Reaction to wood dust - extreme fatigue -unique?

[mrkurtz]

I worked on remodeling my old house for a number of years, and spent lots of time in my shop working with pine, fir, white oak, and occasionally cedar.

At one point I was working on a bench made of the white oak and the next morning I thought I had a sinus infection. The docs thought I was having a reaction, not sinus trouble.

Since then, I started using a 3hp dust collector that is set up in a room that is separate from my shop. I also have a Jet 1000 air cleaner on the ceiling, I wear a good respirator, and I try and keep things clean(er).

If I am not super-careful, as in running in and out of the shop for a few quick cuts or if I am just rummaging around the garage which I know raises dust, I suffer the consequences. It starts the same day, and lasts for 3 or 4 days.

 

I don’t seem to react the same way almost everybody on these woodworking websites does.

I read about skin irritations and coughing and swollen eyes. I can handle all the wood I want, and never any skin-hand redness or itching.

My nose gets a little stuffy, my ears feel stuffy, but my main symptom is that I get incredibly, tired, and I mean very, super, extremely exhausted. I have to take a nap. No choice. I have described it as flu-like symptoms. This lasts for at least 3 or 4 days.

 

I have checked in with my doctor, an allergist, a pulmonologist, a cardiologist, my sinus doc, and had my wellness checkup, i.e. blood tests, etc. They all seem to think I am in great shape. Nobody has explained the reaction or the fatigue.

 

As I see myself getting increasingly sensitized, I start to worry about the fact that I live in an old growth pine forest, that stacking firewood, or picking up pine needles will keep making things worse as time marches on.  

 

Yesterday I stood in the wood trim aisle in Home depot for 45 minutes, sorting through wood, (mostly poplar), and making calculations. I would think that HD would be cleaner than my shop, but maybe not. When I got home, the fatigue hit. Looking back, I am wondering if it could have been that I was handling the wood. Could I be absorbing bad stuff through my hands, even though there is no rash or redness or itching or anything?

 

My common sense says to give up woodworking, but my heart says no.

 

One of the things that drives me nuts, is that as much reading and research I have done, I have only read ONE post where somebody mentioned experiencing extreme fatigue.

 

At this time, I am thinking about contacting NASA to see if I can acquire a slightly used spacesuit. Or jumping into a bathtub of Plasti-Dip.

 

I would be so grateful to hear any responses if this overly long post resonates with anybody..jpg

[Mick S]

I have similar allergy-related symptoms, just not to wood dust. Pollen can make me feel like I have the flu.

You might consider an air filtration helmet, like the Trend or similar. Pricey, but so is going to the doctor. 

[Byrdie]

The typical reaction to dust inhalation, and not necessarily just wood dust, is respiratory.  Things like COPD, bronchitis, pneumonia and potentially lung cancer are the likely outcomes.  That being said, the purpose of the respiratory system is to oxygenate the blood system and one of the symptoms of a lack of oxygen is fatigue.  The fatigue you felt after sorting wood at Home Depot would be related to the physical activity you partook in and not the exposure to the raw wood.  That fatigue could, however, be related to your prior dust exposure and reduced lung capacity.  In that same regard, I wouldn't expect any complications from living near or in a pine forest unless the activities you partook also generated dust for you to inhale.

The fact that you have seen doctors and passed their tests doesn't mean you don't have a problem related to dust inhalation.  The testers are ranking you against a norm but that doesn't mean it's necessarily your norm.  If you were exceptionally physically fit prior to the onset of your issues your body will know the difference and react, even if your rated capacity according to medical testing is normal or better than normal.

Please note:  though life experiences have given me the opportunity to be more medically educated than many, I am not a doctor or a trained medical expert, nor have I ever played one on TV.  I am also not qualified to make a medical diagnosis let alone one from reading the symptoms of another as related via the internet.  What I can tell you is that through high school and college I was a tuba player and long distance runner with the lung capacity and resistance to fatigue that could be expected for either.  After years of having cut and baled my own hay on the hobby farm I used to live on, shoveling bedding and excrement in the barn on that same hobby farm and all the same time doing woodworking, none of the above with any sort of respiratory protection (pretty sure I thought I was immortal) I now have a slight tightness in my chest, a reduced lung capacity and, like you, significant fatigue.  I get my bursts of energy and at the same time am out of breath after a few flights of stairs.  Some of that is also attributable to getting older.

I'm better about reaching for respiratory protection now.  It's not going to improve the situation any but it will help slow it getting worse.

[legenddc]

Are you sure it's not something in your shop like mold or mice? Strange you've been to so many doctors and they all give you the all clear. Can you bring some wood into the allergist and have them monitor your breathing after handling it or throwing some sawdust in the air? 

My daughter has allergies and when she get it bad she starts wheezing and becomes extremely lethargic. An hour later she's running around the house only to be winded and tired again. It will last for a few days similar to what you describe.

[Tom King]

How much scraping paint have you done on your old house?   What is your resting heart rate?  

Please post picture of Old Growth Pine forest.

[Minnesota Steve]

I have a particularly bad reaction to spruce/fir/pine.   If I'm sawing SPF and not wearing a dust mask I will get the fatigue symptoms you speak of the next day.   It can be really bad to the point I just need to sleep and am barely responsive to the world.

Now I happen to know very well that I have allergies, and even take Claritin for it, but that doesn't help in this scenario.

Just being on a jobsite, or walking through home depots lumber yard can trigger it, although not nearly as bad as if I'm sawing.  

But  I just have to wear a dust mask to counteract this experience. 

[Bankstick]

FWIW, even though the doctors didn't find anything, there is definitely something wrong. Get other opinions.  Your problem isn't normal. I have asthma and allergies that didn't show up until I was 22. I knew a fellow who developed asthma in his early 40s.

Your health can change literally overnight. I had taken allergy shots for some time. July 5th I passed out from a reaction to the shots, drove over 100 yards down the turn lane and two westbound lanes and totaled my new car in a ditch. My allergist wanted to do a test to check my tolerance level. My PCP said no- you don't want anything that caused your problem; I agree.

[Coop]

I feel a whole lot better now with constant red and itchey eyes, after having heard your story. Hope you find the resolve bud! 

[Chestnut]

Have you tried any of the 24 hour allergy meds? I take zyrtec basically every day through the summer because of allergies to AC units. It's not actually to AC units but as soon as the AC turns on i get hit with allergies like what you describe until they shut off again in the fall. It takes a few days of taking it for it to hit full effect for me but after those 3 days i still have minor allergy symptoms but don't get the fatigue and nasal congestion.

The above is why I'm a northerner and will never change that. Winter is the best thing for people with allergies.

I think Claritin works well too if zyrtec doesn't do the trick. Or as your doctor about taking them or something? I don't know if they have a test for allergies to woods.......

[gee-dub]

Never used to bother me till I started woodworking pretty regular without proper dust collection.  Unfortunately, once your system gets abused it rarely recovers.  I have good DC now but, am on medication for the rest of my life.  This is why I go a bit psycho, now and then, when folks are nonchalant on DC threads; you hate to see anyone else go down that road  

[Bankstick]

Early on in life,  I developed a severe allergy to work. I retired in 2009 which cured it.

[Mark J]

Sucks that this has happened to you.  Not everyone who is exposed to wood dust develops hypersensitivity, but some will and it's impossible to know which camp you're in until you have the reactions.

While I can't explain the mechanism for the fatigue symptoms, I got the impression from what you wrote that your Doc's are saying it's allergic, because you don't have any other underlying ailment.  Certainly you've done enough "experiments" to prove the cause and effect link.

So there are a few things you can do.

You can give up woodworking and avoid all exposure to wood dust, including spending 45 minutes sorting dusty lumber in a aisle full of other stacks of dusty lumber-- I think that exposure may have been greater than you were giving it credit for (I don't think it was from skin contact).  

You want to keep your work space dust level as low as possible.  You've got a 3HP DC and an air filtration system, so check and check.  Maybe there's room for improvements in the collection fittings on your machines?  

A HEPA vac like the Festool for general clean up, but also dust collection from hand tools (e.g. sanders).  The Festool has an adjustment knob for the degree of vacuum and this is useful particularly with ROS.  In fact you may find that the Festool line of handheld power tools is suddenly worth the price premium due to their excellent dust collection.  

Even still there is going to be a level of dust in your workshop, so personal respiratory protection is advisable.  As previously suggested, a powered air filter like the Trend* might be a good idea.  These offer a pretty high level of respiratory protection.  A simple air filter mask like the Eclipse is also an option, though I find these difficult to manage with bifocals and safety glasses.  They are something you can easily bring to the lumber yard, though.  

 

*I have a Trend Airshield that I have been thinking of selling and replacing with a more expensive two part apparatus like the Versaflow or Airmate.  The Trend works great for flat work and even turning spindles, but most of the work I do is turning hollow forms where I'm bent over with my head twisted trying to peer inside.  The Trend is much less costly and might be a good solution for you.  PM me if you're interested.

[mrkurtz]

I want you all to know that I am very grateful for all these responses. It is heartening to know that people will take the time to read, reflect, and respond to questions like mine. This experience has helped reaffirm my faith in my fellow men. (People?).

Thank you all.

[Martin-IT]

 

 

a short series of video about dust control: 

 

[Fly2low]

I do not know what part of the country you are in, but when I hear of someone remodeling/working in an older home, I think of histoplasmosis - a fungal infection.  Can be very indolent. Have seen it a few times.  Fatigue can be part of the symptom picture - though you description does sound more allergic in nature