Question on a Reaction

[Guest guest]

> Avoid ALL chemicals for a few days .. ALL. I know .. you gotta clean

> the house, etc. There are things the smart ladies on this list can

> probably recommend that are safe.

>

 

Ya.... a maid. LOL That is the only thing I know to recommend. We have

weird reactions to things here too but usually we just endure to the end.

So I can offer you LOTS of sympathy. Hope things get better for you, soon!

 

Karen J

[Guest guest]

Hey Patty,

 

> Hi all!

> I have a question on a reaction I had (well am still having) my dr.

> thinks it's an allergic reaction but he isn't sure,

 

According to doctors, if its not a virus .. it must be an allergy. ;-p

 

No way he can tell its an allergy unless it establishes a pattern .. or

they do various allergy tests.

 

> it has been almost 2 weeks now (friday before memorial day it started)

 

Too long two weeks. Unless you are constantly exposed to something that

is causing the problems.

 

> around my eyes started itching really bad I kept itching them &

> itching them, not thinking about what had been around them i put the

> first thing i had handy on ...some lotion....it got worse.

 

What kinda lotion?

 

> so then i started thinking why would my eyes be itching? I had some

> cream i received that I had put on my face around my eyes ...i had

> used the cream before with no problems

 

Doesn't mean a thing .. problems .. including sensitization .. have to

start somewhere.

 

> however my daughter had hidden it from me for a while & I hadn't used

> it for a while .....it had roman chamomile, lavender & orange eo's in

> it...the lotion i had grabbed & put on had lavender & tea tree in it

> both the cream & the lotion contained emu oil too. So I stopped using

> both & was just putting some jojoba on to try to soothe my skin

> because I didn't know what else to use & the dr. was closed for the

> holiday.

 

It appears that it wouldn't have mattered if he was open or closed.

 

> Finally go in to see him...my eyes were red all around & puffy he said

> maybe the cream was too old & changed into something that I was

> allergic to

 

Not very likely .. but it could change into a very irritating creme.

 

> & gave me a steroid (or corticortisone or whatever it is) ointment to

> put on...it got worse...if i smelled any fragrance oils or went into

> the cleaning aisle at the grocery store my whole face got hot & BRIGHT

> red my eyes down my cheeks to my chin & puffy. Went back in to see the

> dr. asked me what else I had been doing around the house anything else

> in contact with.....

 

Sounds a little like what a lot of folks have these modern times but

don't know it .. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity .. maybe.

 

> we had been painting & varnishing & I cleaned the tub with a new

> cleaner, he said maybe too much for my system & now my immune system

> is out of whack & everything is affecting me right now

 

What he is saying is that your immune system might be fighting off what

it sees as as foreign invader .. meaning, sensitization reactions.

 

> so said to pack all my fragrance oils, soaps & incense away for now &

> put me on prednisone & benedryl.

 

I'd consider packing them up for a little longer than just for now.

 

> So now I am looking up reactions to essential oils because I am

> thinking since it started around my eyes maybe has something to do

> with the essential oils in the cream,

 

Maybe .. but more likely has something to do with all the chemicals in

your life.

 

> I have never had any problems with chamomile (tea or in daughters

> shampoo....never used the eo before)

 

Roman Chamomole (Anthemis nobilis) is not a known sensitizer .. in fact

it is anti-inflammatory and pre-anesthetic .. great for stopping itching

and such.

 

> I never had problems with lavender eo before, I never used anything

> with orange in it before this cream but like I said I used the cream

> a few times before & no reaction.......

 

Like I said .. it has to start somewhere.

 

> how do I know if it's an allergic reaction (never had one before)

 

By avoiding the suspected irritant .. or contacting it .. and/or by a

series of allergy tests.

 

> maybe to the chamomile?

 

Not likely.

 

> or if it's sensitization

 

If it is .. it will probably continue to cause discomfort whenever you

are exposed to whatever chemical caused the sensitization.

 

> or just a skin irritation that is really really stubborn & not going

> away?

 

Hard to say .. I have no medical knowledge .. but I think its unlikely

that its due to a stubborn irritation.

 

> I have been on the prednisone for 3 days now & though the redness in

> my cheeks is going down my eyes are still red around them & burn &

> tingle,

 

For sure .. your immune system is sending you messages. Just gotta

figure out why its doing that.

 

> I need to find out what is causing it so I can avoid it, but I don't

> even know what exactly I'm having & neither does the dr. ....

 

Right you are .. and you're likely to learn what it is long before the

doctor does.

 

> has anyone ever had any of these symptoms with anything.

 

Not me .. at least not for that long. Not more than 72 hours or so.

Other folks?

 

> The only other thing I'm thinking is I might have somehow

> inadvertantly contaminated the cream (was an all oil/butter base so

> didn't require a preservative & I don't think it has one) so I am

> thinking about getting a home test to see if it has any bacteria/yeast

> in it...if not I know that's ok & it has to be a reaction to one of

> the eo's but I don't know which one would be the culprit ....

 

Do you know for sure that the cream contains REAL essential oils? And

do you know the strenght/percentage of those essential oils? Or can you

learn this information?

 

> I use lavender more than the others but always in something never

> straight but was thinking since I do use that more than the others

> maybe got sensitized to it...

 

It happens occasionally .. sensitization to Lavender.

 

> orange I know can be photosensitizing but I don't think or can't

> remember right now being out in the sun because it's rained just about

> everyday here.....

 

Photo-sensitization does not require exposure to direct sunlight ..

indirect will often make it go down.

 

> & then chamomile I know is related to ragweed so it could be an

> allergic reaction

 

Not gonna happen from the EO due to being related to anything. Its the

herb that you have to be concerned with.

 

> but I have no clue how to find out......can anyone help?

 

I hope you get other replies. I am answering cause I think you seem to

be in a tizzy .. and probably shouldn't be cause the worst is probably

behind you .. unless you continue to be in contact with the problem.

 

Avoid ALL chemicals for a few days .. ALL. I know .. you gotta clean

the house, etc. There are things the smart ladies on this list can

probably recommend that are safe.

 

Learn what was in the creams .. and the percentage. And test for

microbial infestation. Odds are your creme (and most everybody elses

creme too) has a bit of infestation.

 

> I feel like such a dork because I thought twice about using the cream

> since I couldn't remember when I got it I thought maybe I shouldn't

> use it & then I thought well it still smells good & I didn't want to

> waste it....

 

Hawhawhaw .. you sound like my dear departed mother .. but it wasn't

creams that cause her to pass over. I used to go to her home once a year

and dump her cosmetics. She sniffed them too .. but Mama had the immune

system of a Great White. :-p Germ critters do not always cause a bad

odor .. so that is not a very effective method to determine sterility

and especially if there is no preservative in the cream.

 

> should have just listened to myself, now I'm kicking myself.

 

Good on the kicking. Experience comes from failure .. confidence comes

from success .. but we can't become confident till we have a good deal

of experience. ;-p

 

> thank you

> Patty

 

I hope others can assist you more than I did .. I'll just say you oughta

maybe not worry about it too much. Stay the hell away from all the

chemicals you can for a few days .. well .. water should be an exception

to that.

 

IF it is irritation it should go away when the irritant is removed. If

it is sensitization to a particular chemical, it might never go away in

that it will flare up when you're exposed to that chemical .. and there

is a possibility of cross sensitization due to trace chemicals that we

can't even analyze with the present day equipement.

 

Test the creme .. then dump it. And try to keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com