A Day Interupted By Allergies
Last week we (a family member and myself. I will officially dub her my sidekick for the day...) finally made it into a nearby city that has better shopping to get a few things on our ever growing lists.
Our first stop was at a craft and supply store to get replacement parts for a wall clock. Unfortunately we encountered several very strong chemical smells and scented products which triggered an asthma attack for my sidekick and left us both with irritated eyes, throats and headaches. Uh.., not the way either of us envisioned the start to our day. (I won't even mention the slash burning piles we passed on the way, since we switched off the air in the car to avoid the smoke.)
After some recovery time in the fresh air and in the short car ride over to the near by mall, we started out again.
Unfortunately the strong smells seemed to follow us as well. Including a demo of one of those scented oil diffusers. If your allergic to whatever they use or if your asthmatic or have chemical sensitivities you know all to well how unpleasant it is to unexpectedly run into one of these.
Then there were all the people (way more than we normally run into) that seemed to have bathed in their perfume. Wow, no nice subtle scents that day just "hit you over the head and leave your eyes watering" kind of subtlety.
So what we had hoped would be a fun and possibly productive day was constantly bombarded with things that made both of us feel awful.
I can not begin to express the utter and complete frustration that despite being cautious, taking extra allergy pills (and through absolutely no fault of your own) you get to feel absolutely crappy for the remainder of the day just because you left the house. Sometimes it can even last a few days....not fun!
Over the years I've had a whole lot of conversations with others who have scent or chemical allergies/sensitives that really wish more businesses would "Please Think Of People Like Them". That "just maybe we would like to be able to shop at your store too".
Even those who don't even have these sensitivities/allergies wish some businesses would reduce "the stong smelly stuff".
There are some stores you just know you can't even go into. While others you have to do the "sniff" test before you enter and still others you have to make a quick exit when you run into "that smell".
So what's it like for someone with allergies or asthma when they encounter something like this?
Well besides being frustrating, everything from mild to severe breathing problems, coughing, chocking, watering and itchy eyes, nausea, sore and or itchy throat and ears, sneezing, skin irritation, loss of voice, and headache. All of which leaves you feeling utterly exausted and some what defeated.
For more information on Asthma, Allergies, and Chemical Sensitivities check out these helpful sites.
asthma.ca
Allergy/Asthma Information Association
chemicalsensitivityfoundation.org
After some recovery time in the fresh air and in the short car ride over to the near by mall, we started out again.
Unfortunately the strong smells seemed to follow us as well. Including a demo of one of those scented oil diffusers. If your allergic to whatever they use or if your asthmatic or have chemical sensitivities you know all to well how unpleasant it is to unexpectedly run into one of these.
Then there were all the people (way more than we normally run into) that seemed to have bathed in their perfume. Wow, no nice subtle scents that day just "hit you over the head and leave your eyes watering" kind of subtlety.
So what we had hoped would be a fun and possibly productive day was constantly bombarded with things that made both of us feel awful.
I can not begin to express the utter and complete frustration that despite being cautious, taking extra allergy pills (and through absolutely no fault of your own) you get to feel absolutely crappy for the remainder of the day just because you left the house. Sometimes it can even last a few days....not fun!
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| Inhaler, used to deliver medication into the lungs. |
Over the years I've had a whole lot of conversations with others who have scent or chemical allergies/sensitives that really wish more businesses would "Please Think Of People Like Them". That "just maybe we would like to be able to shop at your store too". Even those who don't even have these sensitivities/allergies wish some businesses would reduce "the stong smelly stuff".
There are some stores you just know you can't even go into. While others you have to do the "sniff" test before you enter and still others you have to make a quick exit when you run into "that smell".
So what's it like for someone with allergies or asthma when they encounter something like this?
Well besides being frustrating, everything from mild to severe breathing problems, coughing, chocking, watering and itchy eyes, nausea, sore and or itchy throat and ears, sneezing, skin irritation, loss of voice, and headache. All of which leaves you feeling utterly exausted and some what defeated.
For more information on Asthma, Allergies, and Chemical Sensitivities check out these helpful sites.
asthma.ca
Allergy/Asthma Information Association
chemicalsensitivityfoundation.org
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