> Multiple Chemical Sensitivity > Stories

Allergic to the world

My story begins in about 2008 when I had my first major health crisis. I struggled for a number of years with pretty severe digestive complaints and fatigue. I eventually figured out I had food allergies and sensitivities, and was able to slowly get my self back to a more functional place with a radical shift in my diet. However, 4 or 5 years later I started having trouble breathing when I came in contact with certain things. First it was pets, but then that list of things seemed to grow. In 2015 I rented an apartment that had just been painted and had new carpet put in, and that seemed to just push things over some sort of threshold. I couldn't be in that space for more than 5 minutes. I was diagnosed with asthma at this time, and the list of things that I can't seem to tolerate has just kept growing. I'm super sensitive to any sort of paint, new carpet or laminate flooring, and pretty much any chemical, and anything that off gasses. I've also developed seasonal allergies to all kinds of stuff, and I am very reactive to molds. I struggle with another condition called anosmia, which no sense of smell. I was born with this condition as far as I know, but it really makes things a whole lot more challenging. There are many times when I am having difficulty breathing, or head aches, or I just feel like crap....but I don't know what's causing it because I can't actually smell anything. Sometimes it's obvious, like if I'm around a pet, or if a room has been recently painted, or a few summers ago when the wild fires were crazy. But a lot of the times, I just have no idea what's making me miserable. I think this makes me way more anxious and fearful of chemicals or fragrances because I can't actually tell what my triggers are. It is intensely frustrating.

World map of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity


Find people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity through the map. Connect with them and share experiences. Join the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity community.