Thursday, January 28, 2010

Video: Living With MCS

I just found out about this video report done by a news station in Anchorage, Alaska and have to share it with my friends and readers. I tried to add it here but wasn't able to figure out the procedure quickly so just click here and then click on each of the two screens for the whole story.

It's hard to hear the physician in the story say that MCS is not quantifiable and therefore stands less of a chance of being recognized by the AMA as a valid affliction. He's right about it not being quantifiable because every person with this disorder reacts differently to different levels of chemicals and a different variety of chemicals. Every BODY is different. What upsets my system may not affect another person with MCS. However, that does not mean this is not a real physical phenomenon. Like the daughter in the story, my family members can testify to the reality of what happens to me when I encounter something my body can't handle.

I also had to chuckle when I saw the cat one woman lives with. So many people don't understand how I can live with a dog (two dogs at the moment) and not be affected by seasonal allergies but then am completely incapacitated by a whiff of perfume or hair spray. That's the mystery of MCS. And the mystery is what keeps the medical community from coming to our aid.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the links, sue....I didn't realize that MCS isn't recognized by the AMA...luckily for us, when chuck suffered his first major exposure (which ended in him losing his job with no compensation) our physician at the time did recognize it as MCS and helped us adjust to living with it. We were extremely lucky though, as I hear horror stories all the time about docs who just can't believe MCS isn't "just in your head"...after living with this for over 20 years and seeing what it has done to my husband, that attitude makes me furious.

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  2. Hi Magpie Sue,
    Thank you for this information.
    AND thank you for dropping by last Monday!
    Constance

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  3. My sister got a box full of newly printed pamphlets for a group she is in. She opened it and noticed a newish smell, then picked up the catalog on top. Then her fingers started itching, her throat closed up and she ran for the Benadryl. She almost called an ambulance but the Benadryl started to kick in. She figures it must have been a fresh printing with soy ink. Soy is now her worst problem. She's better with most things except when she's sick or gets too many things at once but she's never sure just what will set off an emergency reaction. Hers are mostly but not all foods that trigger reactions but many chemicals do too.

    My grandson isn't believed to REALLY have ADHD because he's a nice kid in class. The fact that he is seriously challenged and had failing grades, mis-placed assignments and more didn't seem to be a clue. So many things aren't considered real. Well, the sky isn't really blue either but that doesn't make it not real.

    How is your daughter doing? I was visiting my family and had limited access to the internet for a week. I thought I'd come and find out there were some new little ones being held by a grandma!

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