Oh Sweet Baby do I understand. I'm originally from WY where the air is pretty fresh and the wind blows all the crap over to Nebraska. I now live in Salt Lake, which just this week was declared one of the top ten in poor air quality. I could have told them that 4 yrs. ago.

I've always been sensitive to perfumes. I had only worn White Shoulders, then a few years ago I found I could handle a couple of Elizibeth Arden's, but only on occasion. When I get into a room full of people the mixture of different scents has caused allergic reactions in me. At a Xmas party with my husband's company about ten years ago, I swelled up, became dizzy and he basically had to carry me home. My undergarments were cutting off my circulation and I had deep troughs in my feet from the straps of my shoes. I think the people at the party thought I was totally drunk. I didn't have a single drink the whole night.

Now that I live here, I have allergies(didn't before). This is in a mountain valley, so in the winter they have what is called inversions. They trap the air in the valley and we get to choke on the pollutants throughout the winter. Then spring rolls around and you get all the pollen to go with the garbage in the air.

I'm applying for work back home for this reason amongst others. I am sick of sneezing all the time, my eyes itching and my chest feeling forever congested. If you think you can handle mining and shift work, come on over. Lots of places are desparately hiring.

I totally feel all your pain. I live in the sespool called phoenix with literally a big brown cloud over the whole city. If it wasnt for Allegra D, I would be totally miserable. This from the girl that left Kentucky thinking my allergies would go away once I got here.....its 100x worse. I cant wait to move out of this armpit valley air and get to clean fresh country air. No traffic, no noise, no pollution!!! I feel all your pains. Now that I am done complaining, I will say what I always do and deal with it. BUCK UP CUBBY!!!

I went to Phoenix one time for a NASCAR race. The air doesn't even move. I felt like what I was breathing had already been breathed by everyone around me. I can see why you want out of there. I was never so glad to get back home just to feel the wind move. Before that I didn't believe I could actually miss WY wind.

I have to use unscented everything, even to the point of ordering special shampoo and such.

It drives me crazy that I have to ask people within a certain radius of the class room to not wear perfume or lotion or incredibly scented hair products. And I have to give a speech at the beginning of each semester about people not spraying perfume or putting on scented lotion during class.

I feel like I'm being a jerk, but I've broken out with hives in a class of 120 people with someone on the complete opposite side of the room putting on some victoria secret lotion.

And anytime anything's blooming there are no open windows.

I definitely feel like bubble girl sometime.

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I definitely feel like bubble girl sometime

I would love to put a bubble around me... if only... LOL

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I feel all your pains. Now that I am done complaining, I will say what I always do and deal with it. BUCK UP CUBBY!!!

Gotta love ya Fluffy, I can usually buck up too .. but I'm finding the physical reactions really difficult to deal with, for me its very similiar to bucking up and losing weight... but I'm calling the shots with the food.. Soon it will be AC time and I'll be happy, broke (electricity bill) but very happy...

Though I've always been very sensitive to smells, I've become hyper-hyper-sensitive since I quit smoking... I guess I have to take the good with the bad....

Thank you all for the support, its good to know I'm not alone in this.. good luck to all... {snif} {snif}

You are definitely not alone in the chemical/environmental sensitivity issue. I wish there was a way others could understand what we go through. Perfumes, scented deodorants, hairspray, dryer sheets, laundry detergents, make-ups, household cleaners with or without scents (ammonia causes me to have asthmas attacks) can cause me hives, sneezing, watering eyes. Then, because we live in farm country, there is the issue of farm chemicals that are carried on the wind into town, all the fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides they use. Our town even fogs for mosquitoes every 2 weeks all summer long and won't allow us to have an exemption. These kind of chemicals cause the asthma attacks for one of my sons and me, but when tried to explain this to our city council, we were told to shut up and get out. (we are hoping to move soon!) The only way we survive is to go straight from heat to air conditioning and only very rarely will have windows open. Can't hang clothes out to dry. I've gone through thousands of $$$$ finding make-ups for myself and detergents that the whole family can use. Very frustrating, so just remember there are many others of us. I'm glad to hear more and more about organic farming and concerns about environmental toxins. Maybe more people will start to realize that all these chemicals are hurting the planet and the people, too! Best wishes for all of you!