Did anyone in your congregation have "perfume allergies"?

by BonaFide 53 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BonaFide

  Over the years, in the congregations I have been in, there have been 4 different people with "perfume or cologne allergies." I think thats the way they described it. Anyway, they would always sit in the library, and at the bookstudy some years ago one sister would sit outside and comment through the window! Another sister would sometimes wear a white "surgical" mask in the Hall.

  The congregation I am attending now has a sister like that. She sits in the library or in the elders' room. Sometimes the brothers give talks about being sensitive to others needs and allergies.

  I am not criticizing those that have that allergies, I am allergic to a couple of things. Its just that I have never heard of this particular allergy or seen it in anyone other than a Witness. And also, it seemed to me that those that had it had unusual personalities as well.

  So, what you say?

  BF
• 

  jamiebowers

  I haven't been a jw for 21 years, but in the past 10 years or so, I've developed enough of an allergy to most pefumes that I sneeze several times in a row when first exposed to it. Maybe jws with such allergies don't want to disrupt the meeting with their coughing, sneezing and wheezing.
• 

  John Doe

  Yup. Knew a couple, both witnesses.
• 

  Mattieu

  BF, there is a bro in our hall who has allergies, he took up the entire 2 nd school room at the memorial, only those not wearing perfumes/colognes were allowed in there. What’s funny is that he catches a train to work every day with another JW who along with most of the other passengers are wearing perfumes, yet this has no effect on him at all. This “allergy” applies to only spiritual scents.

  The wife of our former C/O has many genuine allergies & dietary needs and an announcement would be made to the congo the week before the visit reminding us not to wear perfumes/after shaves for the week of the visit! She used to laugh about it with us and no one really minded as she was such a genuinely nice sister. Though I always used to wonder should we have warned all the householders she was going to meet during the week not to wear any colognes when they open the door for her…..

  Mattieu.

  PS - I have allergies too, so not knocking those of us with them…..
• 

  Blithe Freshman

  Yes, there were 3 in our cong. An elder's wife who had allergies to many things, stayed home and listened to meetings on the phone.An elder who had very strange strong reactions to some perfumes. A sister who had asthma triggered by indoor & outdoor pollution.

  The congregation had many needs talks , but few listened to the requests to stop wearing perfume, smelly hair products and especially hand lotions.There were some outspoken ones who thought it unreasonable to be asked to not wear their perfume.It was a dry climate and the constant putting on of hand lotion in meetings was strong.I think the more requests made the worse people were about smelling the place up.I remember being in the bathroom and watching a sister change the hand soap to one she liked instead of the unscented one and hiding air fresheners out of sight that she would spray the place down with.

  All of the "allergies" were strange reactions.I think they were suffering from stress and cognative disonance.

  The elder I heard was having emotional problems ( very angry)and had left the "truth". The sister left an emotional wreck and was eventually disfellowshipped.

  Blithe
• 

  darthfader

  Yes, my Wife suffered significantly with asthma related perfume allergies every time she went to the Hall. We would always sit in the back classrooms or library to avoid it, usually - with little success. I would often have to take her home shortly after the meeting was half over. I am sure that her reaction “enhanced” by the stress of the situations – we had to go to the emergency room on more than one occasion. Over time she eventually gave up attending – and we faded…

  Darth Fader
• 

  Kudra

  jeeeez. eye roll.

  There were these two sisters that developed "environmental sensitivities" or some such rot at the same time...

  They were always developing some syndrome or other, always sickly, but like, you kind of knew that they weren't, really...

  I listened to some thing on NPR the other day about "afflictions" such as those. They affect middle class, middle aged white women significantly more than any other group. This particular group seems to need some type of drama in their life, so it seemed from what the guest speaker had to say on NPR. Not a ton of money to do the activities that they really want to do and not poor enough to not have time for fakey illnesses (middle class); it seems to be less-than-fufilled, middle aged women that get these afflictions.

  Gosh- I really hope I never turn that direction...
• 

  Finally-Free

  In my last hall the PO's wife had that. She used to sit at the back of the hall wearing what looked like a gas mask.

  W
• 

  loosie

  Our circuit overseer's wife was allergic to everything. We weren't able to wear perfume hairspray or even wash our clothes with scented detergent the week she came to visit.
• 

  babel on

  i wish i would have known about this allergy when i was a kid! i could have told my parents i was listening on the phone while i played nintendo!