Formaldehyde allergy Anatomy Lab PLEASE HELP!

[omgwtfbbq?]

I've always been sensitive to chemicals, but figured i'd deal with anatomy lab with a respirator mask. But my school now has a year long anatomy lab, which means these cadavers are being dealt with for a long time. I figure i'll deal.


So I'm working on some short stories set in a mortuary and i go to interview our friendly local mortician. I go into a room where formaldehyde has just been used. I start wheezing, get dizzy, start getting red spots on my hands where i touched something and basically feel like i'm having an asthma attack.

Try again later, and poof, happens again. So the guy is really nice (we've spoken before on the phone) and I put on a respirator mask which he has when he works with a lot of chemicals. go back into the room. again, just from whatever's in the air my skin starts to itch and i get red and blotchy.


So what in the bloody hell do i do about anatomy lab? I'm not about to drop out of medical school, since i won't be working on preserved cadavers for my entire career. but do i have options? at all? anyone else in this situation? HELP ME! i'm freaking out and school starts on the 1st of august....

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[Cirrus83]

Maybe it's not the formaldehyde but something else that's giving you problems?

Well, you could always wear a full hazmat suit, but I dunno if that would be the most fun thing. Still...

 

[shivasHeroLike]

perhaps consult with the head of anatomy department or professor about your health issue.
i'm sure they will work with you to figure out an alternative plan.

 

[Husky85]

yea, definately talk to someone at the school. they may already have the cadavers and might be able to let you come in while they do the prep work for the incoming M1's and you could experiment with different kinds of protective equipment to see how extreme you'd have to go to adequately protect yourself.

that way you can order plenty of respirator masks or hazmat suits or surgical gowns or whatever you figure out that you need and get them in time for day 1.

no way would they tell you to forget medicine...that would be asking for a lawsuit.

best of luck!

😎

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

ah, the hazmat suit... multi-purpose, right? I'll be ready to dissect a cadaver and to go into the amazon jungles to treat rare strange bleeding diseases. 🙂 jk


have you guys ever seen a student who has had some kind of... i don't know.. some kind of something worked out to deal with this kind of problem? (or am i a special brand of freak? heh)

 

[Meatwad]

Tough situation. Like the others have been saying, hazmat suit sounds like the best idea. Nothing will get on your skin or into your lungs.

I should go huff some formaldehyde so I can find out before I [insert "hopefully" here] get into medical school if I'm allergic or not.

 

[Flopotomist]

are you SURE it is the formaldehyde and not latex or some other substance you are coming into contact with?

 

[SoCuteMD]

ah, the hazmat suit... multi-purpose, right? I'll be ready to dissect a cadaver and to go into the amazon jungles to treat rare strange bleeding diseases. 🙂 jk


have you guys ever seen a student who has had some kind of... i don't know.. some kind of something worked out to deal with this kind of problem? (or am i a special brand of freak? heh)

I'm sure there is a way around this. I agree with Flopotomist that this may be something other than formalin. Are you sensitive to latex?

I suggest calling your dean's office to discuss your options. If I've discovered one thing in the last two years of medical school it's that once you are accepted, they want to keep you there - most dean's offices will go out of their way to help you. If you live near your medical school, maybe you could go do a "test run" in the anatomy lab there to see if it's a problem. If not, maybe a medical school near you would let you try. Let us know what happens.

 

[nabs86]

I agree with the above posters about talking to the Dean at your school. I'm sure they will do their best to accommodate you. I would also suggest that you see your doctor. Maybe he/she can give you some suggestions or prescribe something that will help.

 

[Law2Doc]

are you SURE it is the formaldehyde and not latex or some other substance you are coming into contact with?

Third this. It is a far more common allergy. And more important to know about ahead of time, because you will have to avoid certain types of gloves and coverings throughout your career, long past anatomy. But if it is the formalin then you need to talk to your prof.

It could also be an anxiety thing.

 

[deleted77919]

It appears to me that a round of allergy testing would be appropriate, this way you can know what it is that you are reacting to, and this will help formulate the best work around. Would a hazmat suit work? Probably. But why go through that hassel when the solution might simply be nitrile instead of latex?

 

[logos]

perhaps consult with the head of anatomy department or professor about your health issue.
i'm sure they will work with you to figure out an alternative plan.

Yep. There were some people at our school that had some (less severe) issues. The anatomy professors really went out of their way to help deal with it.

 

[Critical Mass]

FWIW, our cadavers were not preserved with formalin. I don't believe that any formaldehyde was infused into our specimens.

Our bodies were pickled in phenol which is probably more irritating than formalin.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

Hi folks, thanks for your input. As for the question of latex allergy - no, i'm not allergic to latex (definitely not) and i've had complete rounds of generalized allergy testing to make sure it isn't some common "it's in everything kind of thing."

Which means that I was reacting to one of the two things present in the "pickling" - the formaldehyde or, as someone in another post mentioned, phenol present. Which makes me need to bring up how stupendously allergic to strong concentrations of phenol I am (i left a very long lab job because of it, low grade, but chronic problems that got out of control). Funny, i'm not allergic to anything else. Not grass, not animals, I can even handle smog like a champ (i'm an ex new yorker) .....


.... so.... at this point I'm wondering what was done for the students who some of you said shared my problem to a lesser degree? How'd they manage? Do any of you guys have these year long anatomy labs? (i'm assuming they're using even more chemicals to keep the bodies from going to dust on us...)

I appreciate the insights and just wanted to let you know that the allergies are definitely to chemicals. Any hints as to how to approach the dean or what you've seen people realistically do and still be able to participate fully helps. THANKS!

-omgwtfbbq?

 

[jdh71]

Honestly, I do not think this is a big deal. I grew tired of anatomy lab soon into medical school and kind of stopped going, but still did well in anatomy. It is the concepts that are really, really important 1st year. The practical aspects of anatomy that surgeons use is learned during residency training - surgery and cadaver disection are NOT the same nor are they all that similar.

The one bigger problem you may run into is the anatomy practical. Photos of the tagged cadavers is not the same as being able to see them 3D.

The truth is based on the rash, itching, wheezing - you have a REAL and possibly deadly allergy to something. You cannot for health reasons spend time in the lab; this is obvious to anyone who hears your symptoms (with a good histamine blockade and albuterol you may able to do this for the hour the practical would take, but I'm not conviced that would be wise or ethical based on your symptoms). Outside of anatomy lab you will never need to be around a cadaver again so this is NOT a deal breaker. Tell your school NOW so they can prepare - that's a mark of professionalism. Hints for the dean? Tell him/her your symptoms - end - of - story.

And remember . . . anatomy is given first because it's probably the easiest class. You'll have bigger fish to fry. Good luck.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

Jdh.. thanks, I'm going to go to the dean as soon as I get back into town.
I'll be back on the 18th of July, but school starts on August first. I hate cutting it that close, but had I known about this sooner.... well... i wouldn't be cutting it that close I suppose. I hope they don't look down on me for the sudden dropping of this bomb.

It's good to know that I won't have to deal with cadaver labs afterwards and that it's not pivotal to a future in surgery, which is ideally what I'd like to have. I don't think my school allows you to cut lab, unfortunately. They have a lot of PBL and group based things that are required and i think lab is one of them, but maybe I'll get lucky 🙂 I'd be so much less stressed if it was our first class, but they've made lab a year long to go with each unit (i bet that smells fantastic near the end) It is good to hear from everybody that they think this is solvable and not grounds for a roast in my name. Although, they may make me take the class picture in a hazmat suit just to shame me 😉

 

[samenewme]

Jdh.. thanks, I'm going to go to the dean as soon as I get back into town.
I'll be back on the 18th of July, but school starts on August first. I hate cutting it that close, but had I known about this sooner.... well... i wouldn't be cutting it that close I suppose. I hope they don't look down on me for the sudden dropping of this bomb.

It's good to know that I won't have to deal with cadaver labs afterwards and that it's not pivotal to a future in surgery, which is ideally what I'd like to have. I don't think my school allows you to cut lab, unfortunately. They have a lot of PBL and group based things that are required and i think lab is one of them, but maybe I'll get lucky 🙂 I'd be so much less stressed if it was our first class, but they've made lab a year long to go with each unit (i bet that smells fantastic near the end) It is good to hear from everybody that they think this is solvable and not grounds for a roast in my name. Although, they may make me take the class picture in a hazmat suit just to shame me 😉

That is cutting it close. Call or e-mail the dean to give a heads-up and schedule an appointment for when you come in to talk about it in more detail. You may have to fill out a formal ADA request with documentation from your physician or something and the dean may want time for faculty to come up with possible solutions.

 

[Law2Doc]

That is cutting it close. Call or e-mail the dean to give a heads-up and schedule an appointment for when you come in to talk about it in more detail. You may have to fill out a formal ADA request with documentation from your physician or something and the dean may want time for faculty to come up with possible solutions.

Agree. Depending on what kind of accomodation they are willing to do, you have to give them time to do it. Email them now and give them the extra couple of weeks at least.

 

[RainerMaria]

I just want to say that Phenol allergies are real. I just came from my Occ Health / Primary Care Provider who has seen this before. Every year there are a few kids that get a really bad reaction to the Phenol in the lab. Signs include headache, lethargy, rhinitis, etc. If you have shortness of breath or wheezing you need to get checked ASAP! Number 1 thing you need to do is accept that you need to wear a respirator, NOT A MASK. A surgical mask will simply concentrate the fumes and do harm. Drink lots of water, see your dean / occ health and get this checked out. Also, make sure to take a shower immediately after lab and wear clothes underneath, and to wear clean scrubs. Get rid of facial hair and wash hair regularly. Nitrile gloves will also prevent seeping in. Also get a saline nasal spray to get that crap out of your system. 👍

Also, keep in touch with the dean as they say above to keep them in the loop. But phenol sensitivity is not unheard of, especially in labs where there is low ventilation.

 

[FlowLimited]

I just want to say that Phenol allergies are real. I just came from my Occ Health / Primary Care Provider who has seen this before. Every year there are a few kids that get a really bad reaction to the Phenol in the lab. Signs include headache, lethargy, rhinitis, etc. If you have shortness of breath or wheezing you need to get checked ASAP! Number 1 thing you need to do is accept that you need to wear a respirator, NOT A MASK. A surgical mask will simply concentrate the fumes and do harm. Drink lots of water, see your dean / occ health and get this checked out. Also, make sure to take a shower immediately after lab and wear clothes underneath, and to wear clean scrubs. Get rid of facial hair and wash hair regularly. Nitrile gloves will also prevent seeping in. Also get a saline nasal spray to get that crap out of your system. 👍

Also, keep in touch with the dean as they say above to keep them in the loop. But phenol sensitivity is not unheard of, especially in labs where there is low ventilation.

This thread was started two years ago.

 

[njbmd]

So what in the bloody hell do i do about anatomy lab? I'm not about to drop out of medical school, since i won't be working on preserved cadavers for my entire career. but do i have options? at all? anyone else in this situation? HELP ME! i'm freaking out and school starts on the 1st of august....

Have you spoken with your school's administration? You certainly won't be the first person to have problems with the preservatives used in the Gross Anatomy lab and you won't be the last. Go to the dean and find out your options.

 

[DeadCactus]

A hazmat suit? Really? That's people's honest suggestion? Go talk to the admin and find a way to be excused from anatomy lab. They can probably figure out another way to test you for practicals and dissection isn't the most high-yield task in medical school...

 

[reedman]

A hazmat suit? Really? That's people's honest suggestion? Go talk to the admin and find a way to be excused from anatomy lab. They can probably figure out another way to test you for practicals and dissection isn't the most high-yield task in medical school...

I agree.

Dissection is meant to help you learn, but if you can find a way to understand the anatomy another way the admins should be fine with it. They spend a lot of time and money getting you into med school. They probaly wont kick you out for any medical reason.

 

[orthomyxo]

This thread was started two years ago.

Yea, lol. The OP is finished with Gross Anatomy by now .

 

[Mattabet]

I wonder what happened.

If I were a betting man, the odds table would go something like this:

2:1 chance they got there on the first day and no reaction at all.
4:1 chance had to do anatomy practicals via videotape.
8:1 chance KIA on first day in dissection... thus we don't hear about the outcome.

 

[ChemEngSoonMD]

Natural Selection, its a b****. I saw a post made by a horse the other day, he wanted to be a surgeon, but he found out he didn't have opposable thumbs.

 

[Dissected]

I loved seeing people's responses to revived threads.

I think a hazmat suit would be pretty awesome, at least for a little while. It would probably get old fast though..

 

[Queenofspades]

I'm a non-traditional applying to premed schools and I already know I'm hugely reactive to formaldehyde, likely also phenol with my luck. Was really glad to read this and I'm now pre-emptively planning and purchsing my goggles, respirator and nitrile gloves in advance.

Thanks everyone!