It only hurts when I move ...

Fibro is no fun, to be sure.

I have been plunged into a flare-up as a result of exposure to varathane.

You will recall that I had been away for the last few days of the week leading up to Hallowe'en weekend.

John took advantage of my absence to start on the varathaning project to get the trim ready for my sanctuary.

When I arrived home on the Friday, the house still smelled quite strongly of his efforts, but he had closed the workshop door, opened the window, and put a fan on to blow the fumes to the outside.  Of course, I couldn't actually smell anything, what with my lack of working olfactory bulb.

By Saturday, I was suffering with very sore, inflamed hands.

By Sunday, it was serious.  In fact, my post for that day was about my need to wear my arthritis gloves again.  I hadn't made the connection to the varathane at the time, assuming the colder weather was the cause for the inflammation.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week.

I had again vacated our home while the drywaller did the final sanding of my sanctuary.

So, while I was away, John again varathaned and again closed the workshop door, opened the windows, and put the fan on to blow the fumes to the outside.

And again, when I got home, I couldn't really smell much but this time I was aware of a chemical presence (the fumes burn my passages but I can't actually smell them).

On Wednesday morning, John tried varathaning a few pieces of trim (he's worried that he won't meet the deadline required by builder man for all this work to be completed). 

And by yesterday afternoon, my hands were swollen again and very painful if held down by my sides. (I'm having to keep my hands at elbow-height to avoid the pain -- the perfect height for raising that wine glass!).

John made the connection to the varathane and the fact that it was the common denominator to last week's inflammation too.

Duhhhhhhhhhhh!  Sometimes I can be so dense.

Of course!

This is essentially the same response I used to have to the paint at my workplace.  But I also used to visibly swell in the chest, neck and face at that time, and my breathing was seriously affected too.  That's why I'll be leaving home next week when painter man is here.

I could understand having a respiratory response to the varathane, but I hadn't recognized that as the likely cause of this flare-up.

But it certainly makes sense.  I mean, really, swelling is swelling.  And I guess it's just a matter of time before repeated exposure will cause respiratory distress.

When I woke this morning, my whole body felt like it was swollen.

I don't appear to be swollen.

But I only hurts when I move!