There is no doubt that chronic illness involves a lot of suffering, a lot of soul searching, and a great deal of loss, both of one's capacity to continue doing all the things that bring enjoyment and of self-esteem and fulfillment in life. But what if chronic illness could be turned into a positive experience?

This summer I completed a bachelors degree in nutritional health and was awarded first class honours by the University of Greenwich, London. At 31 I was beginning to think I would never obtain a degree after being forced to drop out of a computer science course at the University of Sheffield aged 19 due to ill health - this was therefore a great achievement for me. However, the degree was supposed to be followed by a year of clinical training to become a nutritional therapist/nutritionist. A recent downturn in my health as forced me to re-evaluate my current direction and it has become clear that in my current state of health I would be unable to complete the clinical work...and in any case, would be unable to cope with working as a full-time nutritionist after qualifying.

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This my first attempt at blogging, really.  I'm very confused with my symtoms and what I experience.  I just read an article on MCS and found it very encouraging.  I found that other people have the same symtoms as I do.  I really was at a loss, I thought I had an alergy but when I described my symtoms to a Alergy Physician at the Mayo Clinic, this was 2 or 3 years ago, he just said this is the world and you have to live in it, end of conversation.  I asked if he could refer me to someone that was familiar with my symtoms but he just dismissed me.  I really felt pretty bad.  I've given up talking to doctor's about what I'm experiencing.  I go through periods of sensitivty to certain smells and I don't always know what is happening.  I'm more aware of things like perfume (not all perfumes) and not all the time.  I stay away from using bleach, amonia and anything else that has a harsh chemical smell.  My diabetes complicates things because some of the symtoms cross over.  I do know that when I'm sensitive  I become irritable, slighly confused, it's difficult to concentrate, sometimes I get short of breath, my throat gets sore,  my heart rate gets slightly elevated.  I generally just don't feel well and in same cases I get very achy.  People at work are aware of my problems and do thier best not to use fragrances or cleaning products around me.  Another thing that confuses me is it's not constant, I can go months without any symtoms and then something will trigger it and I'm be miserable for a time.  I've removed anything that makes me feel ill from my house.  If things get really bad at work, usually an extended weekend will help unless of course the fumes are still there when I return.  I don't see myself as a severe case but recently my office moved to a larger building and we now have a lot more employees, not to mention that we are not the only company in the building.  I have started the cycle of feeling ill again, it think something is coming through the air vents, I get worse as the week progresses.   My employer is doing what they can to keep people from using fragrances and harsh cleaning materials, I take breaks outside and it helps.  Is  it possible for these symtoms to go away or subside for a while?  Why does it seem to get worse from prolonged exposure?  Do the fumes accumulate in your system? 

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