Yesterday I was sick. Like splitting-headache, nauseated, coming out both ends sick. (Sorry. I really should change this blog’s tagline to Too Much Information so I can stop apologizing.) This is not a new thing for me, especially since moving into La Vanne. And that’s why I’ve been having a come-to-Jesus talk with myself.
I have been in denial too long.
Here’s the thing: I thought I could hide behind this online persona and pretend to be normal (except for the flake thing, which I like to think endears me to all the other flakes out there), but I can’t hide any longer. I am not normal.
I have a health problem that is difficult to explain, so I gloss it over by saying, “Fragrances give me headaches.” But it’s a lot more complicated than that. The quick explanation is that somewhere along the line, my body became ultra sensitive, not just to the chemicals in fragrance but those in many other things as well. What most of us don’t realize or think about is that pretty much every modern convenience and comfort requires the use of toxic chemicals in its manufacture. If you want to be warm, comfortable, and plugged in, you have to tolerate a certain level of toxicity.
I can’t tolerate that level.
I had managed to avoid exposures to a lot of this by holing up in my apartment (except for grocery trips) for the last ten or fifteen years. So you can imagine the cabin fever that led to this adventure. But it also led to taking chances that I should know better than to take.
How it applies here: In order to have my laptop, iPod, Kindle, cell phone, and mifi hot spot so I can be online as much as I love to be, I needed a solar panel and a ‘house’ battery, in this case the cheaper, lead-acid type. When the panel is charging the battery, the chemicals inside it start to boil — and emit toxic fumes. That’s how I got sick. (These fumes are toxic for everyone, btw — I just get sicker, faster than most.)
So, after giving myself a stern talking to, and some serious thought about my options (1. get someone to drill a hole La Vanne to vent the fumes outside; 2. build a box to house the battery on the back bumper; or 3. buy a more expensive, safer battery that is sealed), I decided to go with option #3.
I don’t have the money for it right now, of course, so it will have to wait. Meanwhile, I gave the old battery to Mark, a fellow vandweller in camp who was willing to unhook and remove it for me.
That means I must conserve power for a few weeks. I won’t be hanging out on Facebook much, or watching movies on Netflix. But I’ll still be writing every day and blogging frequently.
I feel better already.
[Update: My uber-practical friend, Kate Newbill, suggested simply putting the battery outside the van — duh! I hadn’t thought of that, so I may borrow it back from Mark until I can buy the sealed battery in a few weeks. Thanks, Kate!] [Update #2: Kate also asked a good question that you may be wondering about as well: “Have you thought this through? Are you sure it’s a good idea to keep on with the vandwelling experiment?”The answer is yes. Vandwelling isn’t inherently any more toxic than apartment living in the city. In fact, if I’m careful, I can enjoy a much better level of air quality out here in nature — which is another big draw for me. The key is to be careful, and I haven’t been. That changes now.]
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Life is an experiment. I’m sorry you have more trouble with that than most people do. But, you are finding out what parts work for you and what parts don’t. I’m glad to see you keep on trying various things to find what works best for you. You WILL conquer this.
Yes, it is an experiment. The trouble is, I already learned this stuff but I told myself that it doesn’t apply to me any more because my health had improved so much in the past few years. Turns out it still applies and I need to be just as careful as ever. You’re right, I will conquer this, but only if I stop denying reality. One reality I’m starting to wonder about is Quartzsite. The air is very toxic here with all the diesel trucks and RVs, and it’s getting worse now that the Big Tent is about to open. I may have to move to cleaner air.
I have a friend who is very sensitive to fragrances and it is difficult for her to be in enclosed areas with people. She eventually got so bad, she quit her job and moved to Costa Rica. Hope you find a better place to settle in!
I went through a very similar trajectory, Lynn, though I holed up at home rather than moving out of the country. My poor son spent his teen years in near isolation because he couldn’t bring his friends home, and when he went to their homes, he had to shower and change clothes when he got back. Crazy! And of course, I was sure everyone thought that’s exactly what I was.
Can’t believe you wrote about this today, because I was just tracking you down to ask about getting some more details on your whole Solar set-up. I had looked into it, but it was too expensive for me at the time, and I couldn’t figure out where to put the battery so I didn’t cause exactly the problems you are having. So, have you covered the whole how-to-solar-set-up yet? If not, will you? I think that is one thing that people really want to know about. I for one, cannot live without my wi-fi. I don’t have as many toys as you do, but I want to stay in contact with the world.
I am having to move, and while looking for a room, I realize that even though I am working, I just don’t have the money to spend on a place, so me and my two cats are moving back into the van. Although it is about close to freezing in the mornings when I get off of graveyard shift, if I get a small electric blanket, or pad, and plug it into my converter, I can get my bed warmed up on the drive to my local Walmart for a day of snoozing.
I have also researched athletic gyms and local truck stops for showing facilities.
I will doing this for about 3 months until this seasonal job ends.
Would appreciate your input on the solar details. Thanks LaVonne 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Sue — I’ll get to work on that post right away. Funny, it didn’t occur to me that I could offer any useful information about vandwelling since I’m so new at it myself, or that my readers would be interested. Wrong!