allergy testing? Coping w/ no antihistamines?

[Biciclista]

yes, i was serious. My daughter in law has serious allergies and i have cats. Some day she's going to have kids (i think). you are going down the same road she is (i don't know why she hasn't done shots lately) and you have been most graphic in expressing what it is like.

thanks and good luck.
did you buy that stuff to wipe your cats down with?
you're supposed to wipe them down once a week to get rid of dander. baths help too, although i think most people don't want to give their cats baths every week.

[Becky]

Pax, I'm fortunate to have a flexible job, an understanding boss (who takes allergy shots too), and oodles of sick time. So I think I could make time for the shots. It would mean more driving to/from work so that I could get to the clinic/work in a timely fashion, which means less bike commuting and makes me grouchy just thinking about it. Also, if I go back to school this fall, it will mean even more schedule juggling and less bike commuting... Hmmmm...

Biciclista, I didn't mean to imply that you were being sarcastic. I've been a bit edgy lately (just ask DH!) with all of this, but I'm returning to normal now. So I apologize for being snarky. I'm glad that all of this rambling is informative and helpful. I have used that cat stuff before, and I'm going to get more this weekend- there's no way that I'll ever be able to bathe those two little hellions in the traditional sense.

[tpb]

I've been doing allergy injections for years now. Although they have helped my stuffiness/runny nose, my eczema has gotten worse.

Anyway, I noticed you mentioned biking to your allergy shots. Be sure you talk to your allergist about this first. When I get my shots, I'm not supposed to exercise for 1 hour before and 2 hours after the injection. The exercise speeds up the absorption of the injection and increases the chances of a full-body reaction to the injection.

Take care.
TB

[Becky]

The exercise speeds up the absorption of the injection and increases the chances of a full-body reaction to the injection.

Ugh...good point. I hadn't thought about that! Biking to those appointments probably wouldn't have worked anyway from a time standpoint, but it's good to know that I shouldn't do it and why.

[withm]

Sounds like we share a lot of the same allergies - OAK pollen, trees, grass, cats, perfume, and walnuts, and a few odd chemicals. Since moving to DE there seems to be a whole new set of allergens which surprised me since 50%of the area near me is ocean.

I tried allergy shots for a couple of years, and in addition to it being a nuisance, not to mention expensive, they just did not seem to make any difference in my symptoms.

I used to say I was simply allergic to April and made concentrated efforts to never ever go outside during the spring allergy season. I have taken an allergy pill of some sort nearly every day of my life for more years than not. But what has really turned my life around was using Beconase, Flonase, Nasacort, or Nasonex nasal sprays. For me the difference is night and day. I can sneeze violently 30 times in 5 minutes. I scare my officemates! And I probably don't have to tell you how debilitating it is to sneeze like that. Your sides hurt, and it just drains every bit of energy from your body.

Nasonex has brought that to a halt.

I would suggest trying the different drugs your Dr. has suggested, and be sure to try these new nasal sprays because they are like magic. Give it a month or so before you decide a treatment is not working because they take a couple weeks to get started. If after trying several combinations you still have no relief, you could try the allergy shots, but I'm thinking you'll find something that works long before that.

Good luck
Martha

[msincredible]

Anyway, I noticed you mentioned biking to your allergy shots. Be sure you talk to your allergist about this first. When I get my shots, I'm not supposed to exercise for 1 hour before and 2 hours after the injection. The exercise speeds up the absorption of the injection and increases the chances of a full-body reaction to the injection.

My allergist warns against exercise as well. However, since I have gotten to the maintenance dose, I sometimes bike there and back (20 miles round-trip). I bring in my bicycle and they haven't said anything to me about it (other than "looks like a nice day for a ride").

There are also elevator repairs in the allergist's building so sometimes I take the stairs up and down (7th floor) to and from their office.

I have had a systemic reaction in the past, but I haven't had any issues from this activity while at my maintenance dose. I would be more cautious by far if my dose were being increased.

[OakLeaf]

Riding from the shots - I think as long as you don't over-do it you're fine. There's riding, and there's riding. No one tells you that you have to stay in bed for an hour after the shot, and in many places you can ride and keep your HR below zone 2 or so. Of course that would depend somewhat on local conditions - some places the traffic is such that you're standing and either sprinting or coasting the whole time; other places you're just going to have to climb a steep hill that will max out your HR; and if it's like that, then it probably isn't the best idea.

Whether it's worth it - I think you can't know until you try it, really give it a serious shot and see how much better you do or you don't feel. That's how it was for me with the food allergies. I'm allergic to lots of foods, but I don't have any life-threatening allergies and I don't have anything major like celiac disease. I was strict with my diet for maybe 3-4 months, and by doing that, I learned what I needed to know... which is that I felt probably 30% better, and it was very significant, but that it also added probably 400% more hassle into my daily life. So for the long term, I basically manage my food allergies, and I'm much more strict about my diet when inhalant allergens are high.

And as far as running the AC and putting clothes in the dryer - that's entirely an individual judgment call too. For myself, partly I loathe the dead air that comes with AC, but mostly I put the world's collective health above my individual sneezage, so I still hang my things on the line and leave the windows open. But it depends not only on how you make the moral judgments, but also on whether it's more than sneezage for you when you're doing the other treatments. So again, I'd say give it a try and see how you feel both physically and emotionally.

[Crankin]

I have had skin tests and allergy shots at 3 different times; at age 7, at 16, and again in my early thirties. Every time I started getting the shots I would feel like cr@p afterwards. Not a full blown asthma attack, but enough of an allergy/asthma attack that it would take a few hours to feel better.
I gave up. Since moving back to MA in 1990 I have been 100% better. I was much sicker in both Florida and AZ. I know I am allergic to dust and mold. I developed a peanut and shellfish allergy in my late thirties. I went through one period where I couldn't even walk through a department store because of the smell of perfume at the cosmetics counter.
I use a clothes dryer because I can't stand the feel of clothes are dried outside. They are so stiff and scratchy, I develop hives from putting them on. I do hang dry my cycling stuff and delicates inside and I can stand that. My current house is 95% hard wood. That definitely helps. Only one room has carpeting. And if it's above 80 out with even a whiff of humidity, my AC is on.