My name is Karen and I am a 46yr old x-ray technologist.

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine something as life altering as this happen to me. I had my dream job, perfect hrs and the best boss I've ever worked for. I absolutely loved my my occupation!! My life was wonderful. I was totally content, healthy and happy. I had many friends that I did a variety of activities with. Skiing , golfing {maybe I should say attempting to golf} running, hiking ,and traveling. LIFE WAS GREAT.

In April of 1994 I was transferred to a diff location to do Mammography. The department was kind of small and the daylight loading processing machine was located in the middle of the dept. As soon as you walked into the dept , the smell of chemicals would be so strong that everyone would comment about how bad it was. Techs and patients would complain about the smell!! People would say, "How can you stand it?" I kept working and tried to ignore it.

In 1995 I had a wheezing attack at work and went to see a general medicine doctor. He told me I had asthma and gave me an inhaler, ventolin to use. He also told me to vacuum my apt! I was dumbfounded since I was born and raised in San Francisco and never had an allergy in my life. As far as the comment about the vacuuming, I did not like it but let it go. My use of the ventolin was intermittent at first, but gradually I came to use it more and more. Some times it didn't seem to help very much.

Around April of 1997 I started to get metal taste in my mouth on and off. I went to another general med Dr and asked if it could be from the ventolin I was using? The Dr. didn't know and said maybe. In Oct of 1997 I started having these horrible seborrhaic outbreaks on my face, also my elbows would start to break out.

I went to numerous Drs and tried many lotions and pills to try and clear it up. When I say severe I mean really gross. Someone commented , "Have you had laser treatments?" I kept feeling sicker and sicker. I complained about the metal taste, achy joints, headaches fatigue, and horrible skin. I did everything that suggested. Between 9/97 and 8/98 I had at least 18 visits to the Drs. No one could figure out what was going on. They did numerous blood tests

First they thought it may have been lupus along with a few other things. I was even tested with heavy metal screening along with a multitude of other things!!! Since no one could help me I started to see an acupuncturist. That seemed to help a little. I kept feeling more and more ill. At dinner time I would leave work and go outside for a walk cause I felt so lousy. For months I tried to figure out what was going on by a process of elimination. I had a series of steroid shots which seemed to help for a very brief time. Then things would get worse again. Started to notice that I had a hard time pronouncing my words. My tongue seemed to be so thick that the words wouldn't come out right. I told one of my co worker about it because I didn't have any idea what was happening to me. I had asked numerous times if there was anyway of venting the processing machine so that the air was not blowing directly at us? I was told No and that eventually there would be a new machine put in. There was a new machine put in around November or December 1997 The venting of this machine was changed and the smell wasn't as bad. I thought maybe this all has to do with peri-menopausal symptoms. What else could it be??? After going on hormones for about 2 months I was still feeling really lousy and was extremely tired, achy, and looked like hell. I was so tired of going to all these doctors and taking all kinds of medicines and getting no relief.

In July of 1998 I contacted my dermatologist and asked if I could be tested to some of the chemicals that I worked around?? I was at my wits end. By process of elimination it had to be that. What else could it be? I had tried everything else!!

As it turns out it was the x-ray chemicals. They figured in was a cross reaction between formaldehyde and Glutaraldehyde. A patch test confirmed it.

NO wonder I was feeling so lousy. Needless to say these chemicals were found in my workplace. MY next visit was to the Occ Med Dr. She was great. Between tears of frustration, swollen tongue and horrible broken out face and elbows, I told her my history!

After that my care was transferred up to UC med in San Francisco, where they had dealt with this sort of thing before. Next I was given diff medications , but none of them seemed to be ok. I was apprehensive to put anymore chemicals in my body, but I did give them a try. I just wanted to get better and go back to the JOB I LOVED!!

THE LAST YEAR has been the hardest time of my life.

Once out of work I thought everything would get better. Well it didn't. Next I started to develop multiple symptoms that were becoming more and more extreme. My tongue would swell up and get hot and sour every time I was in the car or if I would go into department stores, or most everywhere else that wasn't outdoors. Next came the tinnitus , nausea and dizziness. I didn't understand what was happening to me. I was doing everything I could. Still having the outbreaks on my face and elbows and toes. I was feeling WORSE! EVERYTHING was making me react.

I opened up a tub of cookies one day and got so dizzy and nauseated I thought I was going to pass out.
Tried to set up a new phone for my aunt and the same thing started to happen. Opened a credit card application and just being near the new credit card did the same thing. Got a computer and that made my tongue and teeth and gums hurt so bad that I had to set it near and open window so it could outgas. I was reacting to the chemicals that were used in the computer. My furniture was making me sick, couldn't sit in it. Every time I would try I would get extremely nauseous and dizzy. I had just bought a new entertainment center and after calling the manufacturers , I found out that too contained Formaldehyde. Out of total desperation I covered the whole thing in aluminum foil to keep the fumes away from me. There seemed to be no escape from all these chemicals. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

In the meantime I have had numerous visits to to the specialists. Everyone tries but there is not a lot they seem to be able to do.

I LIVE A LIFE that is not mine!!

I can't be in my car for more than about 10 min. And it is a real toss up to decide which is worse, the interior of the car, or the fumes from any vehicle exhaust. I rarely go into any stores because I suffer for too long after being exposed. tried to go into Costco for 5 min to buy a metal file cabinet. {I spend a lot of time trying to avoid anything which contains glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde or other aldehydes} While trying to pay for the cabinet I got confused and had a hard time counting my money. When I got home and sat near the file cabinet all my symptoms started up again. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? ITS METAL! Guess again! It is painted with some kind of coating, maybe to stop it from rusting. Now the file cabinet is sitting out on my little balcony until I am able to go near it without reacting.

I am no longer able to visit many of my friends , If there is anything new in the house I start to feel poorly. When I go for a walk in the park I could tell you exactly where the pesticides are. It is like being a Geiger counter. Within seconds it hits. People will say can't they give you a pill for this? Oh how I wish there was a pill. I am so tired of the whole thing I don't even want to talk about it. IF you do talk and get upset you are called being emotional or histrionic.

What I have to say to these people is " LIVE in my body for about 2 hrs and see what you would be like." It is so very depressing not to be able to do anything except go to doctors appointments and try to get some help . THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN from being at a Job that you loved. I have been out on workman's comp for 1yr now and am so concerned about my future it is really scary. I planned on working for another 2Oyrs, saving for my retirement and having a joyful fun life.

Now it has been turned upside down!! I am extremely limited on what I am able to do and where I can go. I have not read a book, magazine or newspaper for over a year now. The smell of the ink and paper make me sick. I tried to bake the books in the oven, tried covering with cellophane and wearing gloves to turn the pages . You feel like you just want to explode. I eat mostly organic, and am seeing a homeopath and acupuncturist. It is so financially difficult, if it wasn't for the help of my family I would never make it.

Thank God for my friends, everyone tries to be so understanding , but it is difficult for them to comprehend the magnitude of what has happened to me. Right now I am out on Workman's comp. It's depressing to wonder when I will be back to my old self again , or if that is even an option anymore.

In closing I want to say, "Keep our Workplace Safe" How could this happen in the 1990's? After all we worked in a place that is supposed to help people not hurt them!!

I continue to see the specialists and hope for the best!

Sincerely
Karen