I don’t know exactly what’s causing my breathing problems. My doctor ran tests (bloodwork, pulmonary function) and took X-rays. The pulmonary function test showed that I responded well to Albuterol. That’s all he knows - everything else is normal.
We moved to our house in January, and it seems like since Spring I’ve had one sinus upset after another. In August I started waking up in the middle of the night because of real constriction - felt like something was sitting on me and I was really straining to breathe. That sent me to the Dr.
So now I’m taking loratadine and pseudoephedrine, plus mucinex (guifa-something), and I have my inhaler for when I’m straining. I do cough up little bits of phlegm. When I stay on my meds consistently I feel pretty normal and don’t need to use the albuterol; if I run out (or just forget to take them), it gets worse within about a day.
What I don’t understand is why my old seasonal allergic reaction (runny eyes, sneezing, headache) has migrated to my lungs. We live out in the sticks, so there’s goldenrod everywhere and I know I’m allergic to that - but it wasn’t this bad 10 years ago, which was the last time we lived in the boonies.
Am I allergic to this house? Something in it? It’s an older home, built in 1968, so I don’t think we’ve got that formaldehyde problem.
Is it just the aging process? Do our allergies get worse over 40 (I know my vision changed on my frickin birthday)?
One possiblity, especially in an older house, is mold. Where do you live, is it a very dry climate? Is the house sealed up tight against cold weather? Is there any kind of air circulation within the house (like central air or forced hot air heat)? Does the house have a basement?
My allergies seem to be slightly better than they were when I was a kid (I too am over 40). But it could be because the medication I take to control them now are better than what was available 30 years ago. In any case my asthma and hay fever certainly aren’t WORSE than they used to be, although I do seem to be allergic to things I didn’t use to be…I suspect ragweed is the culprit in my case.
FWIW your description of your breathing problems sounds like how I would describe asthma to someone who has never had it before. A couple of my older relatives who had hay fever but not asthma when they were younger did develop asthma as they got older. If I were you though I would try to figure out what it is about your environment that is causing this.
Shit. I was afraid someone would use the “m” word .
We’re in Central Indiana. I haven’t turned the humidifier on, even though we’ve been running the furnace (central air), because I’m wondering about mold as well. When we did the inspection, we found some mold in the crawlspace, along the beams. I also found some in a wall in the bathroom (I yanked that drywall and washed the area with diluted bleach).
The place is somewhat drafty, and I’m hesitant to seek remedies because of my allergies - I figured time would tell whether it’s seasonal or our house. Guess I need to do some more research on house mold — I’d read that the recent uproar had to do with newer building techniques and how they seal houses with plastic.
Have you asked your doc whether it’s worthwhile to run tests to see what else you’re allergic to? Mold does sound like a likely culprit. I know my own breathing improved drastically once I no longer lived in a basement apartment, even if no mold had been visible there.
I haven’t moved, haven’t changed my routine, and I, too, live in Indiana. And I’ve had a TERRIBLE year for allergies since spring. HORRIBLE. AWFUL. Totally icky-poo.
So it may just be coincidence that you moved and started feeling bad.
If that’s the case, the onset of winter should resolve many problems.
It’s also possible that the unusually severe year for allergies has triggered some asthma in you, but that’s treatable. If your medications are doing you good then make the effort to keep on schedule and not run out. Please do keep following up with the doctor.
Actually, no – are those stimulants? I do seem to wake up somewhere between 3:00 - 5:00 a.m., depending on when my meds run out (I’m seriously committed to coordinating those better). You can’t believe how fast the Dope is then!
Broomstick, my sister (up in Chicago) said the same thing - I hope you’re both right. I don’t mind a wait-and-see approach. What I’m really worried about is my kids - I do not want them to develop these problems, ay yi yi, that would be a nightmare!
We changed the (attached to the furnace) humidifier filter today. I tried to change the furnace filter - can’t find the damned thing! I don’t think the unit itself has one, I opened the access panel (nothing) unscrewed the panel below it - all that’s down there are heating coils. There are two intake filters & we’ve changed those recently. And I set up a room air filter in each of our bedrooms.
Pseudoephedrine is a stimulant - it’s a chemical cousin to methamphetamine. However, having allergies can be physically exhausting. I find that when I’m being heavily allergic all an appropriate dosage of pseudoephedrine does is bring my energy levels up to normal (if that much). Ditto for albuterol, which also has stimulant properites as side effects.
Loratidine is not a stimulant.
I don’t want your kids to have these problems either. I don’t want anyone to have these problems (but especially ME!).
On the positive side - if your kids DID ever have such problems, you’d probably catch them quicker than “normal” parents, you’d be less inclined to minimize or ignore the problem, and you’d probably be much more insistant on appropriate treatment for them, wouldn’t you?
I’ve had allergies all my life. They are annoying, but for the most part controllable. They haven’t stopped me doing what I want to do.
my son experienced the same symptoms as well, for months, his doc ran series of bloodwork for allergies and all came back negative, but through my research and process of deduction, we got all our air ducts cleaned, including attic area, put in best air conditioning filters and the chronic allergy-like symptoms stopped. In fact, the entire family has been breathing easier.
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