Migraine

I found a new trigger-BIG TIME-paint fumes! I've been painting in the office while dr/boss is out and have been literally standing and painting for 2 days straight. I've been careful not to be directly over the paint can or anything, but I now know it's a definite trigger. Wallpaper paste is one too-or the smell of new wallpaper. I had 45 feet of the stuff to rip down and put up new while dr/boss was gone too. I did that Wed.AM and painted Wed. PM, so I don't know which one started what, but they both hit me.

Wednesday was OK-3 Advil, ice and going to bed took care of it. However, yesterday I wasn't so lucky. By the time I got home, it was around an 8-9. I gave in and took my only Maxalt + Cephadyn that I found I still had. Even that didn't touch it. I ended up using my only shot of Toradol. I couldn't go to urgent care because DH had to work late and didn't get in until almost midnight. I just wasn't able to drive myself and 2 kids and take care of them in urgent care or the ER. I'm thankful that I had the shot, but now I have absolutely nothing-no Maxalt, no Toradol or anything.

Dr/boss won't be back until Monday, but I intend to ask for another toradol shot to keep with me. I doubt he'll give it to me, but I'm going to ask-especially since I'll be going home next week to pay my respects to my Grandmother and spend a couple of days with my Dad. The nearest medical facility of any kind is 45 miles from their house. That's just not an option to be that far from help and have nothing. My parents don't understand my migraines, so I doubt I'd get any help going to the ER there either. My Dad can be harsh and flatly tell someone to get off their tails and quit belly aching.

I hope dr/boss understands and doesn't give me much grief.
Lynn

To you Lynn.

I know you cannot wait to see the neuro in October so you can have proper scripts for medications as you should. I was surprised this summer and last summer when DBF and I printed that the paint fumes did not get to me. You are working in a smaller space, you probably cannot ventilate it as well as I did the house.

I'm sure once you explain to your doc the situation with your father he will be agreeable to you having a shot with you. Remember how great the office will look and that YOU took care of it. You can remind him of that if necessary. While your boss is controling I think he will understand the situation you are doing into.

Take care Lynn. The weekend is almost here.

Cindy

Paint fumes are a definate trigger. The cheaper the paint, the worse the fumes, the bigger the migraine for me.

I was really lucky when I painted my bathroom w/ Behr I didn't get hit.

I think you should leverage all the work you have done to his office at the expense of your heath. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to remind him how much money he saved by not hiring a painting staff.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that your doc gives you the toradol shot for your trip.

Lynn,

Paint smell is really, really bad for me. Paint, perfume, any weird chemical-smelling stuff will make me really sick. Our city paved our roads and put tar around all of the sewer drains this week. I've been sick for days from that smell! (Although it doesn't seem to bother anyone else in my neighborhood!)

I agree with the ladies--you certainly need to sit your boss down and let him know just how rough the week of painting and removing wallpaper has been on your head. A little bit of compassion from him sure would be nice!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

jenny

OMG YES!!

I got lucky when I did my dining room. I steamed the wallpaper off the walls, taped, floated, primed and then painted, all without triggering any more migraines than usual. How that happened is beyond me because normally I'm pretty sensitive to strong smells. I guess the room was ventilated enough to make it safe to work in.

Good luck talking to your boss on Monday, I hope you get your meds for your trip back home. Positive vibes headed your way!!

Paint fumes get me too, especially if the room isn't well ventilated or or I'm around them for very long.

Good luck with everything.

Paint fumes -especially oil based and spray paint, make me violently ill. I once rented a space with a group of people & asking explicitely for LATEX or water-based paints, they ended up getting oil-based paints... which made me very ill (migraine, light headed, nauseaus). Not to mention that the landlord was furious about this (I warned them)!

in college, when there would be 25 of us painting in oils & turpintine in a nonventilated room, many of us would become nauseaus and would have to run out of the room into the snow from time to time. I've seen our models in the oil painting class & sculpting (also using plaster molds, no ventilation) class pass out quite a few times.

There were several times where I vomited profusely & became really weak & ill due to doing projects with oil based/spray paints...

Paint thinners, chemical smells, new wall-to-wall carpeting, smoke & strong perfume, bleach & certain household cleaners are also among my triggers.

It's come to a point where I have become extremely sensitive to any chemical stuff... I don't paint in oils & won't do lithography & certain typse of casting for this reason- I have known too many artists who have experience prolonged brain damage & cancer.

The most toxic & fast killing drug out there?- Paint, in particular metallic spray paints & paint thinner & rubber cement- young kids in low income environments uses these as a way to get high & there is a high mortality rate. It's because it enters the brain barrior through mucus tissues very quickly, comparitively to any illegal drug out there (I used to work substance abuse treatment).


... Companies and agencies often are really not educated in environmental safety... at a place I used to work at, I spoke out my concerns about think - I think this contributes to illnesses in schools, day cares, hospitals & other highly conjested places (besides hygiene issues) & I think if more companies practice safe, nontoxic alternatives, there will be less people getting sick.

I've never found a paint fume that bothered me. Other fumes do, though. Eau de old lady fruity floral perfumes come to mind. I'm also sensitive to the fumes given off if someone is chewing strong mint gums (particularly sugar free ones) around me. But paint doesn't seem to bother me.

I have heard from others that the low fume paints really do help some. I've also read helpful hint thingies that say a couple of drops of peppermint oil added to the paint can cuts the smell somehow and helps some, without discoloring the paint. I can't say as I've tried this, since I don't need to, so I don't know how well it really works.

Personally, I think doctor boss owes you a hefty bonus for painting and wallpapering when he knows you don't do well with it, and he owes you compassion on the treatment front, too, considering his demands made you suffer. It's the least he can do tomorrow. He needs to appreciate you for a change.

Hi everyone!
I am pretty new here but I have been pretty good with finding out my triggers and YES PAINT FUMES KILL ME UUUUHHHH! They literally bring me down in 15-30 minutes, my visual aura starts and I can't find words....it is horrific.

The worst part is I love to do those projects in my home! My husband and I wanted to paint our bedroom a beautiful blue! I HAD TO STAY AT A HOTEL FOR 3 DAYS UNTIL ALL OF THE SMELL WAS GONE!!!!

I also have the same affect with bug spray.

Does anyone know what chemical in those do that to us??? I would really like the name!

It is amazing how similar all of us are!

I hope you all have a pain free day!
liz

oh yes!!!

Paint fumes, exaust from a big 18 wheeler, or that smell from the tires when they brake and smoke...UGH!

Also my newest trigger - construction, over my head, ALL DAY LONG while at work. I can't get away from it which really stinks!

quote:

Originally posted by Liz Bratcher Carley:
I also have the same affect with bug spray. liz

Bug spray gets me too! I have two cans of Raid I can't bear to use because of the fumes. If you find you need it (as I do living in an urban environment ) the new Raid "without lingering chemical odor" isn't bad. It is VERY lemony. But more tolerable than the chemical smell.

Bug spray bothers me more than paint fumes.

I think it might be because I'm allergic to permethrin a common ingredient in pesticides. I can't even go down the aisle containing bug spray at the grocery store without risking a migraine.

Everyone - please try the low VOC or no VOC paints. Home Depot has a good one - although it still smells "chemically" - WAY better than regular though. The best one I've found though is Safe Coat - I bought it at Green Fusion in San Anselmo, Marin County, CA. We're really lucky to have lots of eco stores/products around here. The Safe Coat actually smells good - the brown paint we used looked and smelled like pudding - yum!

No, I don't make any money from these recommendations, I just wanted to share, because they really did make painting my house possible for me.

By the way, never, never paint with a regular primer - instant migraine for me....

Hi, sarabatch, and welcome to the forum!

I think it's great to hear from someone that's actually tried the special paints and had good luck with them. That can help a lot of people reading a thread like this.

If you haven't had a chance, please pop over to our Start Here Folder and do some poking around. It's got information to help you to navigate and get the most out of the forum experience.

Again, welcome to the forum family!