Are these allergy symptoms?

[Chile Pepper]

When my younger son had the prick test, he had a reaction to the control but not the specific allergens, showing that he does have allergies, just not to those specific things. Everyone in the family is allergic to something, and we've seen great improvement after reassessing our living space. The usual recommendations are

--no pets in the house
--no indoor plants
--no carpets
--minimal knickknacks (dust collectors)
--no stuffed animals, especially on the bed
--no smoking in the house (we are nonsmokers, so this is not a problem for us)
--no feather pillows or comforters (we do use these, but we got very clean down from the Company Store, use covers, and wash the covers frequently)
--if you have a garden, eliminate plants that are common problems for allergies

If you can't make all these changes to your whole house, at least look at your bedroom. You spend a third of your time there (sleeping), so it should be as allergen-free as possible, to give your body a break each day.

[NadiaMac]

agree with others that this sounds allergic. as noted above prick test only tests a limited number of antigens so isn't dispositive re allergies.

i also have the sinus congestion thing, year-round, much worse on one side. Regular neti pot (2X day) and humidifier use in BR help a lot. I also use flonase type spray during seasonal allergy peaks (right now) and have had good results w/ that. but if the claritin works, why not keep on with that?

[ny biker]

but if the claritin works, why not keep on with that?

Because it's expensive and I'm already on 2 medications every day and I don't want to add any more unless I have to.

I have a humidifier that's part of my heat pump system. It has no effect on my ability to breathe. Dust is not a problem either.

Honestly, the more I read the more I'm inclined to just do nothing. I don't want to go through a battery of expensive tests that require taking time off from work and I don't want to stop eating everything I like.

Thanks anyway.

[withm]

Generic clariton (lortadine) is available at CVS and Giant for a fraction of the brand name stuff. A bottle of 120 can be had on sale for about $30 I think. I've been taking the stuff for years. Works great.

[Crankin]

I take generic Claritin daily and use Flonase and the Neil Med Sinus rinse as needed. Right now, both are needed! I don't think the generic Claritin is that expensive; I buy the biggest amount possible for about $30.00 (120 tabs). That comes out about 7.50 a month.
When I was having a lot of hives and other asthma symptoms a couple of months ago, I also added in generic Zantac. I know it's for your stomach, but it has some antihistamine effect and helped calm my overreacting body down.
Almost every illness I've had is allergy based. If I keep that under control, it really helps.