Relocation advice
|
My employer moved us into new air-conditioned offices in May. Since then I have developed conjunctvitis, rhinitis and a persistent cough, worse on Fridays. Everyone else is OK. The symptoms developed almost as soon as we moved, so this points to an irritant cause not an allergic one. Serial peak flow measurements are normal. The doctor thinks I have over-sensitive upper airways (bronchial hypersensitivity), the lower ones are OK which is why the peak flow is unchanged. He is experimenting with eye-drops, nose-drops, antihistamines and inhaled steriods in an attempt to provide symptomatic relief. The conjunctivitis/rhinitis used to get better during the weekends but I am now continuously affected. I know the employer is supposed to provide me with a safe environment, but he can achieve this by relocating me to the next nearest office, 60 miles away. I don't want a daily 120 mile commute. Is it safe for me to keep going into an atmosphere which is causing me continuous low-grade irritation ? Am I risking permanent lung damage ? I can understand my doctor being reluctant to tell me to find another job, but is this likely to be the best option as regards my long-term health ?
|
Your question at the end is the easiest bit to answer. You should not be doing your lungs any damage (from an asthma point of view) if there are no acute reactions. There is no known relationship between the environments you describe and COPD which can develop with longterm particulate exposures without any acute reactions.
Some of your symptoms sound a bit like sick building syndrome. Dry eyes are a common feature but conjunctivitis (eye infection) is not a feature. Problems wearing contact lenses are common. Blocked noses are a common symptom of sick building syndrome but sneezing and runny noses suggest allergy. Allergic rhinitis can precede occupational asthma.
It's worth trying other places in the same building and making sure that the environment is not too hot (<20 degrees C) and that particulates in the air are low.
|
Unfortunately, I went on to develop acute symptoms and ended up being off sick for 4 weeks with cough, breathlessness and chest pain. This started shortly after going into work on the Monday morning, got worse for a couple of weeks until the inhaled steriods started to work and then got better. On going back into the office (and still taking the steroids), the reaction came back. So I'm off sick again and waiting for my 'twitchy airways' to settle down. I've been strongly advised not to attempt to go back into that environment, as it's almost certain I'll have another attack. So it looks like the rhinitis was an early warning. I also noticed some improvement after I stopped taking ibuprofen. I had been taking this for years without issue and hadn't realised that it was contraindicated in asthma.
|
Please sign in or register to add your thoughts.