Allergen Alert
I spent the weekend in bed, feeling miserable. Dizzy, slightly achy, with terrible post-nasal drip leading to a sore throat and... laryngitis. Not good for someone who loves to sing as much as I do! But no fever, no chills.
When I awoke today from a nap, I could smell the new (actually several months' old) pads on my crutches. They were a non-latex version, a buff color, and smelled strongly and peculiar from the day I purchased them. I figured it would wear off. It didn't. I had decided to live with it.
Friday, after a rather bad arthritis day, I had parked them at the head of the bed so they would be close if I needed them.
Saturday, yesterday that is, I woke in the morning with no voice and a sore throat. Felt awful. Naturally assumed it was a cold, so I stayed in bed all day long. Toward afternoon, I was tired of being in bed, so I went out to the kitchen to get some cleaning accomplished, and pretty much stayed out of the bedroom for several hours. I felt better by the time I went to bed.
This morning, repeat of previous experience. As I lay down to take a nap, I was coughing from irritation in the mucous membranes.
Mid-afternoon, on waking from the nap, the smell of the crutches nauseated me. I put them in the closet. Within 10 minutes I had stopped coughing. 30 minutes, I wasn't nauseous. By an hour, I didn't have a sore throat. Two hours later, no post-nasal drip, and my voice was back. Five hours now, and I have a normal volume speaking voice.
I don't know what the chemical is that triggered this very uncomfortable allergy, but I am very glad I traced it. Hopeful that it won't have triggered other chemical sensitivities.
The crutch pads are in the garbage. I will visit a medical supply store and get some that I can tolerate for those fortunately rare days that I need assistance walking.
When I awoke today from a nap, I could smell the new (actually several months' old) pads on my crutches. They were a non-latex version, a buff color, and smelled strongly and peculiar from the day I purchased them. I figured it would wear off. It didn't. I had decided to live with it.
Friday, after a rather bad arthritis day, I had parked them at the head of the bed so they would be close if I needed them.
Saturday, yesterday that is, I woke in the morning with no voice and a sore throat. Felt awful. Naturally assumed it was a cold, so I stayed in bed all day long. Toward afternoon, I was tired of being in bed, so I went out to the kitchen to get some cleaning accomplished, and pretty much stayed out of the bedroom for several hours. I felt better by the time I went to bed.
This morning, repeat of previous experience. As I lay down to take a nap, I was coughing from irritation in the mucous membranes.
Mid-afternoon, on waking from the nap, the smell of the crutches nauseated me. I put them in the closet. Within 10 minutes I had stopped coughing. 30 minutes, I wasn't nauseous. By an hour, I didn't have a sore throat. Two hours later, no post-nasal drip, and my voice was back. Five hours now, and I have a normal volume speaking voice.
I don't know what the chemical is that triggered this very uncomfortable allergy, but I am very glad I traced it. Hopeful that it won't have triggered other chemical sensitivities.
The crutch pads are in the garbage. I will visit a medical supply store and get some that I can tolerate for those fortunately rare days that I need assistance walking.
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