allergy to second-hand smoke?

[simple girl]

Hi all,

I just returned from visiting my brother and his wife over New Year's Eve. We had a blast, but the vacation was soured by the fact that I came down with a nasty fever, headache, and sore throat Saturday night.

Now, this seems to happen every time we go visit them. They smoke a lot, and although they try to smoke outside/away from us, we still get a fair amount of smoke exposure. And, when they have a party or we go to a bar, about 90% of the people smoke, and I mean pretty much one lights up right after the other. A haze of smoke hangs in the bar.

Is it possible that I am allergic to second-hand smoke? The thing that seems strange to me is that it always is sort of a delayed onset - like 24 to 48 hours after exposure to a lot of smoke - and that it turns into a nasty cold with a fever (Saturday night my temp spiked to 102 degrees). I never heard of an allergy being associated with a fever, but this happens every time after prolonged exposure to a smoky bar. My fever continued all day yesterday and is almost gone today but the sore throat continues.

Sadly, this is really starting to limit my ability to party with bro and SIL.

 

[73ss454]

Only you can decide if it's worth getting sick and smelling like an ashtray is worth the night out with your Bro and SIL. I'd rather stay home and call them on the phone.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I agree with your hunch that it's not an allergy to second hand smoke, but certainly some people can get asthmatic reactions to it, along with temporary dryness of the throat, etc. And let's not forget a probably higher risk of lung cancer if the exposure is long-term (such as living with a smoker).

We have basically eliminated cigarette smokers from our social circle over time. Family's another issue but I feel your pain.

 

[Caoineag]

You have my sympathies. I have a father that smokes and I have to limit my contact because my reaction is fairly immediate and severe. Instant headache and nausea. I generally don't have a problem with smoker friends because they don't light cigarettes from cigarettes so the exposure is more limited.

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

Sadly, this is really starting to limit my ability to party with bro and SIL.

Maybe you should just stop visiting them during cold and flu season?

I wouldn't doubt that you are stressed about being exposed to the smoke which compromises your immune system and lets you catch something in the incubation chamber they call an airplane.

You could always go make a friend with a smoker who isn't sick, or smoke a couple yourself to test it.

If you don't have a reaction within a few minutes to an hour of exposure to something you likely don't have an allergy.

 

[summer2007]

Simple Girl

Thanks for posting that!

I have had the same thing happen to me when I'm around cigarette smoke or dogs and cats which I'm allergic to.

Of course I'm not a doctor so my guess on it is that is must weaken the defenses of your respiratory tract and that makes getting infected that much easier.

For me it started back in grade school. One of my best friends had a dog and cat and both of his parents were heavy smokers. I would get sick soon after being at his house. It ended up that I noticed that lets say I got sick 10 times in 3years...well 8 of the ten times it was right after being around dogs and cats or cigarette smoke.

I have told others this and I don't think they take me seriously.

And I know how it is to have friends that smoke. One of my best friends would have parties at his house and everyone but me and one girl that was a cancer survivor smoked. I really wanted to see my friend but breathing in 10 other peoples second hand smoke for 5 hours was just about intolerable.

Second hand smoke kills 50,000 NON smokers a year in the United States....so IMO it can also make you feel sick.

Also think about the double standard when it comes to laws. It all depends on HOW you die that gets peoples attention.


Jim

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

If you don't have a reaction within a few minutes to an hour of exposure to something you likely don't have an allergy.

Allergic reactions can be delayed by many hours. The rapid type is from a different kind of antibody than the delayed kind but both can be mild or severe. You might be thinking of the anaphylactic type which can result in sudden death (e.g. peanuts) but even that has a delayed version, too.

 

[simple girl]

Maybe you should just stop visiting them during cold and flu season?

I wouldn't doubt that you are stressed about being exposed to the smoke which compromises your immune system and lets you catch something in the incubation chamber they call an airplane.

You could always go make a friend with a smoker who isn't sick, or smoke a couple yourself to test it.

If you don't have a reaction within a few minutes to an hour of exposure to something you likely don't have an allergy.

Well, it may not be a true allergy, but something is going on. My husband flies back with me, is exposed to the same amount of smoke, and this never happens to him. We both have flown multiple times to see his family in the cold and flu season, and I have never ended up with a cold after visiting them.

So, it may not be a true allergy, but I think Summer could be on to something about it weakening my defenses and making it easier for me to catch something. Perhaps my immune system is sensitized to smoke. So, whether you call it an allergy or not, it has happened enough times to make me question what is going on.

That's all. Thanks for everyone's feedback. Not looking for a debate here.

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

Simple Girl

Second hand smoke kills 50,000 NON smokers a year in the United States....so IMO it can also make you feel sick.

That number is purely manufactured by the anti-smoking lobby. There has never been a death certificate with second hand smoke as the cause of death.

The closest thing to an actual study was a meta-study the EPA did just cross referencing lung cancer deaths from people who hadn't smoked in the ten years before they died. They estimated 3000 deaths a year may have been caused by second hand smoke.

 

[Caroline]

I spent 4 days with my Aunt in November. She smokes like a chimney (but she's 86, so whaddya gonna do?)

After 4 days I was wheezy, lightheaded, sick to my stomach, and headachy. Had the sore throat too, and it all took a day and a half to clear up after I left.

Allergy, scmallergy -- no matter what you call it, it stinks! Take CARE of yourself!

 

[TromboneAl]

I was in the dentist's office waiting room when a smoker came in. The room instantly filled with the smell of smoke. Glad I didn't have to work on her teeth.

 

[73ss454]

That nicotine addition must be real strong. I can't imagine why anyone would want to smell like that. I can understand why people can't quit my problem is how did anyone get past that stink and start.

 

[Meadbh]

That number is purely manufactured by the anti-smoking lobby. There has never been a death certificate with second hand smoke as the cause of death.

Not so sure about that.

Second-hand smoke is a real threat - Profile Heather Crowe

The closest thing to an actual study was a meta-study the EPA did just cross referencing lung cancer deaths from people who hadn't smoked in the ten years before they died. They estimated 3000 deaths a year may have been caused by second hand smoke.

Or that either.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/pubs/tobac-tabac/second-guide/effects-effets-eng.php

 

[simple girl]

OK, I thought I didn't have anything more to add, but I just read a little bit about vasomotor rhinitis. It really sounds possible this could be what is going on with me (except still no explanation for the fever part. That's just weird.).

Vasomotor rhinitis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My nose constant runs, especially when I exercise, step into the cold, or eat spicy foods, etc., etc. I keep the Kleenex company in business, LOL.

I will be trying the saline rinse soon...my husband, who has true allergies to other things and has constant nasal drip, swears by this. Now if I can just stand doing it...tried it once before and it was such a weird sensation!

OK, I'm sure this is much more than any of you ever wished to know about my nose! Hopefully, though, I will be able to find some things I can do to help reduce my reaction to being around smoke. I only see my brother once or twice a year, and I love him dearly, so I am willing to put up with the smoky smell as long as I don't actually get physically sick from it. And he really does try to smoke away from me, so it's not like he isn't being sensitive to my problem.

 

[Martha]

T. There has never been a death certificate with second hand smoke as the cause of death.

It wouldn't be as the immediate cause might be a heart attack or cancer.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

It wouldn't be as the immediate cause might be a heart attack or cancer.

Exactly. Or stroke or bladder cancer or esophageal cancer or throat cancer or emphsema ...

It's a dose response thing. Inhale the equivalent of a third of a pack per day as a second-hand smoke inhaler living with a pack a day smoker, and you might not be as bad off as the smoker, but you're worse off than a pure nonsmoker. I see it very day.

Death certificates do not ask if the victim was a second-hand smoker.

 

[Nords]

Well, it may not be a true allergy, but something is going on. My husband flies back with me, is exposed to the same amount of smoke, and this never happens to him. We both have flown multiple times to see his family in the cold and flu season, and I have never ended up with a cold after visiting them.

I grew up with smoking parents (who could quit anytime they wanted and did so hundreds of times) and never noticed second-hand smoke until I started college. When I came home on breaks the same thing started happening to me. It's not whether the air is blue with smoke but rather the allergens in the carpeting, upholstery, curtains, and clothing. Every time someone sits down on a cushion the stuff is puffed airborne again.

When submarine crews shut the hatches and get underway, everyone is sniffling & coughing the first week with a respiratory infection... I think it's a rotavirus. It usually clears up by the second week as everyone's immune systems adjust. But if a few new people come aboard on the third week, then the entire crew is sick again for another week with a different virus. Our kid has the same symptoms when her school reconvenes after a break, especially a long break where people were traveling off-island.

When the smoking lamp was lit on submarines, the control room would literally be blue-gray with smoke. It didn't take long to feel tired, but that was a normal underway condition and hard to distinguish from chronic fatigue. (I used to develop bronchitis a couple times a year and pneumonia every 2-3 years.) However when smoking onboard was gradually phased out in the 1990s the number of respiratory infections dropped right along with the smoking lamp being put out.

So you may experiencing a combination of second-hand smoke allergies and also swapping viruses with people who you don't see very often... as well as possibly being in a stressful, alcohol-soaked environment!

 

[tmm99]

I also think smoke compromises your immune system and that's why you get a cold/fever. (Sore throat and headache can be caused by 2ndhand smoke but I am not sure if the 2ndhand smoke causes a fever.)

Since this is your family and all, why don't you try 500mg of Vit C a day starting a week before you arrive there until you get back? At least that way, you could probably avoid getting a cold/fever after your visit.

 

[Dreamer]

That nicotine addition must be real strong. I can't imagine why anyone would want to smell like that. I can understand why people can't quit my problem is how did anyone get past that stink and start.

I can help you understand that, at least from my point of view. I hated the smell and the taste of smoking cigarettes, but I was bound and determined to overcome it, so that I could look older and cool. The year was 1971 and I had just turned 18. I looked a lot younger though. Well, I persevered and became a cigarette smoker. I did not become cool, but I probably did start to look older, since cigarettes are very hard on your skin. I became an addicted smoker and tried several times to stop over the years. I finally stopped for good 12/31/86. I can not believe that I was ever stupid enough to start and did not have the willpower to stop for such a long time. My money literally went up in smoke during that time. My son and I both had bronchitis several times per year. The only time that I did not smoke during that time was when I was pregnant. I did not want to hurt my unborn child. However, I did smoke in the house after he was born. I am not the smartest person around. I will say that I grew up in an atmosphere where most of my relatives smoked. My brother died of lung cancer, shortly after he turned 45, on my birthday in 2001. He had quit smoking two years prior to his death. I hate being around cigarette smoke now and I am hardly around it anymore.

 

[73ss454]

Dreamer, I grew up in a house where both my parents smoked. I can remember laying on the floor of our living room and looking up at the clouds of smoke in the room and the yellowing ceilings. I used to go into my room to get away from the stink. My Mom died of lung cancer and it was a horrible thing to watch. She had also stopped, but almost 50 years of smoking did her in.

I never saw smoking as something that was cool. Friends I had growing up who started to smoke quickly became people I tried to avoid.

Sorry but I never did get it. Why anyone would want to set tobacco on fire and suck it into their lungs is just beyond me.

 

[DallasGuy]

I get headaches and bloodshot eyes if I breath in too much second hand smoke. It can't be good for me.

With all of the evidence pointing towards the many health problems caused by smoking and second hand smoke, I'm constantly amazed when people argue that it's a freedom to smoke in public indoor buildings (bars included). I live in Dallas and I never thought I'd see the day when they banned smoking in bars here....but come April 1st, you won't be able to smoke in them here.....THANK GOD! Now I can have a beer in a bar without smelling like an ashtray when I get home.

 

[Urchina]

I have allergic reactions to cigarette smoke, too -- nausea, pounding headaches, itchy eyes, stuffed-up head, general blech. Hate the stuff.

I suspect that it's possible, though not terribly common, for fever to be a symptom of allergy, since they're both involved in immune response. Another possibility is... lack of sleep. When I used to pull all-nighters in college and grad school, I'd run a fever the next day (or days, until I got sufficient sleep). It was usually low-grade, about 100 degrees F or so. Never chills, just a fever, and pretty constant until I got the sleep I needed. I still have problems with regulating body temperature when I'm going without sleep, but it's not as prominent as it was in college (probably because I generally take better care of myself now).

When you go to see your bro, are your sleep patterns disrupted?

Probably, though, you're just getting sick because of the travel and smoke.

 

[simple girl]

I have allergic reactions to cigarette smoke, too -- nausea, pounding headaches, itchy eyes, stuffed-up head, general blech. Hate the stuff.

I suspect that it's possible, though not terribly common, for fever to be a symptom of allergy, since they're both involved in immune response. Another possibility is... lack of sleep. When I used to pull all-nighters in college and grad school, I'd run a fever the next day (or days, until I got sufficient sleep). It was usually low-grade, about 100 degrees F or so. Never chills, just a fever, and pretty constant until I got the sleep I needed. I still have problems with regulating body temperature when I'm going without sleep, but it's not as prominent as it was in college (probably because I generally take better care of myself now).

When you go to see your bro, are your sleep patterns disrupted?

Probably, though, you're just getting sick because of the travel and smoke.

Uh, yeah, guilty as charged. We are up til 2 a.m. or so (my brother likes to party, and he is a lot of fun, so....twist my arm....). So, you make a valid point. I imagine it is all of the factors thrown together.

That's interesting about the lack of sleep causing you to run a low grade fever.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I am not unsympathetic to smokers who want to stop but have addiction-like hooks to cigarettes. But I must admit I take a perverse sense of justice when I travel and see the smokers locked into a plexiglass smokers' cage in the terminal. At least I don't have to inhale it.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I was in one of those rooms, Rich, right before my 14 hour flight to New Zealand in 2004. It seemed pretty stupid at the time, but I did it any way. I'm very glad to have quit for good shortly after that.