The world is not undergoing a critical snot shortage. You are not the Last Best Hope for Mucus. Nobody needs to stockpile snot. You do not need to frantically manufacture and store eighteen gallons of mucus per hour. I do not enjoy having my head feel like it’s been injected with expanding insulation foam. When I blow my nose, that is not a signal to suddenly leap into action to make more snot for my blowing enjoyment. Nor do I need it in Technicolor For Visual Enhancement. It looks like Ted Turner’s been at you.
Pollens are not the Greatest Evil Ever. Cottonwood is not the Darth Vader of allergies. You do not need to flush this stuff out of my system. You do not need to swell up my nasal passages, eyes, ears, and throat to keep The Encroachment Of Evil away. They will go away on their own, trust me.
I like things like sleeping. Overreactions on your part prevent this sort of thing. Not sleeping does us all absolutely no good whatsoever.
Breathing is good. We all benefit when I can breathe. Please remember this. You are currently preventing breathing. Stop it right now. While I’m aware that you are currently sulking due to the total and irreversible breakdown of the vaporizer, I can’t get one until at least Friday. You could be a little more cooperative here.
Those pink pills I sent after you are decongestants. Please cooperate with them and we’ll all be a bunch happier. Right now you don’t seem to be doing anything except laughing at them and taking them as a sign to manufacture even more snot. It’s not necessary, really. My co-workers don’t enjoy it either. You can stop anytime now.
Do you now, or have you considered, going to an allergist?
I suffered chronically for 30 years, then a couple of months back caved in and went to see one. I arrived on a “good” day fro me sinuswise, yet he said I was 90 and 95% clogged, not to mention the red eye, sneezing, drainage, etc.
A week later after Allegra and NasalCort and that was down to 20 and 25% and actually sleeping nights. I’ve since started taking shots as well and hope to actually someday be cured.
It can be expensive (mainly if you get tested for everything so they can make a serum) but INHO it’s extremely worth it.
lieu, thanks for the recommendation. I do appreciate it. I’ve considered it, since I have gone to an allergist in the past, gotten shots, the whole works. Unfortunately, I’ve since moved, and the tests were long enough ago that I’d have to be re-tested ($100 for the office visit, PLUS $800 for the tests, PLUS $120 per vial of “shot serum”, of which I’d need at least 4 if the past shot regimen was any indication, AND a $25 - $50 “office charge” every time I went in for shots), of which my current insurance would cover approxmately 50%. And unfortunately I just don’t have the cash to cover it. Oh, and the insurance doesn’t cover the serums (sera?) at all. sigh
And it’s not really worth it to me, since I only really get pounded for about a month, tops. The rest of the time it’s under control (mostly) with Clarinex.
But for this ONE month…
(I gotta admit I was kind of leery seeing lieu as the first response, considering his fame on the board…)
My allergies have gotten 100% better since I started sleeping with an air filter in my bedroom. I also upgraded to a hepa filter for the furnace/AC. YMMV, but it works for me.
I feel for you. I’ve had a sinus infection for a month, and my allergies have been hideous - I’ve discovered today that it’s something in my apartment.
However, I also got some Claritin today and I can’t believe how much better I feel right now. I’ve spent the last three weeks suffering to fall asleep - no matter how much I try, I can’t breathe - it doesn’t matter how many pillows I use. The Claritin’s actually opened my sinuses and I’m looking forward to getting some sleep tonight.
I’d be feeling it intensely right now, if it weren’t for the hit of Flonase inhaler and the tab of loratidine (generic Claritin) I’ve got in my system right now. At least today I haven’t had to mix in a dose of pseudoephedrine to blast the passages open. Heck, I’ve been pawing at my face, rubbing my eyes, and snurfling back snot only a few times an hour today, so it’s a very GOOD day, allergywise.
Our beloved lieu covers the gamut of bodily functions, really. There’s no point in thinking he’s a one-trick pony.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could sell the snot we produce? Even if it could be donated to save the lives of deserving children, I’d feel so much better about the rainforest of tissues I’ve used up this month.
I’ve been cursed with allergies for 35 years now. I’ve done the allergy shots. They helped, then I moved half way across the country. When you move, you gotta start all over. Not to mention that my arms hurt so much from the injections that I flinched when people got within 6 inches of my arms.
I remember being in the 5th grade, going to the doctor’s office and him recommending some drug. I said, “nope, tried that already”. I think at that time I had gone through 15 different drugs.
So, congested is my normal state. I guess when I hit the 85% I start taking. Never one pill, that’s worthless, always 2 pills. Then I have to balance how my sinuses feel to how much my heart is racing.
There are times when my sinuses are completely clear. It’s a very, very weird feeling.
Sinuses are proof that God likes us less than some people would have you believe. And God must like me even less than that because He made me allergic to pseudoephdrine, thought I don’t know what I ever did to Him. (Oh yeah. There’s that whole doubting He exists thing…) And the pharmaceudical companies mustn’t like me much either because they’ve priced their Claritin and such out of my range.
So it’s just me and my sinuses and my own personal little rain cloud in this great big world. sigh
I’ve got that sinuses-draining-into-throat thing going on and I’m hoping it’s because of the high pollen count (I’m in a red area) not the beginnings of a sinus infection…>I haven’t had one in a while, but I recall that being part of it. I can still breath and there’s no pressure, so <fingers crossed, takes some more echinacea, golden seal and garlic>
I did get allergy shots years ago when I was a kid. I’m considering going back to an allergist when I get medical insurance (sixteen days and counting!). I can’t live like this for six months out of the year.
But I’m also curious as to how effective the shots really are. I don’t want to spend oodles of money on something that will be worth shit.
<ashamed>
You’re right, lieu isn’t a one-trick pony. I apologize to lieu. But my first thought still was “oooohhhh…I don’t think I want to know how poop and snot go together…” (But I was laughing at the same time, does that count?)
avabeth, the shots REALLY worked for me when I was taking them. In fact, I don’t know if it was because of the shots or what, but my allergic reactions in general aren’t as severe or as widespread as they used to be.
A friend recommended Nasal Irrigation, so I’ve been trying that. Yup, it feels about as nasty as it sounds, but oh, what a difference. I can BREATHE again! (and, a side effect, it seems to be eliminating the problem of “impending sinus infection” that always accompanies this time of the year.)
I have a box of Kleenex on my computer desk. The large economy size. There’s a bottle of Nasacort in one of the desk drawers (hey, I’m here most of the day, I can have a sniff while waiting for a page to load). And, of course, I have a wastebasket right here, too, for the used tissues.
I’ve found that the Nasacort makes a huge difference in my quality of life. I used to have problems with it running down the back of my throat and causing some serious irritation, until a pharmaceuticals rep told me a little technique…hold the bottle in my right hand, squirt it towards the left side of my left nostril, NOT straight into the nostril. Hold in in my left hand and squirt it towards the right side of my right nostril. And it’s not necessary to take a big snort in as I’m spraying, either, which I had been doing. So I’ve been doing it this way for a few months, and no throat irritation. Of course, I am not a doctor, and probably you should ask some medical professional before following what I’ve told you. But it makes my life much easier, as long as I remember to take the stuff.
Lynn, your technique is exactly what my allergy tech counseled me to do as well, plus he advised then squeezing and rubbing your nostrils to more fully distribute the directed spray.
Also, Nasacort has a tendancy to dry your nose out excessively, possibly leading to periodic nosebleeds. Should this happen, use of a saline spray such as OCEAN can provide hydrating relief.
Regarding the nasal irrigation, a cow-orker swears by it, although I’ve never tried it since I have a pretty sensitive gag reflex. I’ve seen 'em online though and there’s certainly something to be said for a non-medicinal approach to any affliction should it’s efficacy reach the desired level.
I know I’ll probably get hammered for saying this…
…but, over the years when I start getting seasonal allergies, I try to muster the motivation to go out for either a good run (5-8 miles), or a hard bike ride of maybe 1.5 - 2 hours. I take water and drink all I can, and I drink a lot of water when I get back. It usually seems to loosen my head up so that I can clean things out a bit, and the after-effect for me was that usually I felt a lot better for the rest of the day. Sometimes it even works for sinus infections, but I gotta drink a ton of water and do the nasal irrigation thing too.
On the other hand, I’ve suggested this approach to **Athena ** a few times, but I usually get the blunt end of a shovel slammed up my ass for my trouble. I guess it’s not for everyone.
Man, its so great to find a crowd of people I can identify with! People without allergies just don’t understand what our shared misery is like. Everyone else looks forward to the summer, while I dread it. Slightly OT: To all you summer folk, stop telling me to “GET OUTSIDE!” “ENJOY THE WEATHER!”, etc. You don’t get it, you never will, so STFU.
Anyway, I used to get shots when I was a kid (I’m 21 now); forget when exactly I stopped. I really can’t say for sure if they helped or not. If they did work, their effects certainly have not lasted.
As for medication, Claritin doesn’t work for me. I don’t know why, but it does nothing. However, what I have found is extra-strength Reactine Allergy + Sinus. It has greatly improved my standard of living and keeps my nose relatively clear at night. I suggest everyone try it.
He’s gonna get the blunt end for even posting this. When I’m miserably sick, either from a cold or allergies, the LAST FUCKIN’ THING I want to hear is “Go for a run!”
What I DO want to hear is “oooh, poor pooky, here, lie down and I’ll bring you good things to drink, some pie, and a nice book. Oh? You want movies? Ok sweetums dinkums, I’m runnin’ to the store right now. Did you want donuts too?”
I just had one of the worst nights ever. The attack came in the evening, and it was followed by the worst sinus pressure I’ve ever experienced. I was starting to get worried. I took a bunch of Sinutab, and I think after a few hours that it started to work. But until then, I felt like screaming. My teeth felt like they were going to pop out of my mouth. A whole side of my face felt huge, like I got hit in the jaw and it was swelling up. My ear was killing me, like I dove to the bottom of a 20 ft. deep pool. Could not sleep, obviously.
Finally fell asleep briefly as the sun was coming up. Woke up a bit after that, around 5:00, and called in sick to work. Went back to bed. Awakened by doorbell at 8:00 - the bathroom remodelers. Weren’t expected until tomorrow. Oh well, what the hell. No sleep possible with that racket, so take shower, go to work, try to maintain by eating more Sinutab and doing stuff like posting on the SDMB. And that’s where I’m at.
