Respite and recuperation

I have developed sensitivity to ether, one of the main components of the wet-plate process. It causes me to have a condition similar to bronchitis. Because I've always had asthma, I suppose I should have been more cautious with the chemicals, but they didn't cause any problems until this spring.
I've developed some safeguards to deal with the problem, but right now I need to stay away from the chemicals and get back to life without making images. That means I've had to back out of an event in Ohio this weekend.
I don't know if I will be able to resume this method of photography, although there are other processes I could learn.