What is causing my wife’s skin to feel sticky and why is she coughing up a clear substance?

Gerald W: What is causing my wife’s skin to feel sticky and why is she coughing up a clear substance?
Four years ago my wife coated a floor with polyurethane. Shortly afterwards she began to complain that her skin felt sticky and then she began to cough up and spit out a clear tasteless fluid. Her doctor said it was probably an allergic reaction to the polyurethane and it would eventually go away. Well, four years later she is no better, if anything worse. She constantly carries a cup to spit in and has to get up during the night to do the same thing. Has anyone else had experience with these symptoms?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Cora Monroe
That sounds very strange. I can’t imagine that it is possible to absorb polyurethane through your skin or into your lungs like this. I’ve coated my floors too – barefoot – and have never experienced this before. Have you tried getting rid of the polyurethane floor? Have the doctors checker her for asthma, pleuritis, any neurological disorders, COPD, allergies? Anything? Have they run an allergy panel or CBC? You might fight something out from these, but I would start by getting rid of the floor. Have her leave the house while doing so though, and by leave, I mean leave until the project is completely done. If she’s allergic to polyurethane, her symptoms could not be going away because she is constantly exposed to her allergen.