Migraine

Patchouli has got to be one of the most offensive odors people put on intentionally!

'Can't even say how many times I've dry heaved/vomited from it.

Yep axe body spray, ici cologne(?), cigarette smells, and even coffee breath have caused me torturous misery.

As bad as b.o. and farting smells etc are, for some reason patchouli, and then perfumes, has got them all beat! No other odor seems to cause the sudden nausea & vomiting and big migraine.

Sorry, I just needed to complain. I've got two coworkers who bathe in cheap perfume and leave contrails of the stuff all over the place. And the maintenance man wears cologne or something. Ugh. 'Not looking forward to going into work tonight. Hey, at least no one at work wears patchouli, right?

Do you think something like eating inflammatory foods makes us hypersensitive to other people's cancerosols and other toxic chemicals, and if we got the diet under control we'd be safe, or are airborne contaminants a totally separate trigger in themselves?

It can be both. During a migraine, which can be triggered by certain foods in some people, one possible symptom is increased sensitivity to smells. In some people, certain smells can trigger a migraine. Apart from migraines, some people have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and certain smells can trigger an episode. There are other medical issues that can cause hypersensitivity to smells, too.

I'd love to answer your question, but I've never heard of the word "cancerosols." If you can let me know more about what you are talking about, I can try to help.



QUOTE]Originally posted by PlaydohYeti:
Do you think something like eating inflammatory foods makes us hypersensitive to other people's cancerosols and other toxic chemicals, and if we got the diet under control we'd be safe, or are airborne contaminants a totally separate trigger in themselves?[/QUOTE]

I'm sure I'm one of those people with 'Multiple Chemical Sensitivities', but getting a diagnosis would be as much use as knowing you've 'got' ME and migraine. People's general response is, "well it's not exactly cancer is it?", as though that is the ultimate yardstick of genuine medical conditions.

I've noticed that I can often keep my head in check if I drink coffee very slowly throughout the day. I feel like I've been hit by a truck by the end of the day, but it prevents me from losing my mind completely, which is a heck of a lot worse and takes much longer to recover from.

I was being flippant, sorry. 'Cancerosols' is my shorthand for any aftershaves, deodorants, anti-perspirants and so on, that are likely to be carcinogenic, and send my head into a spin. I wish people would at least consider their own health if not mine whenever they dowse themselves in that toxic (and ironically, often foul-smelling) rubbish.

Thank you for that clarification! I totally understand that as I really don't like it when I walk into a cloud of any fragrance....

Here's a thought, bear with me. There is a small group of people with Migraine that are highly sensitive to caffeine. I wonder if drinking coffee all day is contributing to your head pain. You see, caffeine in itself is a drug, a stimulant, and can (for some of us) create medication overuse headache. Here is an article from the American Headache Society that explain it very nicely; Caffeine and Migraines

I see where you're going with the caffeine angle, but I've experimented and know it's not an issue for me. I can take it or leave it, and gave it up completely for about a year once, only going back to it when I started work in a particularly toxic office.

When I say I drink it throughout the day I mean a maximum of three cups a day. What I do is fill up a large sports bottle full of water and stir in a teaspoon of coffee so it's very diluted. I sip it whenever I feel groggy so it has the desired effect of keeping the spasming blood vessels under control without making me too wired and floaty. The 'hit by a truck' sensation is just the battle scar of being bombarded by airborne chemicals for 8 hours. I can drink the same amount of coffee at the weekend when I can escape from the warzone and feel fine.

quote:

Posted 09-08-2011 08:52 AM Hide Post
I wish I could figure out some tactful way to ask my students (college level) to not wear perfume/ cologne.

@amoler,

I suggest you put the request nicely worded on the top of your class syllabus in roughly the same place as your contact information and office hours.

Awesome suggestion -

Put a notice in your classroom...... highly allergic to fragrance......?

Sometimes the simplest suggestions are the most amazing! Fabulous idea!

quote:

Originally posted by AlliOOP:

quote:

Posted 09-08-2011 08:52 AM Hide Post
I wish I could figure out some tactful way to ask my students (college level) to not wear perfume/ cologne.

@amoler,

I suggest you put the request nicely worded on the top of your class syllabus in roughly the same place as your contact information and office hours.