Mar 31, 2022

In reply to @merpreb "Oh, boy, Lilly. I'm drawing a blank. What is Stas? Is this it? Spread through air..." + (show)

Yes thats it. Some surgeons will say if Stas is present you need a completion lobectomy, while others including mine does not. My surgeon said if he thought I needed a completion lobectomy ( to go back in and take out the remainder of the lobe) he would do it. In some trials there seems to be a significant chance of recurrence wiyh a wedge rescetion verses a lobectomy when Stas is present. My Dr said the trials never talk about those who go on to be fine. So I will be followed as I guess we all are. Thanks!

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Mar 31, 2022

In reply to @lilly2 "Hi, So I had my follow up post surgury and biopsy this past Tuesday. My surgeon..." + (show)

Oh, boy, Lilly. I'm drawing a blank. What is Stas? Is this it?

Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a spreading phenomenon of lung cancers, which is defined as tumor cells within air spaces in the lung parenchyma beyond the edge of the main tumor

lilly2 | @lilly2 | Mar 30, 2022

In reply to @merpreb "Lilly- I haven't heard from you in a while. How are things going with you?" + (show)

Hi, So I had my follow up post surgury and biopsy this past Tuesday.
My surgeon said regarding Stas that if he thought I needed a completion lobectomy he would be doing it. He also said yes some Drs will say if Stas is present you need a lobectomy. He said its still new and there is alot they dont know about Stas.
I also spoke to another surgeon who thought they had completed a lobectomy on me and said thats what you do.Then I explained that I didnt have a lobectomy.He went on to say that the team at the facility I was in is a great team. Otherwise Im feeling fine. Ty so much for thinking and checking back with me. Hope you are doing good.

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Mar 29, 2022

In reply to @lilly2 "@merpreb , Hi thank you for your research. The articles were very informative . I’m seeking..." + (show)

Lilly- I haven't heard from you in a while. How are things going with you?

sharry | @sharry | Mar 28, 2022

What a beautiful gift! I am only just realizing the debilitating effects of scents for sensitive people. My aversion to most must be a blessing!

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 28, 2022

In reply to @sharry "One thing I have done at our home is to stop spraying things into the air,..." + (show)

Sharry we gifted our daughter and her family biweekly house cleaning instead of material gifts this Christmas, but not until we interviewed the company owner to be sure they would clean with unscented products and minimize spray due to family sensitivities. It is awesome ‐ she also opens windows while she works to clear the air of any residue even faster. It is awesome when others "get it".
Sue
PS My friend and I drive " no scent" cars when our group carpools. We have a lot of people who prefer to ride with us, saying they feel better when they get home. Our community clubhouse is a no smoking & no perfume zone to accommodate delicate lungs and allergies. It is heavenly to socialize, eat, dance, play cards, etc and to come home still able to breathe.

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Mar 28, 2022

In reply to @sharry "One thing I have done at our home is to stop spraying things into the air,..." + (show)

@sharry That's a great suggestion. We have all seen how a spray bottle will send small droplets into the air and all you need to do is wet a cloth or paper towel . I do like the bottles with flip caps as they are easiest to open. If you had a spray bottle, you could also hold the cloth against the nozzle while you spray it, so it catches the liquid instead of spraying it into the air.

sharry | @sharry | Mar 28, 2022

In reply to @jenniferhunter "@colleenyoung Oh my gosh. My lungs are so reactive to fragrances. Man made fragrances travel in..." + (show)

@jenniferhunter

@colleenyoung Oh my gosh. My lungs are so reactive to fragrances. Man made fragrances travel in the air because of chemicals like phalates that cause their dispersal and it may partly be these chemicals that are causing serious asthma reactions. It takes only minutes of exposure to cologne when my airway starts to swell and my lungs start kicking out a lot phlegm. I get very tired and get a severe headache because my oxygen levels are dropping. I can't think clearly and I feel like I'm drowning. I start struggling to breathe and begin to try to get more air by accessory breathing which elevates the first ribs. That causes other problems because I used my neck muscles to pull the ribs upward and it aggravates my thoracic outlet syndrome condition and it gets stuck there causing a spasm with chest and neck pain. When my asthma is bad enough, I can't stay awake long enough to use an inhaler to try to save myself. Even if the exposure was only for a few minutes, and I have removed myself from the area, in about an hour, I am going to have a buildup of phlegm in my lungs and will still go through the symptoms of excessive fatigue and a bad headache. It may take me several hours to clear the phlegm buildup and recover after an event like this before I can breathe normally again and the headache subsides.

At home, I do not use cleaning products or soaps with heavy fragrances. Even exposure to other people wearing clothing that was washed in a heavy fragrance laundry detergent causes breathing problems for me if I can't get away from it. The natural fragrances used in dish soap does not bother me.

Natural fragrances are not as bad for me. I do know that I am allergic to pine terpenes that create the pine smell. I can walk past holiday wreaths without having an adverse event if I don't linger. Natural boughs will also harbor other allergens like mold spores or dust so I resist the urge to smell them because those would also trigger my allergic asthma. If I was inside a home with a real Christmas tree, I would have a headache and some breathing issues. Then there are scented candles and stuff squirting scents into the air. I cannot stay in an environment like that because I will be headed for an asthma attack.

I avoid stores with fragrance counters. The laundry detergent aisles are a big problem. I hold my breath as I walk past them. Hardware stores aisles with fertilizer and weed & insect killers also trigger my asthma. I try to get in and out of stores like that as fast as possible.

I wish people could understand what it is like to experience a serious problem caused by fragrances on other people and in public spaces. They have a misconception about the consequences of their habits and think it is harmless. In reality it is toxic, and some individuals are so sensitive to it that is causes a serious reaction. I also find that exposure to fragrances in public causes the scent to be absorbed into my clothing, and I have to change clothes to get rid of it so I can stop reacting to it. So I carry this problem around with me until I can get home to change.

We also had these other discussions regarding fragrances and lung health.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/heavy-perfume-in-medical-facilities-or-anywhere-really/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/fragrances-and-asthma-allergies/

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One thing I have done at our home is to stop spraying things into the air, thus avoiding a huge amount of irritating and pollution. Squeeze bottles work just fine, a squirt on a cleaning cloth or a counter is all I need.
My go-to favorites are Alcohol bottles as my old, arthritic hands don’t work the best. A small thing to improve air quality.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 22, 2022

The tips shared in this discussion helped to create this article written for the Mayo Clinic app and website. Thank you everyone for creating knowledge for patients by patients and helping us to share these tips beyond Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you @merpreb @jenniferhunter and @sueinmn for your contributions.

See the article here:
– How patients with lung conditions avoid winter irritants https://www.mayoclinic.org/connected-care/how-patients-with-lung-conditions-avoid-winter-irritants/cpt-20525811

Kudos!

lilly2 | @lilly2 | Feb 22, 2022

In reply to @merpreb "Hi Lilly- WOW, you've certainly done a good job researching your cancer. It can be pretty..." + (show)

@merpreb , Hi thank you for your research. The articles were very informative . I’m seeking another opinion and I’m in the process of trying to schedule something now. I didn’t think of dna testing but will definitely mention to the Dr. This is a complicated situation with so many unknowns I guess for most of us. Will keep you posted:)

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