Hi Sarah,

I'm so happy you've chosen to blog about the journey of healing you are embarking upon . I think the more of us that are telling our stories the better. At some point the medical profession and the government has got to recognise that there a LOT of people suffering with no help.

No need to apologise for waffling, I found your initial paragraphs amusing and can certainly relate. I wore a mask out in public for a number of years and at first hated it but soon learned to laugh at the various expressions on people's faces. I also have a great bunch of friends and the mask gave them a great opportunity to come up with a whole range of new nicknames for me - the surgeon being an obvious one!

Well done for writing to your MP about housing benefits and disability/illness. I got full Housing Benefit for many years because I was also getting Income Support with a disability component that was continually assessed with medical examinations. Without the Income Support I wouldn't have been able to get Housing Benefit.

I look forward to reading your future blog posts and following your journey

Hi Just a little blog here....... Have Lupus diagnosed in 2006 and Fibromyalgia in 2009 now 2012 seems to be my time for MCS however it is not diagnosed yet.... STay Tuned!! I started some months back, I noticed some perfumes people were wearing had a horrible smell to them, no perfume smell at all.... it made me feel as though I had to gasp for air, and my nose and top life felt real strange..... NOw all perfumes have same reaction with additional ones such as headach, blurred vision, and a horrible smell, and taste and real gasping for air feeling along with a cough, and restriction in the throad and it makes me cough.. Have had flu/or flu symptoms ? NOt sure which really.... and feeling rather afraid of results and outcomes........ I also have all other problems such as Lethargy, short term memory probs, congnitive issues, IBS, aches, pains, stiffness, fog, concerntratin and panic and confustin issues..... and so on and so on.... Not sure what the future holds, how serious this MCS is going to get, or what to expect, I read about Gas Masks, and withdrawals from family, friends, and so forth... I have just renewed all my furniture and white goods, and am now afraid they may be contributing to the problem, and thoughts of having to sell off brand new anything kills me! financially aswell as the effort of energy and cncerntration to renew everything all over again, bearing in mind chemical reaction to myself .... too exhausting just thinking abou it.... Depression yes, been crying more than ever, and not really knowing why, even though I know it comes with FM so figured that was why, but not wanting to go back on Anti Depressant drugs...... So tried only to do it in private, and not let family, friends see or k now..... Not always possible.... I am also very impatient at times, and can not tollerate a lot of noise, or busy amouth of people all talking at once, I find it makes my body scream inside..... Which in turn makes me impatient and stressed and exhausted and wanting total silence....... To come down from screaming......... I am finding the last 6 years.... totally and utterly harder and harder each day to tollerate on a normal level, while trying to keep family from stressing..... harder an harder to do...... I feel like giving up and hybernating away from everyone and everything.... But the worry on my family prevents me from doing so.... And the love and joy they bring to my life would be sadly m issed.... I have 2 grandies 9 and 5 girls..... HOw can I cease communicatin with them....... NOt possibly...... But they don't and are not expected to see understand why Nanna says Sssshhhhh not talking for 5 mins ..... and Nan can't do that sweetie........ NO sorry we cant walk accross the road to the beach, cos my legs hurt and am too tired, and I have to stay out of the sun.... All of it is wearing me down..... I need to stay as positive and normal as possible....... Anyone out there got any survival tips that will help me get through the above.......??????? Pleas share........ That is it for this time...... I will be intouch again soon..... I can even taste the same sort of smell that I can smell when being in the presence of perfume? Is that common for MCS or is that a reaction to maybe a chemical in a tablet? Have been put on Prednisolone for 10 days, to try and find out if it is MCS I am suffering from..... Not sure what the Prednisolone is supposed to do, I did not ask what results they are looking for so I know not what to expect, I just know they said that is the quickest and surest way of knowing if it is MCS...... I hope not..... I want a cure and I want it fast..... This is more debiliting and scary than the other two diagnoses put together......... GAS MASK really? Wil it get that bad for me, even though I feel I could benefit from one now, regardless of what it is I have got........ I really really despise and hate and find it debilitating to feel like this............. Oh Lord..... I dont like and fear my ability to rise above this one!!

The Above Blogg by Breathless is indeed me, Cherryblossom.... I could not remember what name I had chosen when I had signed up just minutes b4 logging in..... Typical!!! However it came to me minutes after posting under name breathless as a non memeber....... I know you know how it feels, We have to make light of ourselves somtimes when it is possible to do so..........