Sensitivities are funny things, even funnier when you have M.E.
As far as I can remember nothing has ever really bothered me – oh apart from the smell of birds eye southern fried chicken when I was pregnant!
These days I suffer with a whole new world of sensitivities.
The common ones with M.E. are bright sunlight, loud noise, strong smells.
This means when it’s bright out, or even when it’s fairly dull sunglasses need to be worn. Not because our eyes will explode, or we will melt in the sun, but just because it’s irritating, or painful to be out in the brightness without them.
Loud noise I can cope with if it is in my control, i.e. my music, tv, etc. I can even cope with my loud children a lot of the time. What I struggle with is other people’s music, or a collection of noise. So my kids playing the demo on their keyboard while both running around the house screaming at full volume, with other music playing on other devices at the same time I find a bit too much. (As would most sane people!)
Smells don’t bother me too much, except for that southern fried chicken, which either makes me hungry, or feel sick!
But I have a few more odd sensitivities…
I’ve always favoured baggy t-shirts and shorts over anything more lady like anyway, but these days wearing anything tailored, fitted, restricted in any way I find – now here I’m not sure which word describes it best so I shall use – irritating. If you pop by my house at any time of the day the chances are I will be wearing pj bottoms and a baggy tshirt. This is not because I am lazy and can’t be bothered to dress properly, this is just what I am comfortable wearing. I do don jeans when I have to go out, I know society seems to have gotten quite lax on pjs being worn in public, but I am not there yet.
Jewellery is also an odd one for me. In my teens for years I wore a cotton friendship band, never took it off. Then one day after being struck down with M.E. I just had to get that band off, right then, it had to go.
In my adult life I always wore earrings, 2 sets in each ear, never took them out, until this relapse. All of a sudden one night I just had to take them out or I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I haven’t been able to put them back in since. I can wear the odd item for a short while, for an occasion, but I am always conscious of them being there, and very happy when I can take them off again.
The last one I can think of is my hair. I have short boyish hair. Never got on with it being long. I used to have it cut regularly every month when I was younger. At the time I had it spiky and if it wasn’t cut that often it wouldn’t style right. These days I try to have it cut every 6 weeks, but this is more relaxed through the winter as it doesn’t bother me so much. But this time it has been about 14 weeks since having it cut and it is driving me mad. I don’t care what it looks like (though i’ve been told it looks good), but it just irritates me. I don’t know why, which is why I put it down to yet another sensitivity. If I could pull off short clippered hair then that is what I would do. But I know without trying that it would not suit me, though I often threaten it! – and yes I do hold onto that tiny bit of vanity, despite all other appearances.
I think all of these sensitivities vary depending on how bad my M.E. is at the time. My hair has been bugging me a lot lately, and I have been particularly unwell, which in turn is one of the reasons I haven’t been able to have it cut.
I know what you mean about hair getting to a certain level of annoyance. Time to snip mine I think. I do it myself as I object to paying someone else for the tiny scrap of fine hair which ends up on the floor!!! Now, where are my scissors?