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Yesterday at work

Asthma-girl profile image
14 Replies

Yesterday I was at work getting on with my work when a colleague sprayed a chemical spray he bought to get rid of odours within a few seconds my chest became very tight and I was very short of breath and and a loud wheeze, despite using my inhalers things deteriorated very quickly and I ended up having to use my portable nebuliser which thankfully started to help.

Has anyone else found that chemical sprays can trigger asthma or do you think that this was just a coincidence that my chest went tight

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Asthma-girl profile image
Asthma-girl
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14 Replies

Yes the exact same thing happens to me! I do get it with cleaning products and perfume too. I find for myself that I have to stick to one perfume and can't wear any at all when bad!

At work one of my colleagues has a massive thing about cleaning and she is always spraying alsorts of different stuff. And when she sprays I swear its half a can!!! One time she was squirting an anti-bac anti-viral type spray everywhere. It is hospital stuff and she was having a bit of a fit as norovirus was about. Nasty spray it was. Chest instantly scrunched up, coughing like hell. Had to get a neb from A&E to settle and worked from my ward instead of the office! They always thought I was a mard before!

yaf_user681_30355 profile image
yaf_user681_30355

Definitely yes asthmagirl, I always have to stop people spraying immediately, open the window and leave the room for a while (and use my inhaler.) I am the same with plug-in air fresheners and perfumed candles.

Annista profile image
Annista

Oh yes! We have one person who sprays half a can of air freshener every time she uses the loo. It's evil stuff and if I go in there for about 3 hours afterwards I either have to walk straight out again (have you ever felt REALLY stupid?) or find that I can't breathe.

midgie82 profile image
midgie82

yep same here too any kind of cleaning product or perfume or spray can will set my lungs off and have me reaching for the nebs. Bleach, fairy washing powders and air fresheners seem to be the worst! We can't use any of them at home. Mind you i'm also very lucky with most of the people I work with being aware of it and avoiding using them too.

Me too, find that with some 'airfresheners' e.g. NHS issued one, cleaning sprays, strong perfume...

yaf_user681_2584 profile image
yaf_user681_2584

yep! anything remotely fragranced or sprayed is a no go for me. even the cleaning products they use in hospital set me off!

B x

yes and me, i walked in to a room when someone had just sprayed some airfresher, took in a mouthful and just couldnt stop coughing, new to this asthma thing so looking for triggers, i told them at work yesterday if they spray it again, i will not work in that room, no spray today, start as i mean to go on.

I myself am a bit of a clening freak lol, cupboard full of cleaning products , but most of it will be going in the bin as i know now cleaning products are not good for me, so hears to learning what i need to avoid .

With you on the air freshener. Hate those automatic ones that give a waft of perfume the minute you unsuspectingly push open the door to the ladies.

PS Can't walk past those perfumed candle displays without feeling I'm choking. Perfectly nice independent card shop opened nearby. Perfect that is, until they started stocking those infernal candles. All cards now bought at local supermarket.

I never thought I had a particular problem with this sort of thing, but I find if I walk into a shop with lots of scented things it definitely does affect me (tight chest etc) and I tend to make an exit asap!

I was also given some nice Neal's Yard lavender stuff for Christmas. Thought it would be ok as not actual lavender, but no, good quality lavender essence has same effect. Nice bonus present for the family friend we were staying with (I thought about giving it to my housemate who unfortunately likes lavender stuff but decided to keep it out of the house).

Air freshener is one of the only things I have ever had an instant reaction like that to, the other ones are carpet cleaning chemicals and wasp stings.

i had an reaction like that to saniclor wipes which i used for the first time doing a procedure , it was horrible i just felt couldnt breathe the smell from it was awful, i now refuse to use it again and ask others if someone needs that doing again x

something else that gets me in our changing rooms, why oh why do people come to work when they have obviously washed that day, then decide to stand next to you and spray themselves all over before going on to the ward it so annoys me, never noticed before how much people do it until i started coughing all the time and told had asthma x

My son keeps setting my lungs off with his sprays.He sprays under arms and over top also after.Gets straight in my air ways and can taste it in my throat.Keep telling him only spray under arms and under top and only in his room but pongs every room.Teenagers !!! Need to find him a lung friendly one as wont use a roll one.

Glad I'm not alone!

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