Sorry about this long rant, but I need to vent my anger and frustration….. and also, hopefully, get some advice.
I’ve been booked to start my first course of chemotherapy on Tuesday, and now don’t know if it will be possible.
I’m suffering from an extreme reaction to all the rapeseed which is just coming into flower, and surrounds my home on 3 sides. It’s not hayfever, which is caused by pollen, but is caused by the volatile terpene oils released by the crop, which hang in the air. The farmer is also regularly spraying the crop, with pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. (He’s supposed to notify nearby homes about this, but never does.)
The fields are not even 10% in flower at the moment, so this will only get worse until the flowers start dying down in early June.
The nearest field is only about 30 metres away from my windows, and up a slight hill,so there’s no escaping the effects.
It gets into my house, even with all windows closed, and I can’t avoid it when going out with my dog, as the way out goes between two of these fields.
Sypmtoms are like a really bad cold with bronchitis, with constant cough, sneezing, eyes & nose streaming, breathlessness, headache and a raw sore throat extending down into chest.
Due to the constant coughing I’m unable to sleep too.
My mastectomy was in mid December and axillary lymph node clearance in mid January. Superficially healed but still some deep healing going on. At the moment, due to all the coughing. I feel as though I’ve been punched in the wounds.
GP gave me strong prescription antihistamines, which have made no difference.
I’m really concerned that my chemotherapy will be delayed due to me being unwell due to this blasted crop. Has anyone else found herself in this situation?
