Posted by : Sherri Cornelius Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Once again I'm amazed at my progress with fragrances. One year ago I would become dizzy as soon as I stepped foot in Wally World, but today I only feel slightly crappy, even after lingering to go through the ladies' wear clearance racks (where I scored a $3 pair of slacks and a $7 crinkled skirt--woo!). The key to stamina in public places is to manage my travels through them. I avoid the body care and cleaning aisles unless I absolutely have to, and then I whip out my mask just for those aisles. Minimizes embarrassment, but also minimizes fragrance exposure. I also stay clear of other people, and hold my breath when walking past high-fragrance areas, like the bathrooms.

Of course, it's not only scent intake management that's helping. I'm really getting more tolerant. I believe I absolutely needed this year off from fragrance to heal, because things which bothered me before, like being around other people, are no longer the huge problem they were. Obviously, if someone's wearing perfume or has freshly-washed hair then I'm just as bad off as before. Also, air freshener still bothers the hell out of me, but overall the improvements are enormous. I'm hopeful for an eventual full recovery. However, I'll continue to encourage people to think about the harmful chemicals we're exposed to every day, and I will forever hate air "freshener" with a passion.

{ 12 comments... read them below or Comment }

  1. I'm glad you're feeling better. Woo! Nothing feels so great as feeling great. :)

    You'd hate my place though. I have to spray all the time - especially now with the neighbor thing. Which is still an unknown, btw. I guess I'm lucky none of us seems to have any sensitivity to fragrance, or we'd be in big trouble.

    And that clothing deal is awesome!

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  2. I often wander through aisles that have soaps and things like that just for the smell. But I hate air freshener. It never smells like anything natural and always is a little choke-inducing.

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  3. Sounds like things are looking up for you, and $10 outfits rock. :)

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  4. Well, I didn't have one either, for a long time. It's thought that exposure to these chemicals over time is what causes the sensitivity.

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  5. I find it difficult to give up my poor-me stance.

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  6. Hi Sherri,

    Glad you're doing better with the fragrances. I think air fresheners should be banned - they probably started the whole problem.

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  7. The last office I worked in, I had to go to my boss because the girl that sat next to me, I swear she bathed in her perfume. My eyes would water and get all poofy, thought my nose would run off my face. Terrible time breathing. Really, can't someone tell when they are wearing that much awful scent? Glad to hear you are doing better though, it is tough. Great find on the clothes!!!! :)

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  8. Folks don't think about their scent choices as being an air quality issue, but it's just as intrusive as cigarette smoke.

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  9. My grandmother had the same issue and couldn't even walk through the part of the mall that had Yankee Candle in it because it overwhelmed her. Luckily, no one in our family is fragrance-sensitive but I've been watching what I wear when I'm around the Squish. I've pretty much stopped wearing perfume, make sure I turn on the exhaust fan whenever I spray the little bit of hairspray I use, and have tossed a lot of my scented lotions. The one concession I make is using Vaseline's Intensive Care lotion. It has a neat fresh scent that's not too bad.

    I hate when other people hold Mallory and I can still smell whatever it is they're wearing like perfume, scented lotion, or even fabric softener on her up to two hours after they've left. Scent transference - blech!

    Glad to hear you're feeling better about this issue. Air freshener sucks, especially when it's used to cover up something unpleasant, which just makes it worse.

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  10. I think you're doing it just right--being aware of the chemicals you put on Mallory, instead of just inundating her. One thing you could do to increase your awareness is look up the ingredients of that lotion and see if they've been studied. The CDC website has lots of interesting information. http://cdc.gov/Environmental/

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