A Life With Limits? Living With Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
Did you know I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)?
If you said ‘No’… you can’t say that anymore!
This is my personal story - it is not medical advice...
MCS isn't easy to explain. To make it more complicated, each person can experience MCS differently.
I'm not a doctor… I'm just someone who's had this condition for decades. Some seasons are better than others but it's never fully gone.
This is just my story, sharing how MCS affects my everyday life, and how it led me down an unexpected path.
What Is MCS?
First of all, whether it’s called ‘sensitivity’ or ‘sensitivities’ - it’s referring to the same life altering condition.
Other names include:
- Environmental Illness (EI)
- Chemical Intolerance (CI)
- Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
- Gulf War Syndrome (GWS)
The names change and new names get added... but the reality stays the same:
Everyday chemicals and pollutants trigger allergic-type reactions in my body.
MCS is not a true allergy but that's the closest comparison.
The gist of it is, I struggle to live a 'normal' life in a world filled with chemicals and pollutants.
My Common Triggers
Reactions can happen from touching, inhaling, ingesting, or just being near:
- Fragrances and perfumes
- Air fresheners and scented candles
- Cleaning products and disinfectants
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Petroleum fumes (gas, exhaust, etc)
- Synthetic fabrics and new building materials
- And many more…
Even brief exposure can cause issues - which is why most public spaces aren't safe for me.
How My Body Reacts
MCS reactions vary from day to day but here are some of the symptoms I deal with:
- Headaches
- Burning or watery eyes
- Runny nose and coughing
- Brain fog and confusion
- Dizziness and nausea
- Muscle and joint pain
- Breathing trouble
- Extreme fatigue
- The Red Mask (red flush across my cheeks and nose)
- Anaphylaxis
Thankfully, anaphylaxis only happened once... but it needs to be mentioned.
Sometimes the symptoms hit instantly. Sometimes they're delayed. Either way, they stack up and the longer I'm exposed to a trigger… the worse it gets.
What Makes It Worse
My reactions ebb-n-flow but here's what tends to make them worse:
- Prolonged exposure to a trigger
- Recent exposures (toxic load builds up in my body)
- Stronger chemicals, like pesticides, scented products, or laundry products
- Being sick or having an autoimmune flare-up
I believe my immune system plays a big role in how bad a reaction gets and how long it takes to recover.
When the Doctors Didn't Help
I saw two allergists over the years. One put me on multiple pills, sprays, inhalers, you name it. When that didn't help, he doubled the doses. The second allergist, after several months of working with him, ghosted me completely - no answers, no return calls.
Bottom line?
Medication didn't help. Avoidance did.
The only sure way to stay safe is to avoid my triggers.
When Everything Changed
An Alternative Doctor determined I most likely had MCS since birth. But, growing up, I didn't know what it was. I thought rashes and weird reactions were normal.
Everything got worse in 1990 after my (now ex) husband and I installed new carpet throughout our house.
The smell was atrocious so I added a few plug-in air fresheners to mask the ew carpet smell… big mistake!
I started having nonstop symptoms:
- Nosebleeds
- Coughing fits
- Watery eyes
- Fatigue
- Trouble breathing
Then I started reacting in public, at work, in stores… everywhere.
My body couldn't handle it anymore.
That was the tipping point.
What MCS Stole From Me
Since then, I've had to rethink my life from the ground up.
Living with MCS meant giving up a lot:
- Public spaces became minefields
- Even errands felt dangerous
- Friends faded away (it was too much for them to handle)
- Travel plans fell apart as hotels are often too toxic
- Even my own home sometimes made me sick
It was lonely. Overwhelming. Defeating.
But I was a single mom and giving up wasn't an option.
How I Found a Way Forward
The shift came from an unlikely source... my daughter’s 8th grade RV trip.
She came home glowing and said, “We should get an RV!”
I gently smiled at her (while laughing inside). I was a Holiday Inn kind of gal... not a camper… I don’t do bugs and I don’t poop in holes!
But her idea stuck with me.
Eventually, I transitioned into van life. It wasn't my dream but the reasoning was simple... most hotels and houses felt more dangerous than whatever lurked ‘out there’.
Living a nomadic lifestyle changed everything…
- I had more control over my own space
- I could leave a place if it got too toxic
- I could travel without staying in hotels
- I could spend more time outdoors - where the air is cleaner
I can’t say this lifestyle is without issues (in terms of MCS). And van life itself isn’t always easy. But this lifestyle lets me breathe... literally.
MCS Still Shapes My Life
I still have reactions. I still have limits. I still have days where I push too far… because I'm human.
But now I have a setup that is more supportive of my health. I never expected to live nomadically... but it works for now.
MCS turned my life upside down. But it also opened a door I never would've walked through otherwise.
Thanks for letting me share my story with you,
Connie 🌾