In many ways this disorder is invisible. When canaries can get out into the world at all, we don't usually look sick. People often assume that since they can't see anything wrong with us, it can't be serious.

But since we usually can't use medication for our physical problems, instead we have to be constantly on the alert for exposure to substances which we could react to. This makes for a rather complicated life, which most people have no idea of.

In this section of A Canary's-Eye View, I will describe some of the ways in which life is more complex for a canary — and how I deal with them.