Personal Plea from Technopatra

[gyre]

I don't think public places should be allowed to bar air breathers, which is exactly the result of having a place full of smoke. I decided a long time ago that no musician and no place was worth the aftereffects and the unpleasantness. I complained to my favorite bar/eatery and they said most of their customers smoke. I pointed out that it could be they have just trained an entire generation of people to stay the hell out of public places if they want to have a good time. With big screens and big sound systems you can just meet at someones house these days. If I go back, which I haven't, I'll have to try to eat with the taste of cigarettes in my food. But if I stand up and pee on someone's plate, I'll probably be thrown out.
The places that have clean air here have an upsurge of business, contrary to what the cafe lobby groups predict.
I really feel sorry for the servers in these places with smoke. I call these smoking policies-forced smoking.

[theCryptofishist]

Do you suppose that they are willing to pay a surtax for health care of bar workers?

[Rockdad]

Hey everybody-
What started out as a cold became a bronchitis which became a respiratory infection which culminated in full-blown acute asthma. I had a rough time breathing between massive coughing fits that have left me weak and dizzy, with a constant headache like I'd been at a speed metal concert. I haven't been able to work or socialize pretty much since Xmas. I couldn't sleep through the night for over a month, which made me even a little crazed than usual.
I now have a permanent health condition from smoking cigarettes. Whether we are in personal touch or not, I care about you as a human, and I don't want you to suffer anything like what I've been dealing with. Ever.

Toxic environment

Just a thought it may not be the smokes, I am sure they are not a good thing and I am not a doctor But your symptoms sound more like a toxic environment! My first thought is Black Mold exposure are you sleeping next to a bathroom or outside wall? Have a roof leak? if you are sleeping next to a damp space the wall could be filled with black Mold spores. Do symptoms get better if you sleep in another room for a few nights? or when you stay home from work for a few days your workplace could be toxic!
Your symptoms sound much more severe than any smoking related cause at your age and many people have these symptoms during the dampness of winter when molds are reproducing at alarming rates if you go to any website dealing with this emerging issue you will find the exact same symptoms listed including the headaches. If it was just asthma I would of never posted a reply, The headaches, dizziness, mental confusion are a big clue that this is not smoking related.

I personally would be willing to bet this is not caused by smoking cigarettes but by a exposure to toxins.
Symptoms:
" Common symptoms of toxic mold exposure include memory loss, allergies, and breathing difficulties. People with existing respiratory illness, asthma, and infants should be especially careful because of the fever and mold infections that can be suffered within their lungs due to toxic mold exposure."
Litigation and law:
"California passed comprehensive legislation in 2002. The Toxic Mold Protection Act requires the government to undertake several tasks: the California Department of Health was required to convene a task force to advise it on the development of PELs for indoor mold; the development of new standards and/or guidelines to assess any health threat posed by the presence of indoor mold; and the development of standards for the identification and remediation of mold."
Example recent headline:
""County settles toxic mold lawsuit with judge" A Tulare County Superior Court judge filed a toxic mold lawsuit against Tulare County and County Counsel Bales-Lange charging the county counsel was directly responsible for the seriousness of her illness, including hair loss, dizziness, episodic vertigo, acute pain in her abdomen, respiratory distress, ringing in the ears, facial swelling, and severe rashes."

Their is a lot of denial about this problem because big business is facing huge amounts of litigation on this issue and Doctors were never taught about it.
But I think in the next year there will be a explosion of information coming out of the Katrina affected areas as children and adults are exposed for longer periods of time.

Black Mold is not always Black it can be green, brown, almost white.

The good news is that you will get much better relatively fast when you get away from that environment.
The Bad news is you will probably never be the same again it can take years to fully recover.

Remember I am not a doctor repeat I am Not a Doctor but I woke up in the middle of the night after reading your post earlier this evening with a overwhelming feeling I had to share these thoughts with you please discuss this possibility with your Doctor.

Take care your in my prayers and you will get better!
See ya on the Playa
Bob
Some related links:
http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/moldhealth.htm
http://www.toxic-mold-news.com/
http://www.mold-help.org/
http://www.pollutioneng.com/CDA/Archive ... 32a8c0____
http://library.findlaw.com/2004/Oct/27/133605.html