I don’t know what I’m allergic to. All I know is that it’s active right now. My nose is half-stuffed, all runny, and has been that way for a week, and if I don’t keep the liquids going I start coughing. The outside of my nose is getting sore from all the Kleenex. I don’t even have bad symptoms, but it’s awful anyway, simply because I haven’t had allergies since I was a kid in Texas fifteen or eighteen years ago. I haven’t had them anywhere else I lived up until now.
I resent this. I FUCKING OUTGREW MY ALLERGIES.
Unfortunately, there seems to be something new I am allergic to.
Fuck this. If I could get my hands on the dogfelching plant that is setting me off, I’d make it sorry. Oh yeah.
Whiterabbit you might start keeping track of the mold counts, the allergist I consulted told me that mold can cause your system to become hypersensitive, and have a reaction when it wouldn’t normally. It’s one reason I’ve been having more ear/sinus/respiratory infections since I moved to this area. The mold count is TERRIBLE here, even the cats have asthma!
Maybe you’d be able to head off some misery ahead of time with antihistamines if you knew the mold count was going to be high?
Claritin get’s my vote, especially since they sell 30 day supplies in a generic brand now. They weren’t when it first went over the counter, so I had to take Zyrtec and suffer 'cause it didn’t work as well.
Anyway, good luck, hope you are feeling better soon.
My mom’s husband kindly gave me five day’s supply of Claritin, since he got a box at Sam’s for much cheaper than the drugstore where I’d probably buy it, and I took the first one last night. He said I might not notice anything for a day or so, and right now he’s right, seeing as I’m really quite congested this morning. Ick.
I don’t know about mold; if this was mold, I’d have it year-round, what with the climate here. Mama Tiger had what she’s convinced was mold-induced asthma in the DC area but since she moved here she hasn’t had a hint of a problem. It could be a factor, I guess, but I rather doubt it. This whole area is one huge swamp!
I’m far from alone. Apparently this is one of those times of the year for a lot of people here. A new friend told me yesterday he didn’t know what sinuses were until he moved here.
Thanks for the advice. I just had to bitch about the whole thing. sniffle
When I was a kid, I had a list of shit as long as your arm I was allergic to. its a pain in the arse. I too would recommend cutting out the dairy. if i drink milk now, i can’t drink or eat without constantly gipping for 2 days. Oranges/juice give me super intense headaches and the same symptoms you describe, whiterabbit. theres a possibility it may be the same thing.
you can have my sympathies too. I still can’t eat a lot of stuff I loved as a kid for fear of my body turning against me. and I’m mid twenties.
Gaaa!
Nothing to do with food allergies, whiterabbit. I have none whatsoever - my allergies are strictly sneezing/sniffling/congestion/sinusitis in response to nasty things floating in the air. I gave up most dairy a few years ago and things improved a lot, but I couldn’t let go of the cheese and I still had big problems. I haven’t had cheese for a month now (drool …) and things have noticeably improved again.
Except that I’m hungrily eyeing the “soya cheese-flavoured loaf” they have in the supermarket … I suppose that could be said to be a “problem”
I’m with you on this one! I have loads of environmental allergies and get three shots every other week. The shots have helped tremendously, but you have to be on them for quite a while before you really notice results. I felt like I was one step away from plastic bubble time for a while there.
While I’ve built up a tolerance to the meds–and I’ve tried them all–the nasal sprays still work pretty well for me. If you see an allergist, you may want to ask for samples of things before you go out and buy anything. They get tons of samples all the time so you can try stuff and see what actually works for you. Good luck and keep tissues handy!
Sigh. I feel your pain. I’m very close to going to an allergist lately. Claritin won’t work for me as I was on that for years and I’ve built up a tolerance. (It’s actually good to switch allergy meds every few years so your body doesn’t get used to them.) I had allergy shots throughout high school and oh my, they did work so well! I think they’ve worn off now. So I’m back to sniffling and sneezing. I know part of it is mold. Can’t be dairy as I’m lactose intolerant and avoid dairy like the plague unless I feel like hurting.
I don’t want to have to go to the allergist again! I don’t need anymore prescriptions! I already have a mini-pharmacy in my bathroom! Allergies suck monkeybutt!
Sigh. I feel your pain. I’m very close to going to an allergist lately. Claritin won’t work for me as I was on that for years and I’ve built up a tolerance. (It’s actually good to switch allergy meds every few years so your body doesn’t get used to them.) I had allergy shots throughout high school and oh my, they did work so well! I think they’ve worn off now. So I’m back to sniffling and sneezing. I know part of it is mold. Can’t be dairy as I’m lactose intolerant and avoid dairy like the plague unless I feel like hurting.
I don’t want to have to go to the allergist again! I don’t need anymore prescriptions! I already have a mini-pharmacy in my bathroom! Allergies suck monkeybutt!
I started running a low-grade fever this afternoon. It’s not allergies. (That DOES mean it will go away sooner, though.) No, Mama Tiger DID manage to give me the bug she had last week.
Oddly, I feel better than I have for a couple of days, after feeling crappy all afternoon.
Hmm. I see I wasn’t too clear. It’s not that the person is allergic to mold, it’s just that the mold sets off the person’s system, so that a tiny allergy that wouldn’t even up mucus productions becomes a BIGGER allergy. At least, that’s what he said was a contributing factor to my increased health problems due to allergies. I was recently diagnosed with allergic bronchitis!
One kitty I know of is allergic to grass, and the mold in the air just sets the poor thing off. He has asthma attacks, and wheezles and snuffles and hacks, poor thing. (There are also 3 foundaries in this town, AND an oil refinery. There are several other foundaries outside of town. The town’s in a “valley” too.)
Don’t worry, I would not delay going to the doctor if I thought I had a sinus infection. But my head is clearing nicely today. What I had seems to be some sort of a flu bug – not the flu, yes I know the difference – and I feel more human today than I have for a week. I didn’t even know I was sick until yesterday, and the fever seems to be gone. I might have had that for a couple of days, but if I did, it broke yesterday late afternoon. Yeech.
Plus, Mama Tiger would see to it that I got to a doc whether I wanted to or not. Her name here is well earned.
