Perfume Lady

February 12, 2012

in Illness/Medical Stories

In summer 2010, my parents and I were on a 14-hour flight from Tel Aviv to Newark, returning from our Israeli pilgrimage. In a row just in back of us, a woman kept on spraying perfume like she was trying to kill a mosquito with bug spray. She would NOT stop spraying it. 

Not only do I have Asperger Syndrome, which comes with a low tolerance for heavy fragrance, but I am also deathly allergic to the stuff. After a few minutes, I start hyperventilating. This was very obvious to the other passengers, who started worrying for my safety, but not perfume lady. She kept right on going! It was only when I had to start using barf bags to hyperventilate into that the staff finally asked her to move. Good thing – I was incredibly close to passing out.

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Mr sane May 19, 2012 at 6:17 pm

Get a bloody grip of yourself! Honestly, Aspergers my ar5e.

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Cat June 26, 2012 at 6:55 pm

i love how aspergers sydrome is the new adhd..any excuse to act like an ass…i have a cousin with aspergers for real and jerks like you make it harder for real awareness to take place

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Tingting July 6, 2012 at 3:34 am

Guys … you don't need to have Aspergers to get sick from the smell of too heavy perfume!

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Fred Flintstone July 11, 2012 at 3:11 am

Asperger's has nothing to do with allergies…I was buying your story until you convoluted a condition on the autism spectrum with a physical allergic reaction to perfume. You may have both asperger's and allergies, but the two are not hand-in-glove. There are plenty of people with asperger's who don't have any trouble with fragrance. Not every quirk or dislike is the "fault" of asperger's. I think you were a drama king/queen, actually. Why didn't you just turn around and ask the lady to stop using the perfume, and tell her it was making you ill?

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Dr. Sex Potato February 10, 2013 at 11:15 pm

You cannot be "allergic" to a fragrance, as a protein is requires. However, many people do have strong chemical sensitivities. Strong scents can also trigger migraines, nausea, and headaches.

In any case, I think a complaint about some fuckwit dousing themselves in stinking cat piss in a cramped, canned-air environment is perfectly valid.

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@RhovanionGirl February 5, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Perhaps allergic is the wrong term but I know someone who also claims to be allergic to scented things (deodorant, perfume, shampoo, etc) and I have seen the reactions she gets. Hives, throwing up, hyperventilation. It's not pretty.

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Stories From The Air May 3, 2013 at 11:55 am

cabins make me sick because of the chemicals that are sprayed.

talking about perfumes, Aramis is the worse

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@RhovanionGirl February 5, 2014 at 9:39 pm

You guys are ridiculous. How dare this person, despite any reasons listed, have a problem with someone using perfume like their own personal aerosol in a crowded, tight space!

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