Allergies?

[Bimmerbill]

Had some slight wheezing in my chest and went to the docs. Got an x-ray but x-ray turned out negative for pneumonia. Gave me some Proventil (albuteral?) that doesn't seem to do a thing.

Doc asked if any allergies or history of asthma. None at all.

Was wheeze free all weekend, but after coming home tonight I have a wheeze again. Only on deep breathing (in and out), slight rice crispie like gurgle. Clear runny nose and slight sore throat that comes and goes in the late afternoon.

Sounds like allergies, but how do I track down the culprit? I eat the same stuff, live in the same place, do the same things, same pet, etc. Only thing changing is the season, but it never bothered me before.

Its pretty frustrating, coming off of 4 straight months of cold after cold thanks to DDs first year in daycare! I just am sick of being sick!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

For most it's not worth tracking down the specific allergen - usually some pollen. Ask your doctor about a course of inhaled (not systemic) steroids.

Our season is over but up north it's full blast for allergy sufferers.

 

[Martha]

I have asthma and getting a cold can really set off the "wheezy gurgles" of asthma. You might find that it goes away after you treat it for a while (Rich's inhaled steroids like Flovent or Advair) and come off your string of colds.

Or no.

You might want to see an allergist if it doesn't go away. I am very allergic to mold and dust mites. I should move to the desert, probably the only real solution. I also am allergic to cats to the extent that I cannot breath if I spend more than a few minutes in a room with cats. Same with a moldy place. I am allergic to pollens as well. So you can see that it is next to impossible to stay away from the problems and even hard to pin them down.

To help with those kind of allergies I keep my bedroom very clean. No open windows. No clutter to collect dust. Curtains that get washed once a month. Nothing on the walls. A platform bed that I can easily clean under. Swiffers are my friend as they don't kick up dust as you dust. Wood floors with no throw rugs. New pillows every 6 months. New pillow case every couple of days. Wash all the blankets and mattress pad every month with the curtains. Despite the clean livin' I have to use a steroid asthma inhaler as well as a steroid nasal spray (which is quite safe) and use an albuteral emergency inhaler. I gave up on antihistimines, they just don't help me enough to matter. Usually once a year I end up on prednisone because of an allergy problem.

No one in our building is allowed to have cats. Which works as we own the building.

Just my personal experiences.

 

[Khan]

I have asthma and getting a cold can really set off the "wheezy gurgles" of asthma. You might find that it goes away after you treat it for a while (Rich's inhaled steroids like Flovent or Advair) and come off your string of colds.

Or no.

You might want to see an allergist if it doesn't go away. I am very allergic to mold and dust mites. I should move to the desert, probably the only real solution. I also am allergic to cats to the extent that I cannot breath if I spend more than a few minutes in a room with cats. Same with a moldy place. I am allergic to pollens as well. So you can see that it is next to impossible to stay away from the problems and even hard to pin them down.

To help with those kind of allergies I keep my bedroom very clean. No open windows. No clutter to collect dust. Curtains that get washed once a month. Nothing on the walls. A platform bed that I can easily clean under. Swiffers are my friend as they don't kick up dust as you dust. Wood floors with no throw rugs. New pillows every 6 months. New pillow case every couple of days. Wash all the blankets and mattress pad every month with the curtains. Despite the clean livin' I have to use a steroid asthma inhaler as well as a steroid nasal spray (which is quite safe) and use an albuteral emergency inhaler. I gave up on antihistimines, they just don't help me enough to matter. Usually once a year I end up on prednisone because of an allergy problem.

No one in our building is allowed to have cats. Which works as we own the building.

Just my personal experiences.

Can't the pillows be washed?

(I have no respiratory allergies.)

 

[Martha]

Can't the pillows be washed?

(I have no respiratory allergies.)

I do wash the pillows and recycle them for spouse and for other rooms. But trial and error has found I do best with new every six months.

 

[Rambler]

DW never had allergy problems until she was pregnant with our first child and has struggled ever since. It is allergy season in Japan now and she has to take a couple pills that she can get here but not in the US (one has some kind of steroid but not prednisone). Just when she thinks the season is winding down, we go to california, and it knocks her for a loop for another couple months. Just plain old dust does not seem to bother her. I'm trying to figure out what to do to help her stay comfortable once we move back to the state, because nothing the doc has given her helps at all...seldane, claritin, whatever. For her it is the sinuses, and itchy eyes, ears and throat, but no wheeze.

R

 

[Urchina]

I use a room-sized air filter during pollen season here. Helps, but not a lot (probably because it's a relatively cheap one from our local hardware store and not the $1000 one from the high-end place). Maybe look at allergen filtration systems on a heat pump or other form of heating/cooling?

 

[Martha]

Urchina, even the expensive ones don't work all that well.