Talking Allergies

hmm... i know the topic subject doesn't make much sense does it? i just need to let some stuff out with ppl who might understand... while i'm going on here i am aware that my allergies could be far worse then they are... they're annoyoing as all hell but not life threatening, just some days i feel like i get a kick in the gut..

so before i get into the work related part, i have skin allergies, and so long as i keep my routine of soaps, lotions, and such i'm not gonna scratch my skin off, nor break out into hives wherever a new soap has come in contact with

so i work in arena, at the canteen, and i actually love the job, the ppl i work with are great, and the costomers (for food service) are quiet level headed, one thing i have learned in my food service jobs is that i need to bring my own soap to use (jergen's anti-batacterial lemon) i also tend to use water and vinegar to clean because i tend to have issues with cleaning chemicals

my co-workers are used to NOT wearing perfumes around me, severing costmers who are wearing heavy scents, and occationally having to cleaning with the chemicals if it is nessacary, and the joke that "dusty is allergic to everything" which really doesn't bother me because when it comes to most of the stuff at my work i AM allergic to this.

my boss is just beginning to learn that my allergies do cause my problems, and that i do cope with them (just as i do my eyes issues) and am very willing to explain why it is that i can't use the dish sanatiser (as i'm not a dishwasher and thus it is utterly impratical for me to have to have my own pair of gloves when i am perfectly adpated to my own job) and that if my soap is gone it means i'm in the washroom, not wondering around the building or screaming at the kitchen staff!!

so anyway we are in the process of changing our unforms, because NONE of us wear the same uniforms and it looks unprofecinal, there are two different logoed shirts about, and half us wear jeans and half of us wear black pants. he has also realised that he needs to adress the issue of our wearing sweaters and such on shift since we do work in an arena and we do get cold. so he asked me about this, and thought that a solution could be that he order a limited number of sweaters to be kept at work.

which is a great idea, expect that if i need to wear one (which i prolly will i have no blood left after dropping a few pounds and am perma-cold) i'd have to know it was washed with my laundry soap. which of course put a monkey wrench in the whole thing.

he appologised for not thinking about that when the thought up the idea, which i mean i don't fault him for one little bit. and i told him that i'd be fine with accepting responisbily for washing these sweaters as the need arose since it's my allergy that is an issue. but it really did a get him thinking about how to do this, so that i could benfit from this. i mean there's no point in ordering sweaters so that we all match if i have to come in a different sweater from home.

anyway, i just needed to get this out. is it silly that i feel bad about this? i mean i know know i have no control of my allergies, and the way my skin reacts to changes in something as seemingly trival as laundry, but it's just really got me feeling kind of bad, and i'm so frustrated by the fact that something as silly as skin allergy can cause a problem!

i guess i jsut wanted to tell people who might understand where i'm coming from even if mine is on a totally different level

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

It's not silly! Your boss is trying to come up with solutions and they need some tweaking to make them work for you. It's at times like this that we might feel the impact of our allergies on others. We feel different and that can bring on a kind of sadness.
Hey, your co-workers sound really supportive of your condition and so does your boss. I'm sure that you and they will work out a solution. Personally, I would hate to wear someone elses sweater after they wore it for a whole shift allergis or not! Besides, are you all the same size?

Sometimes our anger at situations masks our sadness but believe me, you are not the only one whole feels these emotions.

Good luck!

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I think you should get your own sweater. And I don't think thats anything to feel bad about. Having to share sweaters is kind of gross, regardless of the fact that you have issues with detergents.

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

i think that's what's gonna end up happening, or just use on of my own long sleeved shirts under my usual work shirt, which i've done before it doesn't look that bad, cause i'll make sure to wear something in the company colours and without a conflicting logo or anything like that

yeah i guess the sharing of things does seem strange, but it's pretty common to do it in food service, places where there is a drive thru for example have coats that the person most likely to be hanging out the window can wear and are handed off to the next person to come on shift. companies think it's more profectional and don't want teammates working minmum wage jobs having to pay for coats and sweaters and things that they'll never wear again when they quit (they get annoyed enough at expensive uniforms if they come off of their cheques) that's the reasoning behind it

i mean at work a lot of times if someone forgets their uniform shirt or hat they'll just take what's in the change room for the day. i worked in one place (now this is gross) if you forgot your work shoes (with proper grips so you don't kill yourself when you mop or if there's a spill) you'd have to go into the box of shoes and find a pair your size and wear 'em for the ----... now THAT is gross but very few ppl walked in with their street shoes!!

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

If a company is paying minimum wage, I think they ought to provide the uniform.

helen - i do agree with that and this is a place where uniforms are provided, but it's also a place where my boss is middle mangement and he's got a budget and stipulations from upper mangement who are not quiet as understanding as he is, which is what is going to make things much more difficult

i've worked in a place where i was making minimum, the uniform cost 80 dollars (more then i paid at the time for an outfit), it would come off your cheque in installments, if you returned the unform in good condition you would get a credit of 40 dollars on your final paycheque, and you wonder why good costomer service is quickly going extinct...

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

Well, at least your boss is being understanding. I had a summer job before requiring a uniform---I don't recall having to pay for it (but I did return it after I was through working there).

yeah, i'm really glad he's supporitve, he's also let me put up sings in our change rooms to stop spraying purfumes (which has helped my allergies sooooo much) as far as bosses goes mine's pretty nice

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

Dustytiger,
Glad that your boss is working with you (pardon the pun).

And even though your allergies are not as bad as some of ours, it's still a pain. Several years ago I saw a nice General Practitioner Doc that saw many elderly patients. He was fine if I had an obvious sinus infection, but when I had a minor problem I felt as though he thought I wasn't "sick enough." Yes, some of his patients were much worse off than I was, but for a healthy, young wife and mother, sick was still sick to me!

You mentioned skin allergies...have you changed your laundry detergent? And most cosmetics are very allergenic to me. Try to stay with very basic ingredients, and ones without "natural" herbals. Those are some of the worst for causing sensitivities.

Take care,
Daisy

daisy - i don't use any cosmetics (blistex lip conditioner orignal for chapped lips), soaps and shampoo i use mostly johnson and johnson, and laundry detergent i haven't change in over two years and i use Tide Free (i love it, it has no scent and it keeps my colours nice a bright) as well as uncented static free sheets. it's just easier to keep with the same routines unless somethign gets discontinued!!

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian