I Have MCS or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. For the most part I am very careful and stay away from scented items that will trigger an attack. I know the majority of my triggers.
This weekend that just past marks one of my worse attacks yet. I am still in the process of detoxing and trying to sweat it out (literally ) . but what does this have to do with my vagina you may wonder, I need to go back to my teen years.
I had mononucleosis as an early teen “the dreaded kissing disease” which is hysterical because I was one of the most unpopular kids in my school .I did have a boyfriend at this time (not from my school) who broke up with me because I was sick...true lover 4 ever my ass. I did not catch it from him though, I actually caught it from a girl when we shared popcorn , you don't think of saliva transfer this way, but you put you hands in you mouth and back into the bucket etc!!
I was laid up 8 weeks, missing all of my final exams in grade 9 except one , which my mom had to do the timings for and I would have to break and sleep in between sections.
This illness really weakened my immune system. I had severely swollen glands, an enlarged liver and spleen and could only drink milkshakes because my throat was so sore.
My mom once had to wake me to see if “I was still breathing” as she put it because I had slept for 27 straight hours.
This has led to a life full of issues , I cannot burn the candle at both ends or I end up beyond tired , barely able to function and ill. I went to the Prince concert last week, a good friend of mine got me a tickets as an early Christmas Present. I had to work the next morning at 6:30 am . I did second guess myself going because of my health issues, but went anyway, how many times are you going to get to see Prince really!!! BUT that was enough to weaken my immune system and allow this massive attack to come on!
I can remember as a teen doing my hair and using a hairspray , I ended up in bed with a pounding headache and feeling really ill. My mom heard water running and came up stairs to find my head in the sink , she wondered what I was doing but all I could smell was the hairspray and needed it out of my hair. I was fine in about 30 minutes.
That was the first attack I had. God knows I was a teen of the 80's , I could use a can of Aqua Net a day and I swear to God that the whole in the ozone over Nova Scotia was caused by my friends alone!!
After High school I went into hairdressing and nothing bothered me for years. I did hair professionally for 17 years and owned 2 salons.
The last year I did hairdressing , I was in the Berkeley in Bedford, a brand new building. New everything and they cleaned the place from top to bottom almost every day.
I would do a thorough cleaning of the salon every Tuesday and started to notice I was getting the flu a lot. Which was weird because I was only around the older folk an they would not come out of their apartments if they were sick.
I also started to get sever joint inflammation and was in too much pain a lot to do things I enjoyed like Jujitsu and Belly Dance.
I cleaned the salon one Tuesday and as I was cleaning the sink I could actually start to feel the flu like symptoms coming on , I thought to myself “What the fuck is this Fantastic Flu Formula”?? And then it hit me...holy crap I am allergic to chemicals.
Perm solution is really bad, as are ALL synthetic scents , (though I can wear pure Patchouli oil and use essential oils no problem at all). I am now basically allergic to All cleaning solutions, fabric softeners, I can't even be around someone who does their laundry with bounce, the smell of it in heir clothes triggers it. I am sensitive to all things Febreze (which is in EVERYTHING now) And the last huge one is Bleach.. (weirdly hair colour and hair bleach do not bother me thank God!!)
I have linked bleach and perm solution together as both contained ammonia , actually per solution contains 2 types of ammonia!!
Ray has had to switch to non scented everything and do most of the cleaning when I am out, but occasionally he goofs up like last year he bought a room deodorizer and put it next to the litter box because we were having a party , I did not know this and was in bed for a day. He told me later and threw it out.
So now on to my vagina finally.
6 years ago I had to switch from using pads and tampons...why you may wonder because they bleach pads and tampons girls..bleach them to get them white!! I had no choice but to use a Diva Cup. A diva cup is a silicone cup that you insert into the vagina via your fingers , then twist to seal. This was disturbing to me . I was not comfortable with the idea of shoving a cup up my wazoo to “catch” blood...since this time however , this little device is a God send and I don't what my issue was. A little messy from time to time, but once the cramping stops you forget you are on your period and it only has to be cleaned once a day. After your cycle you boil in in a pot on the stove for 15 minutes in water to sterilize and you are done!! I will advise though, if you need to change it say during a shift at Wal*Mart and have no access to water you will not get it in properly and will fell like you have a sideways eggbeater in you. That was a reallllllllly bad day!!!
So for the past 6 years I have had an itchy vagina. Now I am not talking a little scratch and you are done. I am talking about scratching until you bleed. And it has been chronic. Never a day passed that I did not scratch . I have had to scratch myself everywhere doing everything. I know where there are blind spots on the security camera so I can scratch in peace. I have used the corner of desks, Done the funky itch walk. The pretend your pantyhose need adjusting
There have been time I have wished I could remove my vagina from my body and hang in on a wall just for a bit of peace and relief.
I have tried creams, lotions, potions, everything at the drugstore with the letters “va” in it. I have treated myself for a multitude of yeast infections I have never had. I have been to my Doctor a plethora of times being tested for crotch rot , unheard of diseases , STD's in case I got something as a teen that just decided to pop up. I was told I probably have a touch of eczema , which is weird because I don't have it anywhere else, so you might as well put it on my vagina.
I have enlisted my friends who are aromatherapy gurus to make me creams, oils anything for relief , still nothing.
The 2 worse time are during my period and after Ray and I are “amorous”.
After sex (and I just told him this last week) I wake up and literally scratch myself senseless for about 2 hours. Ray and I are still very “active”...so I lose a lot of sleep with my itching bits. I was also scared that I developed a sensitivity to his ..umm .. sperm , .because some women are allergic to that too. I thought this is going to be a fun conversation to have. “You can have me but when you are almost done can you aim over there..thanks!!!”
BUT my period is no better. Same thing, lie awake scratch scratch scratch....Ray has even said to me on several dozen occasions will you leave your nitch alone.....IF ONLY!!
There are days I wish they made sandpaper mittens...this would make me a very hapy camper but no just an issue I have to deal with.
Ray and I had an “evening” two weeks ago and I awoke with the scratching again thinking is this ever going to stop...then BAM like with a bolt of lightening I was hit.....HOLY FUCK THEY BLEACH TOILET PAPER!!!
I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom..not a list of anything was on this...I was on a mission to Google . If you like a cushy tush (which I do ) this goes through a couple of bleaching processes AND also contains formaldehyde!! AND the companies DO NOT have to disclose this.
I went back to bed and told Ray that I was allergic to toilet paper and he said with a smile you are shitting me....I said no I really think I am
For the past 2 weeks I have been using freshening wipes and a towel to dry off....my report ITCH FREE FOR 12 days!!!!!
The freshening wipes contain perfume so I want to get off of that as quick as possible too, I have ordered unbleached toilet paper from a health store in Bedford.
When I went to the doctor yesterday because of my attack I told her I figured out what the issue was finally, she said that she should give me her clients that she doesn't know what is wrong with them. I told her, yeah but this took me six years...She told me she would have never figured it out!!
Thank you to the universal message I received that night!!!
below is an exert from an article I found on that night :)
Subsequent extensive allergy testing using the North American Standard Screening Series, as well as moist toilet paper and diluted chlorine bleach, revealed that the patient has mild allergies to formaldehyde, lanolin, and benzocaine, but not to chlorine.
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Discussion
This case report raises some important issues related to vulvar irritation. Many women suffer from vulvovaginitis symptoms and seek relief with OTC antifungal medications, yet diagnostic testing is negative for fungal conditions. In the case of our patient, we suspect that antifungal creams provided a barrier between the skin and the bleached toilet paper, hence the apparent initial relief of symptoms.
We suspect that she did not experience perianal symptoms with the bleached toilet paper because toilet paper would generally be used less frequently perianally than in the vulvar area; also, as mentioned previously, vulvar skin is more easily irritated than skin elsewhere on the body. It is also possible that the topical antifungal medication used to treat the symptoms of vulvitis further aggravated the skin, as it is known that preservatives, fragrances, antibacterial agents, and alkali or acid agents in douches can all cause allergic contact dermatitis. Products used only on the hands, such as nail polish, can come into contact with vulvar skin and cause dermatitis as well. Our patient did not use nail products, creams, or other hand products that did not travel with her to Europe. Given that our patient revealed allergic reactions to formaldehyde, benzocaine, and lanolin, and that these substances are not present in the brands of barrier cream and antifungal medication that she used, they can be eliminated as causative agents in this instance.
Our patient suspected the toilet paper she was using in Canada was the causative agent of her chronic vulvitis. An extensive review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed database, which included a combination of the search terms vulvar allergens, vaginitis, contact dermatitis, toilet paper allergies, over-the-counter medication, chlorine, and formaldehyde. This search did not reveal any cases of toilet paper dermatitis but did reveal documented cases of contact dermatitis due to moist toilet paper, such as baby toilet wipes.21,22 Given our initial suspicion that chlorine bleach might have been the offending substance, our patient was tested with various dilutions of chlorine with negative findings. In hindsight, this step was unnecessary, as chlorine is a gas that quickly disperses and likely does not remain contained in the toilet paper.23
We postulated that there must be a chemical that remains in the bleached toilet paper that acts as an irritant or allergen. We contacted several toilet paper manufacturers but were unable to obtain a list of the chemicals used to produce toilet paper. All manufacturers refused to provide consumer information, claiming proprietary rights to trade secrets. What we learned from a subsequent literature review, however, is that facial tissues, paper towels, and other forms of paper contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde and its reactive derivatives are used in the paper industry to improve the wet-strength and other “valued” characteristics of paper and paper products. For example, shiny, heavy, white examining-table paper is much more likely to contain formaldehyde than thinner, less expensive, duller, and more fragile types of paper.9 The same could be said for toilet paper; the thick, absorptive, strong, bleached, and expensive brands are more likely to contain formaldehyde than the thinner, cheap, “grayish” brands.
Toilet paper is a ubiquitous personal hygiene product, and it is assumed that it contains no harmful chemicals. However, formaldehyde not only causes irritation, but it is also listed as a cancer-causing agent.24 There are more than 100 000 chemicals used in commercial products. Few have been tested for possible risks to health, yet those risks can be considerable.25 As evidence of this claim, Health Canada recently banned D4 and D5 siloxanes from shampoo and conditioner.26,27
Previous SectionNext Section
Conclusion
As clinicians, we suggest that when a woman presents to her family physician with chronic vulvar problems, the usual standard of care be applied. However, if all test results are negative and no cause can be determined, the patient should be advised to use unbleached toilet paper or minimally processed toilet paper to see if her symptoms abate. This is an easy, low-cost, and noninvasive suggestion that might solve the patient’s problem. Further, as a result of this case study, we believe that it is crucial that the manufacturers of toilet paper and other personal hygiene products and household goods be required to reveal all ingredients and chemicals in their products.
Subsequent extensive allergy testing using the North American Standard Screening Series, as well as moist toilet paper and diluted chlorine bleach, revealed that the patient has mild allergies to formaldehyde, lanolin, and benzocaine, but not to chlorine.
Previous SectionNext Section
Discussion
This case report raises some important issues related to vulvar irritation. Many women suffer from vulvovaginitis symptoms and seek relief with OTC antifungal medications, yet diagnostic testing is negative for fungal conditions. In the case of our patient, we suspect that antifungal creams provided a barrier between the skin and the bleached toilet paper, hence the apparent initial relief of symptoms.
We suspect that she did not experience perianal symptoms with the bleached toilet paper because toilet paper would generally be used less frequently perianally than in the vulvar area; also, as mentioned previously, vulvar skin is more easily irritated than skin elsewhere on the body. It is also possible that the topical antifungal medication used to treat the symptoms of vulvitis further aggravated the skin, as it is known that preservatives, fragrances, antibacterial agents, and alkali or acid agents in douches can all cause allergic contact dermatitis. Products used only on the hands, such as nail polish, can come into contact with vulvar skin and cause dermatitis as well. Our patient did not use nail products, creams, or other hand products that did not travel with her to Europe. Given that our patient revealed allergic reactions to formaldehyde, benzocaine, and lanolin, and that these substances are not present in the brands of barrier cream and antifungal medication that she used, they can be eliminated as causative agents in this instance.
Our patient suspected the toilet paper she was using in Canada was the causative agent of her chronic vulvitis. An extensive review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed database, which included a combination of the search terms vulvar allergens, vaginitis, contact dermatitis, toilet paper allergies, over-the-counter medication, chlorine, and formaldehyde. This search did not reveal any cases of toilet paper dermatitis but did reveal documented cases of contact dermatitis due to moist toilet paper, such as baby toilet wipes.21,22 Given our initial suspicion that chlorine bleach might have been the offending substance, our patient was tested with various dilutions of chlorine with negative findings. In hindsight, this step was unnecessary, as chlorine is a gas that quickly disperses and likely does not remain contained in the toilet paper.23
We postulated that there must be a chemical that remains in the bleached toilet paper that acts as an irritant or allergen. We contacted several toilet paper manufacturers but were unable to obtain a list of the chemicals used to produce toilet paper. All manufacturers refused to provide consumer information, claiming proprietary rights to trade secrets. What we learned from a subsequent literature review, however, is that facial tissues, paper towels, and other forms of paper contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde and its reactive derivatives are used in the paper industry to improve the wet-strength and other “valued” characteristics of paper and paper products. For example, shiny, heavy, white examining-table paper is much more likely to contain formaldehyde than thinner, less expensive, duller, and more fragile types of paper.9 The same could be said for toilet paper; the thick, absorptive, strong, bleached, and expensive brands are more likely to contain formaldehyde than the thinner, cheap, “grayish” brands.
Toilet paper is a ubiquitous personal hygiene product, and it is assumed that it contains no harmful chemicals. However, formaldehyde not only causes irritation, but it is also listed as a cancer-causing agent.24 There are more than 100 000 chemicals used in commercial products. Few have been tested for possible risks to health, yet those risks can be considerable.25 As evidence of this claim, Health Canada recently banned D4 and D5 siloxanes from shampoo and conditioner.26,27
Previous SectionNext Section
Conclusion
As clinicians, we suggest that when a woman presents to her family physician with chronic vulvar problems, the usual standard of care be applied. However, if all test results are negative and no cause can be determined, the patient should be advised to use unbleached toilet paper or minimally processed toilet paper to see if her symptoms abate. This is an easy, low-cost, and noninvasive suggestion that might solve the patient’s problem. Further, as a result of this case study, we believe that it is crucial that the manufacturers of toilet paper and other personal hygiene products and household goods be required to reveal all ingredients and chemicals in their products.
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