I am afraid my job will kill me someday

[secheltsaver]

This is really kinda long,but I just have to get this off my chest,sorry.
I've been working in a long term care facility for over 20 years,and had NO allergies when I started.
After being assigned to care for "the Lavender Lady" every single dayshift I had for close to 2 years I began to choke and wheeze every time I went near the damn stuff.Antihistamines only helped a bit,and I tried my best to suck it up and just go on with my life.
Well......now in the last 3 years I've developed multiple allergies to all sorts of fragrances,scented products,solvents,laundry soap etc.
I was diagnosed with complex migraines over a year after a terrifying incident at work where my right side went numb,and I had weird cardiac involvement w/irregular heart rythms and fluctuating blood pressure.I was ambulance transferred to a hospital on the mainland and had an emergency angiogram after visting the ER.Heart is fine,slight murmur,normal otherwise.Two CT scans(no brain tumor or stroke),and several more episodes later I finally saw a neurologist who diagnosed me with complex migraines-they manifest themselves without much pain but all sorts of horrifying other symptoms-like having a combination heart attack/stroke and asthma attack.The allergies seem to trigger them.
I take a migraine preventative prescribed by the neurologist,asprin for the headaches,a blood pressure pill(had a reaction to the first kind) to keep my B.P. stable during attacks and an antihistamine to control the allergy symptoms.
I work in a supposed "scent free" facility,so why do I have to be AFRAID to go to work?
Because management won't enforce policy "because it's their home" (apparently I should talk to them because "you're the one who has the problem") co-workers either don't get it(and lie if you ask them what they're using) or don't care and visitors walk past the signs oblivious.Don't get me started on the lavender sprigs in the vase of flowers I found yesterday-dear God is someone trying to kill me???
I'm not the only one with issues either-one coworker ended up in ER with similar symptoms recently,several others have/are developing allergies and our residents depend on us to keep them safe-especially those who can't speak.
I had another episode tonight and nearly fainted-working alone while my partner was on break.I'm pretty sure it was the clothes that a residents family launder at home-they really smell strongly of some kind of fabric softener or detergent or maybe both?
I know it isn't easy for people who don't have allergies to comprehend what it's like,but I'd expect management to make some effort to educate and explain before someone(could be me,could be a resident)suffers permanent harm.
I love my work,the residents are wonderful,most of my co-workers are great team mates,and the facility is very progressive and positive in so many ways-but this is getting to be too much.I even turned down an OT shift during my days off,even though I knew they'd be short staffed because someone who uses Lavender and lies about it was working.

[torontogal12]

Do you have a union at all? This sounds like you have a legal case too. No one should have to work in an environment that could kill them.

[coupon girl]

wow i feel for you -i have allergies myself -allergic to my dog -cant get rid of him have had him 12 years -love him too much -ragweed and now perfume -i work with the public and perfume smells are drving me crazy sometimes -even hubby put to much on the oither day and i told him a light spray-when people get close to me i start to cough to help me maybe -goodness why do so many women and some men have to engulf themselves with strong perfumes -its awfull-do i wear colgneor perfume yes very little

[lghend]

Unfortunately, I get it. Certain scents trigger 3 day headaches for me. When someone has a food allergy, I think it's understood a bit more.

Would your doctor supply you with a letter? If management ignored that, you would have a case.

[joseff]

am thankful I'm not the only one who has developed these allergies after long exposure. The laundry section of any store is a quick run through. The potpourri section? ugggg!
Old ladies who wear too much of a nasty perfume are the bane of my existance right now.
If I were you, I'd get a letter from my doctor, go to my union or simply talk to the one resident in question and tell her it makes you sick.

[Natalka]

Oh, goodness - you're going through so much.

There must be a way to deal with this through health and safety or something... Try find out.

[Shwa Girl]

Sorry to hear this OP. If your management/owners are not going to support you and you coworkers, and enforce the policies, maybe a look around for a better job might be the solution.

Old ladies who wear too much of a nasty perfume are the bane of my existance right now.

Was stuck on a 1 hour GO bus ride with someone wearing a lot of cheap perfume.
Wan't an old lady. She was maybe 19. I thought I was going to be sick.

[Craiger]

Surely one would think that this is part of a labor law, (afterall there are regulations in the health care system in regards to latex allergies).I would call the ministry of labor and find out what they would suggest.

[marstec]

There are lots of places that have scent-free policies. It sounds like your employer isn't too sympathetic, or they are simply afraid of offending paying residents. I would escalate this because your health isn't going to improve with this continued exposure. Everyone deserves to work in a safe environment.

I have scent allergies too...often I will start sneezing even before my nose registers a scent. I can't stand fabric softeners and anything that has a cloying scent. Don't get me started on old ladies who where cheap perfume...I know I will be an old lady one day, but there's no way I'd wear any perfume that reacts with my body chemistry to result in that sort of stench.

[jayne_a]

I'm allergic to perfume and soap. (Strong scented deodorants bother me too). I have a severe allergic reaction if it touches my skin. (2nd burns) and the smell gives me migraines. I too have passed out b/c of the scent. I try and avoid it. If your work is not willing to do anything, maybe you could get a note from your doctor and take it work. This way you could avoid this patient. I"m sorry you have to deal with this. I hope this work out for you.

[RebeccaRYoung]

I work in a scent-free environment. It's really difficult to enforce this policy though. Unless someone is wearing a very strong scent it can be hard to say anything to them.

[pac182]

That's horrible. I'm allergic to scents too. I hate when you get in a room with someone who decided to bathe in their scent and then stuck with a headache the rest of the day. I work at a college and they have skins up all over about scent free and luckily most people seem to follow it. They makes sure to include a message in the emails to college events about it. I luckily, so far have never fainted from it and hope I don't get that

[torontogal12]

Try being stuck on a transatlantic flight! That happened to me with some clueless woman. I complained to a stewardess who made ME move to a middle seat where I was cramped for 10 hours. Because some clueless woman wore a disgusting perfume on a plane and when I told her she shouldn't' do that her head went back into the clouds. Wish it were literally...lol. My nose closes up, but at least I can still breathe through my mouth...poorly. Can't imagine those getting migraines frm it. Ugh

Sorry to hear this OP. If your management/owners are not going to support you and you coworkers, and enforce the policies, maybe a look around for a better job might be the solution.

Was stuck on a 1 hour GO bus ride with someone wearing a lot of cheap perfume.
Wan't an old lady. She was maybe 19. I thought I was going to be sick.

[walkonby]

OP my heart goes out to you on this one. Making the scent free rule is one part, enforcing iis quite another.
We too are supposed to be scent free at work, however I have seen and heard supervisors mention it to a worker who maybe was unaware of the amount of fragrance they had on, but then when I try to walk out the front door I am bombarded by a cloud of cigarette smoke, from that same supervisor who is smoking and choking me half to death.
Hope there is a solution for your situation from a legal standpoint.

[Evil.Kitten]

if you work in a longterm care facility [my mother also working in one and part of the union] and are in a union you can complain to the union board.

Still the place is suppose to be scent free the rules should be enforced... if there was a resident whom had a severe allergy to food or scents you'd be damn sure they'd enforce the rules. Same should go with their employees allergies. I'm sure there's some sort of law or at least there should be.

I don't have a scent allergy but I do have a very sensative nose. I don't visit my ma at work anymore because of all the popourri smells...smoke...very heavy cheap/expensive perfume would give me terrible headaches [or hell I wouldn't doubt if i do have a scent allergy.. add it to my huge list; lmao]. It's terrible.

Just like my doctors office building has a blood lab in it and the building is suppose to be peanut/nut free and scent free... I watched a woman walk out of the building with a bag of nuts, licking her fingers and putting her hands on the handle and glass... I called my sister [sons are peanut and tree nut allergic] and told her since she had to get blood work done the next day to warn her. It's really hard for them to enforce the rules since they don't want to offend people... But in peterborough there's an allergist whose building is allergy free.. people are told not to bring in food and wear scents... We were told on the phone that people who fail to follow these rules will be denied entry.

I say offend people if it saves a life. I tell my family what's what when they wonder why my brother and sister[inlaw] don't bring their kids by to visit.. my parents allow my other brother and his woman to eat unsafe products so I tell my sister and brother to stay away [since they also aren't clean people]. I love my niece and nephews too much to risk them dying because someone wanted to be a selfish a******