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HUNTLY

Aberdeenshire

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5th Jan, 2002

Dr Gordon Carter

Huntly Health Centre

Dear Dr Carter

Just previous to your last home visit (about 3 months ago) I hit yet another chemical crisis involving my bedding in the garden shed were, as you know, I sleep and largely live. This meant, as always when it happens, that not only am I being chemically assaulted by the indoor environment of my home throughout the day, (with the corresponding range of difficult and disturbing symptoms that this produces), but that the chemical poisoning continues all night also in the garden shed. The devastating impact on ones health after only a few days and nights of this relentless kind of poisoning really has to be experienced to be believed. This crisis proved to be only the first of some five or six (or seven?) incidents which, between them, has made the use of about 80% of my makeshift mattress and bedding totally unusable. I have been for some time now surviving like some kind of animal in my shed. Having to try and sleep through an almost overwhelming range of incessant, and extremely unpleasant, physiological and neurological symptoms, while literally freezing in sub-zero temperatures even though fully dressed in multiple layers of clothes, and while lying on almost bare wooden planking. My situation would soon destroy the physical and psychological health of any healthy person.

I cannot continue like this any longer Doc. The pain thing in my chest (discussed previously) and the bad pains in my sides, lower back, and upper legs, are directly related to the amount of toxic injury I am exposed to. While exposed to the triggering toxin(s) the symptom level increases dramatically. When the source of the triggering toxin(s) is/are identified and removed symptom levels rapidly decrease and, finally, given a bit of time, stop altogether – until the next chemical crisis. Every iteration of that loop sees my overall health condition emerge worse than it was the time before. Organ failure, or perhaps even a complete system collapse, cannot be much further ahead of me now. I can’t afford to wait any longer. We have to talk. You have to start taking this more seriously than you have to date Doc because the status quo here is, I have no doubt now whatsoever, quite literally killing me.

As I see it the only real way forward here is for me to somehow, if actually needed, convince you of a few things. One, that my MCS condition is real (and not just a theory of mine - and the growing army of other sufferers). Two, that my M.E.+ MCS combination is serious enough, under the ongoing prevailing circumstances, to be considered as life threatening, either directly via some kind severe toxic reaction, (and I have already had many of these), or indirectly via some kind of organ failure due to repeated and ongoing toxic assaults on my whole physical being.

I have shopped about for some supporting way to present this to you Doc and have enclosed here a document written by an eminent American Neuropsychologist - Sheila Bastien Ph.D. It lays out the realities of MCS for you better than I could ever hope to do. It is a substantial 10-page document but I hope you can find the time to read it through. The evidence for the reality of the condition is out there Doc – one just has to look for it. And the evidence that I truly suffer from it should be obvious.

I guess I need to know from you Doc if you actually accept that MCS is physically real? Then I need to know from you weather or not that you accept that I am genuinely suffering from it. If not then I need you to tell me so now - as I really can’t last much longer as things are. And if, as I hope, you do accept both of the above then I need you to act on that Doc and get firmly behind me with regard to interfacing with Social Services, Housing Departments, and, when required Welfare Benefit Offices.

For example Doc, as I am typing this to you I am struggling just to breathe properly. My whole system feels (and is) poisoned with the cocktail of indoor chemicals I am having to breathe. My head is swimming (etc, etc, etc, you pretty much know the rest). Soon I will have to go, as usual, to the garden shed for the night, (which usually is my recovery period for going through the whole indoor thing again next day), and I will either be poisoned all night again over there too (while I freeze) or, if the recent multi-wash of what is my last remaining duvet was successful then I will again be able to breath through the night - and will simply freeze. And will count that a blessing. But I know that if I simply had access to an oxygen bottle and mask then my life would be transformed for the better and the relentless toxic injury I am subjected to on a daily (and now nightly) basis would be reduced by an enormous extent. Enough, probably, for my system to stand a decent chance of recovering. I would probably also be able to live and sleep indoors like a normal human being if I were simply able to breathe fresh non-polluted air. For the lack of this one simple thing I have had to sleep and largely live in my garden shed for over four years now. I am now no longer prepared to quietly go on doing that. I want the chance Doc to put my case to whatever kind of consultant is responsible for the prescribing of said oxygen. I merit it ten times over.

I am also sending letters to Grampian Housing, and Brian Adam MSP about my situation here and I am hoping that between us something positive can be done to bring this ongoing misery to a long overdue end.

Please advise when I might expect my next home visit Doc. I have waited for you every Tuesday for the past 6 weeks or so without result. And it’s been a long and very tough three months I have just had.

Yours sincerely

Gordon McHendry

Tel: #####-###-###

Primary E-mail: gordon@gmch.worldonline.co.uk

Secondary E-mail: gordon@satori-5.co.uk

Website: http://www.satori-5.co.uk