How A DIY Project Destroyed My Skin For Over Six Weeks (And The Home Improvement Store Product That Finally Helped It Heal)
I have to apologize up front because this post is filled with some pretty scary photos that I never intended to be made public. But the longer I suffered with this issue, the more convinced I became that I had to share it with y’all, if for no other reason than as a warning so that none of you suffer the way I’ve been suffering for the last six week.
At the end of July, I started working on the countertops for the studio. I started building the one for the office area of the studio, got midway through that one and decided to change the design, and then decided to work on the long countertop for the mural wall. The countertop is made out of MDF and these laminate flooring boards. You can click here to see the whole DIY countertop process, but long story short, I ended up cutting every single flooring board using my table saw and miter saw.
I had never used laminate flooring for anything before, so I had no idea what to expect. So naturally, since I had never used it before, that means that I had no experience cutting it with a saw, either. This was all new to me.
I don’t really know what laminate flooring is made of, but I did notice that as I ran each board through the table saw, the blade cutting through the top layer of the flooring boards was creating tiny little sparks. The sparks were so small and almost unnoticeable in the bright sun during the day, but because I was still cutting boards as the sun started going down, the sparks became noticeable. And it wasn’t just the table saw that was creating those sparks. My miter saw blade did the same thing when cutting through that top layer.
So that got me a little curious. What in the world was this flooring made of? And more importantly, what was this material I was getting covered in? Thankfully I remembered to wear a mask so that I wasn’t breathing in the dust (and cutting those boards created a whole lot of dust!), but all of the exposed skin on my face, chin, neck, and chest got completely covered in the dust that wouldn’t simply brush off like sawdust from actual wood does.
It took me two days to do the bulk of the cuts needed for the long countertop, and each day, I did all of the cutting I needed to do, and then I went inside and immediately took a shower to get all of the dust off of me since I couldn’t just brush it off, and I can’t stand to be covered in dust like that. But little did I know that this was no regular sawdust. I was covered in something that would tear up my skin and make me absolutely miserable for the next six weeks.
But first, the happy news. The countertop turned out great. I’ve gotten so much use out of it, and I’m still thrilled with how it looks.
So that’s the good part. Now are you ready for the bad and the ugly all rolled into one? Again, I apologize because I never thought I’d be sharing these pictures publicly, and I almost feel like it would be more appropriate had I waited until Halloween when people are expecting to see scary things. But here’s the scary aftermath of my chest being covered with that dust.
That’s not the greatest picture (meaning that it’s kind of blurry) because I took it at night as I was sitting in bed and watching TV, so the lighting wasn’t good at all. But it doesn’t really matter because my skin really did look that bad. In fact, it was worse. Since the lighting isn’t so great, you can’t really get an appreciation for the sores on my skin due to my constant scratching and drawing blood. And get this. That picture was taken 3 1/2 weeks after I had been covered in the dust. THREE AND A HALF WEEKS!! I’ll say it again. At the point in which that photo was taken, I had already been suffering for 3 1/2 weeks with this horrible skin issue.
(And FYI, the shirt I had on was clean. 😀 It looks horrible and very strange on the right side because of the lack of lighting in the room. The photo was taken by the glow of the TV, with no other lighting in the room. But I don’t sit in my bed with filthy clothes on. That shirt is one of my painting shirts, so it has paint splotches all over, but it was clean. 😀 )
Not only did it look bad (and oh my gosh, did it look bad!!!), but it itched like crazy and burned. I had some spots, especially on my chin and jawline, that itched so badly I wanted to claw my skin until it bled. And in fact, as you can see in the photo below, that’s exactly what I did. And just take a look at how bumpy my skin was. I’ve never had skin issues in my life, other than a random pimple here and there, so this was hard for me to look at, and very hard to live with.
Fast forward another 10 days or so, and I was still suffering from painful itching (and yes, still drawing blood because I was scratching so much in places) and some of the skin on my neck turned really white with red, itchy welts. While you probably can’t tell from the photo, all of those red spots were raised and swollen and they itched like crazy.
I had people telling me that I needed to go to the doctor, but what could a doctor do? All they would do is prescribe some medication for the itching and pain. I had already tried over the counter hydrocortisone creams. Not only did they not help, but I really didn’t want to just cover up the symptoms. I needed the root problem dealt with. I needed whatever was embedded in my skin to come out, and a medical doctor would have been less than helpful in that regard.
I thought maybe my skin would just naturally push the irritant out (which I had determined at this point must be something like fiberglass), kind of like the natural shedding of skin will eventually push out a splinter over time. But after getting no relief after several weeks, I finally got proactive about it.
The first thing I tried was bentonite clay masks. Those gave me some temporary relief, but mostly, the clay masks just dried my skin out something awful. So then for the next two weeks, on top of dealing with the itching and burning skin, my skin was also shriveled up like a raisin, which just added to the pain. (Think of having dry and chapped lips where the skin pulls and hurts when you try to take a bit of food, but instead of that being on your lips, it’s all over your chin, neck, and chest so that every movement of my head pulled my dry and shriveled skin and hurt.)
I gave up the bentonite clay masks after a couple of tries, and moved on. After determining that the irritant must be fiberglass, I did a little googling and came across this video. The comment section was filled with people who tried apple cider vinegar on their fiberglass-irritated skin and found relief, so I tried it. I put it on the affected areas with a cotton ball, and for a few minutes, my skin burned like it was on fire. But after the burning went away, I did get some temporary relief for about an hour. Sadly, the itching always came back after apple cider vinegar applications. I tried that about three times, and then gave up.
I finally found some lasting relief when my bonus sister Cathi got her activated charcoal soap ready for sale on her website. As soon as she listed it, I snatched up a bar of that activated charcoal soap (you can find her soaps here), and used that on the affected areas. The first time I used it, it stung like crazy (just like the apple cider vinegar, just like the bentonite clay mask, and just like everything else I had put on my skin, including creams, ointments, and even coconut oil). I used the soap in the shower last Friday, and then as soon as I got out of the shower, I used coconut oil to sooth the dryness I was still dealing with from the bentonite clay masks.
I went out to dinner with a friend and my mom that evening, and I didn’t realize it until I was sitting in bed around 11:30 that night, but I hadn’t experienced any itching or burning all evening. That was the first time in weeks that I had any lasting relief.
The next morning, some of the itching was back (but not nearly as bad as it had been), so I used the soap again. Again, it stung, but the stinging was about half of what it was the previous time. And I noticed that some of the redness had gone away, and also those red spots on my neck were no longer puffy and swollen.
Here’s a screenshot from a Marco Polo I sent to a friend this past weekend, and you can see that while my skin still looked messed up, it was starting to look much better. The roughness was going away, and the puffy, swollen spots had gone down. So at that point, I had discolored skin, but it was mostly smooth skin.
I was still dealing with some itching, though. It was no longer the “I want to claw my skin off” kind of itching, and it was no longer constant, but it would come and go throughout the day. So I continued to use the activated charcoal soap through the weekend, and by Sunday, my skin was no longer stinging when I put the soap on it. The soap was feeling soothing. Then I’d follow that up with coconut oil.
But on Sunday night, I had left my coconut oil in the van (I literally had to take it everywhere with me and apply it regularly because of the severe dryness from the bentonite clay masks), and I was feeling too lazy to go out and get it. And without the coconut oil, I didn’t want to use the charcoal soap. So my skin was super dry and starting to feel a little itchy again.
I kept envisioning using something like those nose strips that pull junk out of your pores (I remember using those in high school), but much larger so that it would cover my chin, neck, and chest. I felt like if I had something like that — something that would really stick to my skin and that I could peel off while it stuck to and drew out the irritant — I would feel so much better.
The only thing I could think of was duct tape, and I just happened to have half a roll of black Gorilla tape. If you’ve ever used the black Gorilla tape, you know it’s about twice as sticky as regular duct tape. So this past Sunday night, I sat at the desk in my studio, and for about 20 minutes, I tore off strip after strip of black Gorilla tape, pressing it as hard as I could onto every bit of the affected skin on my chin, neck, and chest, and peeling it off slowly in hopes that it would pull that irritant out of my skin.
And do you know what? IT WORKED! My skin isn’t 100% back to normal yet, but it has felt closer to normal than I’ve felt in six weeks. So for the last two days (Monday and Tuesday) my routine has been washing with the activated charcoal soap (which doesn’t sting at all anymore), letting my skin completely dry, using the black Gorilla tape all over the affected area, and then covering the area with coconut oil.
And with that routine, my skin is finally on its way to looking and feeling normal again. Like I said, it’s not back to 100% yet (it’s only been less than three days since I first used the Gorilla tape), but the color is starting to even out, all of the swelling in the remaining red splotches is gone, and I have fewer and fewer red splotches with each passing day. The itching is about 99% gone, and I haven’t experienced any pain or burning in my skin since the first time I used the soap on Friday. I’ve been doing the charcoal soap, Gorilla tape, coconut oil routine twice a day, and I’m finally feeling normal again.
Needless to say, I’m a little bit terrified of cutting those boards again, but I do have one more countertop I have to make with them. I’ve been putting that off and putting that off, and now you know why. I’m scared to cut those boards because of the absolute pain and misery I’ve been dealing with for the last six weeks.
I will cut them, and I will get that second countertop done. But I can guarantee you that when I cut those boards for the second countertop, there will be no skin exposed to the sawdust from those boards. I’ll wear a Hazmat suit before I’ll take a chance on going through this again.
But at least if it ever happens again, I know what to do. Activated charcoal soap, black Gorilla tape, and coconut oil. That has been the magic combo for me to get my skin back to normal again.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Yes wear a disposable suit of some type. Also wear a mask and face shield. Fiberglass is a toxin for sure.
I’m glad you’re on the mend now. I’m glad you didn’t use the gorilla tape at first because when your skin was blistered it would have pulled your skin right off. I had the worst case of shingles my doctor had ever seen and blistered skin is no joke.
Wow, that’s really scary – I would never have imagined that floorboards would be so hazardous. Good thing you wore a mask!!!
Poor you! Someone in my family has a neurodermatitis and their skin looks very similar. I know from their experience how horrible the itching is and how you tear your own skin off because of that. I’m glad you found a cure that works, even if I have to say the Gorilla tape treatment was very brave of you! Please wear something covering you up completely – or even consider taking the laminate to a shop where they have absorbers or similar and can cut it for oyu (just this once).
Lowes and Home Depot sell those full coverage paint suits you can throw away when done, those and a mask will help protect you as you cut the next set of boards. I am so glad you finally found something to help you.
Oh Kristi! I’m so sorry you suffered through this…. it reminds me of my own struggle with poison ivy. Thought I could get through it on my own until I scratched my body raw and needed medical help. My hubby occasionally works with fiberglass mesh and will cover himself head-to-toe, sometimes with two shirts before doing any sanding and releasing the fibers into the air. Now that you know what to do, you’ll be ok. A “buff” type neck cover as a base layer might be a good idea underneath your top layer. You’ll be extra sensitive to that stuff for a while – good luck! Thanks for sharing – it’s a good reminder that we need to be careful with DIY.
I really do encourage you, through a consumer’s protection lawyer, to send an official notification to the manufacturer, including pictures and a timetable of your very negative experience regarding their product.
If they are not aware, they need to be made aware. If they *are* aware and have ignored the problem, they are violating several US comsumer protection laws, and need to be held accountable for either fixing the issue, or mmediately pulling the product from the market. A reaction such as you have suffered with over so many weeks is nothing to be overlooked, especially where breathing these particles could potentially be disasterous.
Agreed. You need to make people aware. Was there no warning on the packaging? If there was not, those manufacturers need to be contacted immediately.
I also agree!!! All of this great info needs to be made public!!
(And I thought I was having problems with poison ivy this summer :^( ….argh….)
Blessings, J
Quite a few contain Formaldehyde and Silica which both can cause skin irritation. Glad you are on the mend!
So sorry that you had to suffer so much from the laminate sawdust, Kristy, but thank you, thank you for posting about it! I can’t imagine how ill you would be if you had not worn a mask when cutting!! Was there a warning note on the product? You are extremely sensitive to whatever material it is, but others may be, too.
I hope when you next cut the boards, you will do it outside and do multiple washes of any clothing you are wearing. Best of luck.
I would say that going to the doctor to get some prednisone might have helped you quicker as it would have decreased the swelling and you might have been able to shed the particles quicker without the tissue being swollen up around it. As someone who deals with random hives for a month at a time, I know how itching can drive you crazy. I’ve found Aveeno Eczema balm to be my saving grace. Doesn’t rid me of it, but calms it down cosniderably.
I was going to say I would have went to the doctor after 4 or 5 days. I’m sure a dermatologist would have something that would have helped!
Thank you for scaring your faithful followers to dead! Where was the doctor visit when all of this was happening? Glad you are recovering well. 25+ years ago, I had a serious skin infection from baby wipes- to the point where a couldn’t open my hands fully. Even just running them under water was painful. I don’t remember what brand. My baby’s bottom was fine- it was just me. Had to wear rubber gloves to do everything. I did go to my doctor who prescribe a suave. My hands eventually healed.Now I wear surgical gloves for any type of cleaning products, soil , fertilizer, paint or just washing dishes. I’m just glad you wear eyeglasses!
WOW! That is quite a scary story. Good for you, figuring out what the problem is and taking care of it. I always like to get to the root of a problem, whether it’s physical, emotional or even spiritual! When we do that, we can really feel better! And always preferable to just masking the symptoms.
You went through torture!! Does the manufacturer have any warnings/advice? Or trade organizations? Thank goodness you didn’t get that stuff in your lungs. You’d be in the hospital even now.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, Tyvek suit won’t be so oppressive. I feel your pain, though! I’ve been going through what I thought was eczema around the edges of my face (from mid-ear to back side of neck) for about six months. I finally figured out it’s the silver shampoo I’ve been using so I switched brands. I’ve been able to drop the hydrocortisone cream completely now after a couple of weeks. So glad you figured out what the problem was!
Dear God! That had to be extremely painful. Thanks for sharing this. My husband was told by 5 doctors that he had skin cancer on the back his neck. Dermatologist said no. Gave him medicine and an injection. To help it heal he was told use Cerave healing ointment. That helped tremendously.
I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I’m glad you’re finally getting some relief.
If I remember correctly, the manufacturer of the board we used suggested scoring with a utility knife and breaking the boards. It was easy to do. I wonder if this is why scoring was recommended over using a saw.
Wow. I wonder how people survive who lay this stuff all the time. Wowza. I’m so glad you are better. That was a long time to suffer through.
That looks so very painful and scratching just sets off the response to continue scratching. I do have to tell you the over the counter hydrocortisone cream is different from the prescribed cream so there’s that issue. And a dermatologist would have been your best option.And a dermatologist could take a skin scraping to determine what/if there were particles embedded in the skin or a highly reactive allergic reaction. You are lucky to not have a secondary infection. Also my son in law has been cutting and laying LPV throughout their home for weeks now with many cuts due to the angles of the walls and kitchen island and is not having your issues. I have seen pictures of him and he is of course wearing a good mask and safety glasses and isn’t having any issues with any dust on his exposed skin. So I imagine it varies from product to product. I think your post could likely save someone else a painful experience so no matter the pictures it was a good thing. By the way….the counter looks great!
OMG! GOOD TO KNOW. Thank you for sharing. I’m so sorry you had this happen. I’d write to the manufacturer too. Maybe they’ll compensate. Good luck and be well.
I wonder if spraying the board also would help keep the dust down. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
I’m glad this worked for you and I feel your pain but you could have saved yourself weeks of suffering if you’d gone to your dermatologist as soon as the inflammation began. First, they could have skin tested you and told you if you had fiberglass dermaitis and/or allergic dermatitis to the resin in the boards. I know this because I’ve had fiberglass dermatitis. Second, they could have prescribed a topical corticosteroid, and if necessary an oral corticosterioid; hydrocortisone cream from the store doesn’t work on major inflammation. This would have reduced that inflammation within 48-72 hours, stopped the itching sensation, and prevented new inflammation. They would have also prescribed an emoillent and if you’d already opened up the skin from scratching, determined if you needed an antibiotic to treat infection and prevent scarring. I’m not a fan of steroids unless absolutely necessary so like you, I learned the hard way that lots of prevention is way easier than a cure. I recommend this Tyvek suit, a face shield, and a good respirator.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TRIMACO-DuPont-Tyvek-XL-Painters-Coverall-with-Hood-and-Boots-141232-12HD/203555521
A respirator and not just a mask is a good idea! Don’t want this stuff in your lungs for sure!
Kristi,
I have to second Chris on all of this. We love you, but you white knuckle through things TOO hard, Girl!
See the doctor.
Where the suit, gloves and respirator.
God bless you- please take care of yourself.
Oh my goodness, that looks terribly uncomfortable. So sorry that happened. A suggestion we’ve learned the hard way around our place, a cool shower immediately after cutting anything that covers in film. Praying you heal up quickly now and finish the other countertop without any more trouble!!
I’m sorry you had such an awful experience and glad you found your way out of it. If you were cutting out on the carport I would definitely shop vac it all — you don’t want any residue to get on doggy or human feet.
That is so weird. Once I saw your post I ran right out an bought the same flooring (different color) for my island. My husband and I cut it with his table saw and both of us were covered in the “sawdust”. However, neither of us had any reaction to it. So sorry for your experience.
OMG – What is in that wood…fiberglass? How is the average person suppose to know about this? I have to look at that stuff next time I am in the store to see if there are any warnings. If you still have the packaging, can you look? Please do notify the manufacturer. Now that things are all made in China who knows what they use! Thank God you used a mask! Thank you so much for sharing…I would never have worried about touching that wood, but I know how awful fiberglass is! I’m glad you are feeling better, and so sorry it’s been a tough 6 weeks! Does fiberglass create sparks?
Sounds like you need a ‘bunny suit’ we used in the surgery department. Reps would come in and pull one on over their outside clothes, don shoe covers and a blue bonnet ( like the deli lady wears.). You poor thing!! I can imagine how you suffered, I once had pityriasis rosea and I stood under a scalding shower because the pain took my mind off the itching.
So for sure get something to wear that covers you up and take it off outside!!
That’s crazy! Thank you for sharing because we are in the process of building our DIY shop home.
I only wish I could’ve been able to share with you my Heal-All salve I made from my mountain foraging. It’s the only thing that’s stopped my husbands itching issues he’s had for 20+ years that no doctor or dermatologist has looked for the cause…. Just more dangerous topicals.
What I will do is always have gorilla tape available in my first aid kit now. Maybe it would’ve been helpful when the sawsall shaved part of his finger off. So glad you’re healing!!
OMG, im so sorry this happened to you. I pray none of the spores of fiberglass floated into your other rooms. That would be terrible if Matt had breathed it in. At least you had a mask on and didnt breathe any of it in. Please be extremely careful when doing your next countertop.
Oh Kristi I am so sorry you have been dealing with this, how awful. I wonder if you had known about the vinegsr from day one if that would have worked. Definitely cover every inch of yourself before cutting any more boards.
Hi Kristi! That was incredible! I am wondering if you can cut the remaining pieces outside (still wearing your hazmat suit etc) but maybe the toxic dust should be kept outside rather than in your house.
By the way, I had a similar incident but for an entirely different reason. I developed a very similar condition. I even tried prescription hydrocortisone creme that did nothing! Incredibly itchy and same look. It turned that I had become sensitive to a body wash I was using. Unfortunately, I had to go to my son’s wedding with a very red blotchy neck. We thought it was nerves until a friend said “Helen, what have you changed? What are you doing differently?” I removed the body wash and bingo! Rash disappeared over a few days.
I hope things continue to go well for you. I really love reading your transformations and your use of colour!
With warm regards and admiration.
How waterproof is the flooring? Maybe cutting on a tile saw that uses water will reduce what gets kicked up. Messier process, but maybe that would be better. There’s many ways and tools to cut flooring. Its okay to take time to explore other ways for less fancy cuts to minimize exposure. Also there’s a number of ointments that you could apply prior to protect or just simply laying sticking paper tape onto harder to cover areas.
Like others said do bring this up with your doctor. If you encounter a salesperson knowledgeable on LVP installs, share the story with them. They’d look more cautiously and learn what is in what they sell, to give a heads up to customers too. People used to never wrap up for cutting fiber cement board, and now they do. Perhaps ask an unasked question to vendors, in trainings on new products. You’d be surprised how much input comes from the sales guys.
I suggested doctor more or less to give them details that you had inflammation that persisted. Share what you worked with (laminate flooring with possible fiberglass) the reaction details. What worked and not. If you are developing an allergy, or inflammation condition, it can help if there’s an emergency.
I understand not wanting to lean on an army of specialists for EVERYTHING. Some summers as a kid I was in/out of hospitals getting tumors and overgrowth for a rare genetic condition removed. When I was out of college the medical community had more defined and developed best practices for managing. This was collected from families with the details observed, it’s lead to more specific diagnostic criteria for what I have. That’s led to more effective treatment and management. You can summarize this post and share with the PCP. Keep a copy in a personal medical log/file to share when working with a new doc in case it doesn’t get recorded right. Good luck and good health!
If you ever think you’ve been in contact with fiberglass, immediately take an ice cold shower. Any heat (including body heat) opens your pores and causes the fiberglass to imbed deeper.
I’m so sorry you went through all of this, and I’m glad you have told us and showed us the horror of it. I agree that the manufacture of the product you sawed that caused all of the terribly painful damage to your skin, and the duration of it, needs to be notified. I never would have thought to try all that you did try. I’m glad you are getting your skin back to normal and I know you will definitely not let this happen again. BTW…your countertop is perfect. I love it.
Kristi, did you contact the manufacturer of the flooring and ask what was in their product was in that would do this?
Im so glad you’re feeling better. In addition to covering your skin completely, you could try placing a fan behind you pointing at you and the saw so that when you cut the fan is blowing the fibers away from you. We do tile work and often use this setup to keep as much dust away from us as we can. Hope this helps!
Jennifer, this is a great suggestion that I will be implementing as we work on our home. Thank you!
did you ever contact the manufacturer about this and what was in it? How to remedy your pain and agony? You have put down a lot of floors and never had that happen before. I wonder what was in it to cause such a severe reaction.
So sorry you have suffered with this Kristi but happy to hear you have found relief and are on the mend. Very thankful you wore a mask and had eye covering! I’m amazed that you were able to continue to be so productive while in such pain. Thank you for sharing your experience, solutions and warnings with us. Praying for your complete recovery! Blessings from NC
What a terrible ordeal! I’m so glad you were able to find a solution. I hope it will soon be completely gone. Thank you for sharing the solution with us.
OH MY….OH MY, Kristi…I am Sooo sorry that happened…. I know it will be a lot more Labor intensive… but just wondering if an Exacto Knife and steel straight edged ruler would be more user friendly….?
We used Norske 13″ Laminate flooring cutter. Ordered soaps from Nonsense Farm. Get better soon!
Oh, you poor kid! What a horrible 6 weeks! It does look like a hyperallergic reaction to whatever got embedded in your skin, and hopefully it won’t happen again if you are all suited up (or get someone else to cut them). Thank you for showing the bad part of DIY – it’s not all fun and games all the time!
Ok, I think that your first stop needed to be to a dermatologist. If you can spend hours applying gold leaf, meticulously to the doors in your studio, you can go to a doctor first. The Gorilla tape removal of fibers from your skin should be a last resort. At the risk of sounding like your mother, give credit to the very well trained expertise of medical professionals. We give you that same credit for your specific talent.
I agree. Thanks for saying what I was thinking. It’s fiberglass. It itches and anyone working with it needs to be careful. I’m glad you’re better but a dermatologist or any doctor would have given you a shot for immediate relief plus a prescription. Hard lesson for you but a warning for the rest of us.
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this yet but they make laminate flooring cutters that are like a guillotine type cutter. They make no dust and you can buy or rent them.
So sorry you went through this! I’m allergic to any clothing that has plastic in it. I break out in a rash and itch!! I’m an artist and cannot use acrylics because they emit a gas of plastic. Rash and headache! Please be sure to cover every inch of skin before you cut that stuff again! Glad you found a solution!
Try putting a couple of fans slightly behind you to blow fumes away from you.
What a wild story! How miserable! Your solution is so simple though. Well done! I’ll remember this if I’m ever in a fiberglass emergency.
Thank you so much for this “public service announcement “. And I am so sorry you had to go through this, but glad you found a workable solution.
Besides covering up, when you start cutting the boards OUTSIDE, put a couple of fans slightly behind you to blow the sawdust away from you. That’s how I can do discharge dyeing with chemicals that usually require a professional respirator mask. Of course, having a history of asthma makes it very difficult to wear one since I can’t breathe while wearing it. Haven’t had a single problem since using the fan trick. I also stand uunder a ceiling fan while spraying deodorant on as well.
Uncontrollable itching is miserable! I had similar skin issue from some kind of bites while in Waco last year. After 8 months of misery and finding no relief, even from steroid cream ordered by my physician, I tried “tecnu” Outdoor Skin cleanser, it’s supposed to be for removing poison ivy or poison oak oil, but it worked and to prevent drying I used pure aloe vera mixed with small amt of coconut oil.
It’s been a godsend too for some family members that are very allergic to poison oak
Are you certain it wasn’t shingles? I have had them twice,and they felt and looked about the same, except some blistered big time, like a dime. Burning, extremely itchy and painful, so it feels like a deep electric shockwave. I was on Gabepentin for 3years after the first time, but decided not to take it the second time. I’m glad you are feeling better finally!
I wonder if charcoal soap works on skunk attacks — our dog met one Tuesday night and had had four baths with different products so far. At least it’s getting tolerable now. I’m thankful for cooler weather so we can air out the house!😵😷😝
I am pretty sure you’re right about fiberglass. I was a little girl and laid down on a sheet of fiberglass insulation. I had a similar reaction. My mom put honey and something else on it. I only remember the honey because I was warned strongly not to lick it. I wonder if a flooring person has some advice.
Good grief! What an ordeal you have had.. So glad to know about this and you are a DIY dr. too!!! You are so talented and love your work.. Thanks for posting it all..
Did you ever contact the maker of these boards to see what the products are and how best to cut them? Such an ordeal, my goodness….makes you wonder what other people use when they cut them!
Very interesting reaction on this. There is a posted warning regarding exposure to wood dust, which can cause irritation, ulceration, and dermatitis; but, you have done a woodworking and been dusty prior to working with this material. I’d be curious to know if there were any changes in working conditions between this exposure and other exposures. I know that some reactions can be made worse if sweat is involved.
Good thinking with the Gorilla tape! Exfoliation (or in your case extreme exfoliation) has been known to ease dermatitis and skin irritations.
*source: I am a chemical engineer working in the occupational safety field (i.e. PPE and chemical exposures)
OMG, girl! Three weeks is too long to live with those skin eruptions, but, yes, it took me also three weeks of misery before I got my Rx ointment — from my family medicine/general practice doctor. He ordered clobetasol propionate, which cleared me up in 24-48 hours. So, not knowing your experiences with general practice doctors, I just offer my experiences with skin miseries. (By contrast, my board certified allergist declared there is no such thing as an allergy to the sun. Ha! My experiences say otherwise.)
But, aside from sympathies, I am writing to mention that, while you had an acute reaction to those fake wood boards, you might want to be aware of chronic exposure symptoms. The microscopic pieces of dust and detritus may have become airborne and spewed throughout the house by the hvac system. Just be alert, this exposure, combined with virus infections and winter weather exposure, may cause worse or longer lasting effects.
I love your diy projects, reading through your thought processes, and viewing all the photos!
Although a medical doctor may not have given you any cream that would have worked, they could have given you steroids that may have decreased your inflammatory reaction. That, in conjunction with what you did, may have decreased your misery a bit.
I am so glad you have managed to find some way to get relief ,you need a full Hazmat suit like they wear in Forensics and a full face mask it really does sound like Fibreglass fibres it is so miniscule you cant see it floating about in the air and you got exposed to a massive amount of dust, it`s not worth the risk get covered head to foot including full head covering
Did you try using a tile cutter instead of sawing? Example at Home Depot: 13 in. Magnum Edge Flooring Cutter for Laminate Flooring, Engineered and Solid Wood, Parquet, Luxury Vinyl Tile
by Bullet Tool
I had to cut each board lengthwise twice (I cut the tongue and groove off of each board), so any type of non-powered manual cutter wouldn’t have worked.
Could it be the carbide from the blade itself? Ouch!!