Week-long Trip A Huge Success - MCS so much better!

Glorious view from the scenic Taconic State Parkway  - the photo doesn't do it justice.

I am back from a wonderful week long trip to New York State.
I will write a review of the Rhinebeck campus of the Omega Institute from an MCS perspective soon but if you'd like to read a bit sooner, you can view this post on my art-focused blog: Back From Omega Institute Retreat - Wonderful!

The trip was a huge success for me from an MCS standpoint.  I am so excited to have been able to go on such a big journey and not get sick!  It was totally liberating and joyful to interact with all sorts of people as myself instead of as a) a sick person or b) a person wearing a mask.

After returning home, I realised that I had spent time with people, enjoyed their company and not even thought of mentioning MCS to them!  It was/is SO COOL!

I will also be writing a review of the Bed and Breakfast I stayed at on the way there and back.  They are more MCS aware than most (though they have many areas they could improve).

Since returning I have no desire at all to sit in front of the computer so it may take me a while to get to those reviews.
The air here is whispering of autumn and I want to be outside in it!

Drawing done at Omega after an Energy Medicine healing session

I'm Going On A Trip!

I'm very excited to have healed enough that traveling is now possible!

I am going to the Omega Institute next week (I wrote a bit more about it on my other blog here).

On the way there and back I will be staying for one night at a Bed and Breakfast that is MCS aware.  It has been used by patients of Dr. Sherry Rogers.  I will post a review of both the B&B and the Omega Institute some time after I get back. 

I'm also working on a post that has tips on having an MRI when you have MCS (I had 2 in June).  Writing is slow this summer so I'm not sure when these posts will happen but hopefully soon!

My summer is going well so far.  I am loving spending time in my gardens and morning walks and bicycling.
I am happy to be able to bike in traffic without reacting and ride on city buses!

I hope you are doing things you enjoy this summer! 

:-)

2 Year Update: MCS Still Improving!

It's been just a few months longer than 2 years now that I have been steadily getting better from MCS.

I know that to a newcomer with MCS, the idea of it taking years to get better could seem disappointing... but I'm just fine with it.  I'm so grateful to be healing and am trying to be patient with the rate at which it's happening.  So when I look at how FAR I've come in 2 years... I say YAY!!!

My life has changed so dramatically that I am daunted by even trying to put it into words.
For those who have or have had severe MCS, perhaps this update list will capture it.  A list full of things that I once would have thought to be impossible!

My mask is lonely... it almost never gets used.
When I go out, if I remember to bring it, I use it in bathrooms that have strong air freshener.  If I forget, I use the bathrooms anyway!  And I'm okay.

Going out for dinner is no big deal now from an MCS standpoint, though I still have aftermath due to food sensitivities.

I close my windows if my direct next door neighbour has their dryer or lawnmower going or if neighbourhood woodsmoke is very strong but otherwise they can be open often.

New clothing takes only a few washes with just laundry soap before I can wear it (as opposed to tons of 'detox' washes with special things like vinegar, baking soda, TSP, milk, borax etc etc).

Driving in a 4 year old car that still has new car smell is something I give no thought to - zero reactions.  No mask needed.

Car exhaust, lawnmower fumes, air freshener, BBQ, cigarette smoke, dryer exhaust, essential oils,  perfume/cologne, woodsmoke, paint, new roof smell, road tarring, carpets and much more bother me less and less.  Passing exposure to any of these causes no reaction except distaste.  Prolonged exposure to most of those causes only slight reactions and very fast recovery time.

I can spend time around regular people who are covered head to toe in scented products.  I don't enjoy the smell at all.  I do find it offensive and distracting.  But my physical adverse reactions to it are far less and this has freed me up so much socially.

I can't really express just how different and wonderful it is to do something as simple as smile at a stranger in a store or doctors office!  Those small bits of human interaction are amazing and were totally interfered with my wearing a mask.

I know there are so many little things I am forgetting because the changes and improvements are becoming 'normal' to me.  I'm trying to relax and let myself just enjoy the ride, the journey, instead of feeling the need to catalogue or keep track of all of the improvements.
:-)

May is MCS Awareness Month... check out the Canary Caravan Carnival hosted on Vardo For Two!

In honour of May being MCS Awareness Month, Mokihana from Vardo For Two is hosting a  Canary Caravan Carnival!
She has come up with a number of creative categories and welcomed submissions that include poetry, a visualisation, prose, photography and art.

There is a wonderful diversity of entries listed below in order of appearance.  You can click on the titles to be taken directly to that entry on Vardo For Two.

The Impact of MCS on Self-Esteem
Article by Recovering EI/MCS Psychotherapist Kay McCarty

Finding your Path
A Visualisation by MCS Ally Joan Tucker

Reflections and Feelings About Life With MCS
Poetry by Katrina Kluzik

Susie Collins Writes About Her Passion

Prose by the Founder of The Canary Report

"Sad Songs Not By Elton John"

Poetry by 'Anita Freshair' (aka Daisy O)

Entertaining Angels Unawares

A True Story by MCS Ally and Astrologer cj wright

Cosmic Pie: An Astrological Tool for the Canary Carnival

Article by Mokihana using this tool to gain insight into her journey with MCS

"Portrait Of A Life With Chemical Sensitivities"

Photography by Julie Genser, Founder of Planet Thrive

Artistic Tangents: A Hidden Gift From MCS

Art and article by Liberty

Making An MCS Documentary... A Canary's Angle On The Issue
Article by MCS Filmmaker Kimberly Shaw

Lilacs Smell Good Again!

The lilacs are in bloom in southern Ontario - an event that used to keep me inside at this time of year.  They used to smell very strong to me and I would get bad headaches and brain fog if I was exposed for more than a few seconds.  With MCS, one can react to VOCs from any source - even naturally occurring ones in plants and flowers.


Now lilacs smell wonderful to me!  I was out gardening for a few hours today and the wind was blowing a neighbour's lilac blossom scent my way.  I loved every minute of it and had no negative reactions  :-)
It is such a joy for me to be able to enjoy these natural smells again.
I've also been enjoying it when fresh cut grass smell wafts my way - something that a few years ago I would have thought impossible due to the high terpene level in grass.

I'm not yet at the point where I'd bring strong flowers like lilacs, hyacinths or lily-of-the-valley inside though I do bring some more mildly scented flowers in.

What flowers do you love?

Do you react to natural sources of VOCs?

oops! Apologies to Subscribers for Feed mixups

Oops!
I was doing some adjusting to my blog feed yesterday and an unexpected result was that it sent out a list of old posts.

I'm sorry about that!

I'm not sure what I did but will hopefully have it fixed soon.
:-)

Inspiring People With MCS - Amy Ludwigson

The website of Amy Ludwigson, Pure Habitat, is the home of her insightful blog filled with posts to get your introspective juices flowing.  I frequently find it joyful and enlightening and, perhaps even more valuable, it inspires me to get to know myself better, to go within and question myself.

A quote from her About page:

"I have laughed, I have danced, I have cried, but most importantly on this journey I have learned about Love.  Not the gushy, you are just sooo cute I wanna kiss you type of love, but the life changing, no strings attached love that breaks all boundaries."

Amy has had MCS for over a decade and has a wonderful dream that I'm sure all people with MCS/EI can appreciate!


Until the time comes for that dream to manifest, Amy is working on creating, "...an online marketplace that sells everything that you need to live consciously - aware of the interdependence of our world.  A place that revolutionizes the way that we shop.  Where we understand value meaning something sooo much deeper then price."

Amy's voice is a strong, empowered and eloquent one and is a gift to the community.
She recently wrote a wonderful piece entitled Why My Life Is better Because Of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity which was featured on The Canary Report and quickly elicited over 30 heartfelt comments!

If you like to be inspired, click here to sign up to her blog feed.

MCS and Chlorine in Paper Products - Healthier Choices

As you may know, chlorine is a chemical that most people with MCS react to.
Aside from being in treated water and laundry bleach, chlorine is also used to whiten paper products of all kinds - from writing and art paper to facial tissues aka kleenex, toilet paper, paper towel and feminine care products like tampons and pads.

Although I am now fine with it, when I was much worse than now MCS-wise, I couldn't even touch chlorine-whitened paper products without reacting.  Every paper product I used had to be chlorine-free.  Before I found chlorine-free paper, I was using chlorine-free paper towels to write on!

There are two kinds of 'chlorine-free'.  One is called Total Chlorine Free (TCF) and refers to products that have never come into contact with chlorine.  The second is called Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) and refers to products that may include recycled fibres that originally had contact with chlorine, but in the present product no chlorine was used.
Although some severe MCS people can only use TCF products, I have been okay with PCF products (which is what you will mostly find available).

Chlorine-free products that are whitened use 'oxygen bleach' to whiten - essentially a very strong potency of hydrogen peroxide.

PCF products are becoming more available as the market for 'eco' or 'green' products grows.  You can now get PCF toilet paper and paper towels at many regular stores and a few even have PCF facial tissues.  One often has to read the fine print on products to find the words "whitened without the use of chlorine" or "whitened with hydrogen peroxide/oxygen bleach".

For Writing, Drawing and Printers

Over at my creativity blog, I've written a review of Ecojot, a company that makes PCF, 100% recycled journals, sketchbooks, scrapbooks and more.  I love their products and was amazed and overjoyed to be able to use them right away after purchase!  I chose books that were sandwiched between others so that they would not have gotten scents from the store on them.  The glues and dyes used in them are vegetable based and I have never reacted to them.

I have also been okay with products by the company Pistachio though they have needed some airing out before use.  They have lined, 3-ring binder type paper that I use as well as spiral-bound notebooks.  Their dyes are also vegetable based.

Cascades makes PCF paper that works very well in printers and copiers and is super affordable at under $10 for 500 sheets (I use it as writing paper too).  They also carry things like toilet paper, paper towel and facial tissue.
 As far as I know, toilet paper that is marked as "Septic Safe" is chlorine free.


For People With Periods
If you choose only one product that is chlorine free, I urge you to choose chlorine free period products, especially if you use tampons.
The brand Natracare carries period products that are not only TCF but also made from certified organic cotton - another very important choice for those with MCS considering that cotton is one of the most heavily pesticided crops in the world.
I have had no reactions to their pads or tampons.

DIs there a chlorine-free product you like?
If so, please share in the comments area!  I love learning about new resources.
Thanks :-)