A failed experiment... possibly

[ny biker]

Oh yeah. My asthma triggers are exercise (especially cycling up steep hills), cold dry winter air and air pollutants like the concrete dust from the parking lot renovation at my last office or the asphalt plant pollution at the one I'm supposed to work at now. I also have asthma symptoms when they put tons of salt on the roads in winter. My allergy symptoms are primarily non-asthma -- itchy eyes and sneezing. I do feel some chest tightness sometimes after a long bike ride when pollen levels are very high, but most days it's not an issue.

[Pax]

Yeah, NY, I asked her why I was so well controlled back in Illinois and she said it was likely due to the killing frost there, coupled with a host of new exposures here. It could be anything from the salt in the air to the endless array of mold spores here, and they can only test for so much.

[ny biker]

And the tests sometimes yield false positives or negatives. My allergist told me that food allergy tests in particular are of limited use because of the processing they have to do to create the serum used for the test.

I've been noticing some strange patterns with the chronic hives that I get. (The doctor thinks they are autoimmune though he did not order testing to confirm that, and I'm okay with that since the treatment is the same either way.) In the past I've had several big flare ups right before getting my period. Last winter they kicked up during a perimenopausal hormone swing from several months of hot flashes to several months of periods. At the same time I started having joint pain in several fingers on my left hand. The hives calmed down and the joint pain went away, but now they're both back again this week. I did a bike ride in very hot weather on Saturday -- the first time out in the heat this year, and it hit me hard because I'm completely unacclimated -- and I think that caused this most recent flare, as I've gotten heat rash and hives in the past after long bike rides on very hot days.

I've never noticed any relationship between my asthma symptoms and flare ups of hives or hormone swings, but I wouldn't be surprised if things like hormones or stress (whether its from being out in the heat or moving or starting a new job) can combine with environmental factors to make asthma worse.

[Pax]

I can imagine stress playing a roll in my current issue, the idea of my problem causing us to have to move made me an emotional mess. My breathing is still labored, usually mid-morning each day, but it's getting better overall... and I'm more at peace, overall. Don't think it's a coincidence, mind/body connection is very real.

[Crankin]

NY, your hives story is very interesting. I had chronic hives during the period I was having the asthma issues, when I was about 34-35. But, after I moved back here, and I was generally healthier, I had them again, on and off for 2 years. No one found any cause, and they were concerned because my mom had them all of her life and she died of an autoimmune liver disease. But, my tests for that were fine. I've come to the conclusion it was stress, coupled with peri-menopause, which for me, started at about age 39 (yes, 7.5 years of hell).

[Pax]

The decision is made, we will be moving home. The only question left is when; we're going home for a week in late July and will look at a couple of condos and apartments, if we find something we like we will go when the opportunity presents (closing date or availability date). If we don't find anything we'll keep looking from afar; our latest date to go home will be May of 2017 (10 months from now) if my asthma cooperates, but I'm betting it won't be that long before we go.

[Crankin]

I am sure you are relieved to have the decision made. Sometimes, it's a lesson in being flexible when things do not go as we thought they would.
Here's to happy future adventures.