What Is MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)? My Story

Have you ever had a headache while cleaning your home? I mean, pretty much everybody finds cleaning a headache, but that's not the headache I'm talking about here.

A headache that pounds, sinus that acts up, watery eyes, feeling nauseous, feeling weak, foggy brain, ... just to name a few and yet, it's a lot, right? We laugh about the commercials on TV that recommend a remedy for something as small as watery eyes but the side effects are often worse that watery eyes.

Our reaction? Besides shock is: "Is this even worth it?"

Back to the list of cleaning woes. How many of us get one or all and then some?

I will tell you a little story about me. I have 6 dogs. Hygiene is important and I don't think I need to explain why. I was cleaning my house with a pine cleaner that was recommended by my vet and it did work. It disinfected and cleaned well plus it eliminated the dog odor. One day I woke up and had lost my voice. I figured, it happens, I am probably starting laryngitis which for me was not uncommon. Weeks go by, and my voice hadn't come back but I wasn't sick. I got curious and thought, maybe allergies. Now, what am I allergic to?

To make a long story short, 10 months through my search, which by the way, I still didn't have my voice, I started to panic and wonder if it would ever come back, I started having swelling in the face. Cheekbones, sinus, hurting teeth. I went to see the doctor. He gave me antibiotics for a sinus infection which did nothing to help at all. He was at a loss.

I still had a swollen face, still had no voice, and now I was having chest pains. I'm way past the panic stage and my head was reeling with thoughts of "I'm going to die".

I went to see another doctor who after listening to my lungs and making me some silly sounds, rushed me to the ER on Stat. Before I left she told me something that stunned me. "You can't control what is out there but you can control what you bring in. Just because it is sold in stores, doesn't mean that you have to buy it".

What on earth does that mean?

In the ER, I went for X-rays and blood tests, and I was on a respirator. So my diagnosis after an entire day in ER? Lung inflammation so severe that it had spread to my sinus and throat. I had 35% breathing capacity. It was the reason for no voice, swollen face, chest pains, headaches, sinus, watery eyes, and nausea. I was on antibiotics for almost 3 months and then I asked my doctor what she meant.

I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). Doesn't sound bad and it sure doesn't sound deadly. Then my doctor explained how many products I use on a daily basis caused this to me. So basically, I was cleaning to death. All of a sudden, the 3 letters sounded deadly.

So that funny commercial for watery eyes that had 20 side effects worse then watery eyes, took new meaning for me. It became serious.

How would you react to a commercial about a cleaner you use daily, if they stated these side effects: fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches, weight gain and itchy skin, can cause organ damage and depression, dermatitis, rashes and chemical burns, loss of appetite and dizziness in the short-term, and liver and central nervous system (CNS) damage in the long-term, can cause nerve deadening and release chemicals inside the body that can damage the heart muscle (also causing allergic lung reactions), harmful to the fatty parts of your body, such as your brain, endocrine glands and the fat that protects your organs (also increasing the risk of neuro-degenerative diseases (such as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or dementia), can lead to respiratory issues, skin rashes, sensitization and inflammation, can disrupt the endocrine and reproductive systems which increases the risk of estrogen dependent cancers, cancer.

Still funny or does it make you wonder if that cleaner is in your home?

When I got home, I had a decision to make. I can't stop cleaning. That's not an option. But what do I do? What are my options?

It was time for research and I couldn't afford more trials and errors. My lungs, my health ... my life was at stake here.

All I knew at this point was that my cleaner had to go. Funny thing was, when I went to throw it out, the garbage man told me, "This is toxic waste and hazardous. We can't take this. It has to be disposed of at chemical disposal site."

What? I have something that is considered so toxic, even my garbage company couldn't take it? What else was in my home that I couldn't just throw away because it was considered toxic and hazardous?

I had to find a solution fast. I started being concerned for my husband and my fur-babies health and welfare.

I did find a company that makes eco-friendly and chemical free products. Products that help me stay healthy, my family healthy as well as my babies.

Inform yourselves. Read the labels. Not all products come with a list of side effects but they all come with warning signs. Pay attention ... it's your life and your loved ones life we're talking about.

Now the words of my doctor make sense.

You can't control what is out there but you control what you bring in. Just because it is sold in stores, doesn't mean you have to buy.

It's time we stop having blind faith and think that big brands aren't going to hurt us.

Let's be aware!