From Edwina Thomas, Mobile, Alabama

All my life, until a few years ago, I really enjoyed perfumes. That all ended after I became sick with a thyroid storm which adversely affected my immune system. This resulted in an acute sensitivity to colognes and perfumes and to certain food items. After seeing an allergy specialist, who without my knowledge, exposed me to a staff member who had cologne on to see what would happen, my life changed. There was a severe reaction in his office to the exposure. My face and neck became very red, my tongue felt like it was swollen and numb, and I had a throbbing headache.

The symptoms are more severe if I am exposed to large amounts for an extended amount of time. I have had to avoid certain sections of the grocery stores, escape from crowded restaurants, and leave services early many times because of this problem. It is usually worse at large Feast sites. Exposure to most perfumes and especially men's colognes cause a lowering of my blood sugar level and swelling of the brain in addition to the other symptoms I have described.

The only solution offered by my Doctor was to avoid being exposed. That is very difficult because it means missing out on fellowship and church activities that I love to attend. My local church area brethren are very considerate of my problem and avoid perfumes. I appreciate this because it makes it possible for me to attend services.

 

Don Thomas, Edwina’s husband, added this:

In some past years, I can’t tell you how many times my wife has sat outside the door in the hall trying to hear the sermon through a partially open door. At the Feast of Tabernacles in Wales, we met a wonderful member and her husband. The lady said she could die from exposure to perfumes.

A doctor here at Mobile had to quit his practice at age 40 because exposure to the perfumes of his patients totally incapacitated him.