paint fumes

[marg]

Jenn, when you mentioned moving house I thought I had to tell you this. My daughter, who has RA, went through several very traumatic experiences, developing RA about a year after. I do believe that the stress weakened her immune system.

Then she moved into a condo with her toddler and during the Christmas break she did a lot of interior painting ( she's a great decorator!) It was cold and she didn't open the windows. The modern paints don't smell very much, but I think there would still be fumes. In any event after painting for a few days her knee swelled and she thought she must have banged it. The next day she had more swellings and the day after that she was a mess – couldn't even eat solid foods as her jaws were so sore.

Now- we don't know for sure that fumes precipitated the RA, which may have been lurking. However, she has not painted since and her Dad and I fifnished her painting ( in good weather, with lots of ventilation, while she was away on holiday).To us the correlation seems very possible.

So, just so you consider this if you get carried away with the decorating bug once you move!!

[marg]

On rereading this I can see that I wasn't very clear about sequencing events ( I haven't been breathing fumes !!) My daughter did not have RA when she moved into the condo but she had been through a bad time. She painted – and this was about a year after the stressful events. ( She did already have scleroderma, mild, affecting her skin only, so she may be prone to these so-called auto-immune diseases..)

This was not the first painting she did. For 20 years this has been an interest, refinishing furniture, painting etc.

[Lynne G.SD]

Hi Marg,
    Any kind of fumes can be a trigger.Benzene and chlorine are the worst and it looks like they are often one of the triggers for SD.Was there any mould in your daughter's house.That is a real “baddie”

[richie]

Hi

@0 years refinishing furniture –using I am sure either benzene –turpentine –or other hydrocarbons and she got scleroderma –a little research will lead you to causes of scleroderma –these are major causes

Richie

[marg]

Mold did not seem to be present as far as we know. I had some awareness of toxic fumes and scleroderma and wonder now if RA might not be triggered that way as well.

This is a cautionary tale for posters who may not have been aware.

BTW since my daughter has been taking minocin for RA , pulsing MWF, the scleroderma lesions on her arm have softened and reduced in size. We hope the same may happen with the lesion on her stomach.

[Anonymous]

Oh wow, I can't believe what I'm reading. I got dog sick last year after painting several rooms in my house. So much for the new paints being environmentally friendly. I had a physical a few weeks after I got sick (it had been scheduled long before) and got a reading on my liver test that was off the charts. The doctor said it wouldn't be from the fumes, but I have a hard time believing that. My joints swelled and were painful when I got sick, but then they were okay. Now they are swollen and painful again.

[Author]

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