Our trip to the Dominican Republic was wonderful, but along the journey we sucked in a ton of diesel fumes.
By guest blogger Franny Armstrong.
Not as pretty as it looks; boats give off fumes.
My trip to the Dominican Republic was wonderful. I’m paying the price now but in the long run, I believe it was worth it. Even I have to come out of my cave now and then.
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The Dominican Republic is a beautiful island full of lush green grasses, trees, and greenery that takes your breath away (literally). The poverty was stunning, yet the people were kind, happy, and welcomed you with a smile or an “ola, mi amiga.” A twenty year old man sat next to my husband and I as we drank a beer each. Hubby bought the man one and I conversed with him, me with my minimal Spanish, he with his minimal English. It was fun to chat with him. After he told Dan and I we were old enough to be his parents, he gave me his phone number. LOL I guess I’m like a fine wine or an old cheddar, still kicking! HAHAHA
Smoggy street
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Along the journey we sucked in a ton of diesel fumes. There is no monitoring of exhaust in DR. Dan was told not to drink from the bottles of beer along the roadside as they use them to refill and sell new and used fuel. Sometimes they siphon it out of vehicles.
We saw many motor bikes/scooters with two, three, and even four people on board. Even little children clung to the parents on the back of the bike. The lack of safety for a child stuns me. Dan and I saw three near accidents in the space of half an hour while sitting at the roadside in a restaurant.
This is considered a taxi. I choked on the fumes of the motorbike as the gas is not filtered.
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When we went on a trip to “Limon Falls” (LIME FALLS), I didn’t wear the mask as we moved along the bumpy roads, inhaling the exhaust fumes even though I tried to cover my face with my shirt (no help at all). I was surprised it didn’t harm me as much as I thought, though I did cough a lot.
Choking on fumes as we drive to falls.
Since I’m not allergic to horses, we rode up the mountain and had to climb down the steep hills, rocks jutting out along with tree roots that were very dangerous to traverse.
Back at the hotel in the afternoon we lounged by the pool. I was so exhausted I skipped dinner and rested in the room. I think I fell asleep at 7:00 PM and didn’t wake up for anything but washroom breaks all night long.
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We had to check out of our rooms early on the last day, but the plane didn’t take off until 9:50 PM that night. We spent another day lounging around the beach and relaxing. How can a vacation be so exhausting? LOL
The airport was small, the size of a warehouse I suppose, but the Duty Free store was right beside the waiting area and I watched as people sprayed on perfumes and wandered around, definitely not wishing I was able to do that! The mask didn’t stop many of the chemicals and I felt ill as the room was also full of toxic exhaust fumes from the jets since the only barrier between where the jets rested a few hundred feet away and the room was a glass door.
I kept the mask on for the entire trip. We left the resort at 6:20 PM and arrived in Toronto at 12:20 AM (one hour behind DR) so that was for 5 hours with only an “I Can Breathe” carbon filter mask which wasn’t the best protection in the face of all the toxic chemicals.
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At home finally, I crashed into my pillow with joy, happy to be in my own bed, my own haven. I slept all the next day, exhausted, sick, and getting a sinus infection. However, I’m pleased that we went on the trip as I feel much better now than I did a year ago. The toxic chemicals would have floored me for weeks back then.
There is hope in the long run that Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is not permanent, at least to me. Each time I run across toxic chemicals I find that I react to a lesser degree. Granted, there are some that send me crashing into my pillow for days now, like air fresheners and scented candles, as well as some perfumes, but being prepared is the best defense.
I still can’t get used to the way people stare at me when I walk past. I prefer to be “incognito” and hide in the background, but having a mask on your face does make you stand out in a crowd. Perhaps the more we meet people with MCS walking the streets with masks on, the less people will stare.
This Canary can fly! Even with a mask on. Keep up the hope and prayers.
To your good health.
Franny Armstrong
Come visit me at ParaNovelGirls and at my MCS site.
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