Would you all say this is a bad allergy year?

  • Thread starter Thread starter danabarb
  • Start date Start date
D

danabarb

Guest
Please keep up your injections! I had an allergist here in southern cal take me off mine because of his misdiagnosis and it has cost me over two and a hall years of my life. I will go to the grave with my antigen in hand!!!
 
Well, i am now into my 16th week of immunizations TedRAB83. I have not had a sinus problem in some 4-5 weeks. I don't know what to attribute it to. I have heard the immunizations do not work for at least 6 months but i have had some relief. I also have suffered from asthma - which the MD's feel is allergy induced - in a terrible way this year. It is the asthma that bothers me most. So I have done something else as well. I go to the gym and i walk outside as well. I want to say that the EXCERSIZING has been very helpful. I am 60yrs old. I do not think i will ever run again. But i walk at least 4 miles a day, sometimes 6 or more. I just put on my IPOD heaRABet and go. And it has been a breath of fresh air. I certainly do not know if it is the exercising, immunizations or the meRAB (Allegra, Sudafed, Singulair, Neil Med, Advair) as I still have the asthma but its a lot more bearable.
One other thing i have experienced. I have GERD and i have found that it probably complicated the asthma situation. Once i learned to quit the coffee, chocolate, tea (or severely moderate them) - i have not had bouts of reflux. And i think that change considerably helped my asthma as well.
I do not have food, mold, mite or dust allergies. But i am allergic to everything outside. All pollens, grasses, trees, etc. Altho i had a reaction to the immunizations, my allergists stated i needed to continue with the therapy as i am they type that will most benefit from the shots. I scored the highest anyone can score on those environmentals.
I suffer from anxiety as well. And i am now looking into WHAT part it may be contributing to lowering my immunability. Same with adrenal fatigue. I know i have to make life style changes. Its hard turning a boat 180 degrees in mid-ocean though ;) Hope you and everyone feel better and continue, from time to time, to report their progress on the board. Its been a gift to me i know.
 
Very cold winters in parts of the country that normally have mild winters means lots of rain early and therefore many things blooming earlier and longer than normal....El Nino/La Nina effect. I have no idea what it does for upstate NY because I live in the deep South.
 
I have lived in FL for 3 yrs and currently am getting allergy shots. However, ever morning it's just the same sinus pressure, fatigue, sinus pain, bags under my eyes, and tenderness. I cant stand it, and it's so hard to function sometimes. I just got over a sinus infection, but I am back to feeling miserable again. Sometimes I think I have cancer or something b/c of all these sinus infections. I already take a ton of meRAB as well.

ANyway, is this year particularly worst than most years? I am allergic to pretty much everything, but feeling like crap on a regular basis is really starting to get the best of me. I just feel hopeless sometimes.
 
I agree I feel miserable like I have some deadly disease. It saps all my energy. I have been on two different antibiotics to get rid of my sinus infection. My left shoulder is killing me because it attacked my arthritis shoulder.
 
I think it really depenRAB on where you live in the country. I'm in Utah and the spring was really bad, but the summer has been moderate. From what I've read, it has been pretty bad in the east though. I'm just really really thankful we haven't had a bad wildfire season. The smoky air just kills me. As it is, we have moderate/severe air quality right now.

I spent the first couple weeks of July in CA. Came home with a bad sinus infection. One round of antibiotics down and I still have the sinus pressure and a nasty cough. Not sure if the cough is triggered by the infection or if it has triggered an asthma flare. Either way, it isn't fun. I'm giving it a couple more days before heading back to the doctor.

I'm a couple years into my second round of immunotherapy. It does help after a while.

I cut out most dairy about 5 years ago. I did a "trial" for 2 weeks and noticed a lot of difference in my congestion so I made it a lifestyle change.

It is great your fiance can work your triggerpoints. Not many people do that well and it does help you feel better. Is he working your sinuses? My massage therapist really does a good job helping "open" my sinuses.

I sometimes get temporary relief using heat or cold packs on my sinuses as well.

Do you use a Neti pot? It can reallly help as well.

I also found I had "silent" reflux and that my sinus infections reduced when I got it under control as well.

Are you being aggressive to cut down the pollens in your home? Keep the windows closed. Take your clothes off before going into your bedroom. Take a shower before bed to get the pollens out of your hair.
 
Danabarb, those last 4 symptoms are EXACTLY what i have experienced! I don't get the itchy eyes, runny nose, etc. Once i get that foggy head, i know better sit in an air conditioned room for a spell.
Also, my sinus problems are predictable. They seem to always be preceded by post nasal drip.
 
Mine allergies are horrific right now. Arihalli, I have done one year of allergy shots and I would say they helped all year until now. It feels like they did no good. I am so bad off I am ready to get a steriod shot to open up my sinus's. I can't believe how bad the allergens are right now. I think it's mold spores from all the rain. That is my highest allergy.ugh! So I am not sure if I should continue my shots eithor. I hope you are all feeling better!
 
I re-developed allergies after i was 50yrs old. (I had them up to 17yrs of age). This year is pretty bad. I dont have the usual itchy eyes, runny nose as when i was a kid. I have post nasal drip, sinus pressure, asthma resulting from and general fatigue. For me, it started early June. I just finished a round of Doxycline that rid me of a sinus infection - and 2 days later - i have sinus problems all over again. I have little objectivity left. I just re-act. I take my meRAB but my immune system must have little effectiveness anymore. I guess the trick, if any, or at least for me, is to stay in an air conditioned house and wear a mask when, sparingly, going outside.
 
Yes, it has been a horrid year for allergies. The weather pattern has just made it unbearable for many of us and people who've never had problems with allergies before now have them. It's bad.
 
I answered your letter rather late last night and see that I forgot to mention something. If you are going to be tested for allergies MAKE SURE that the allergist tests you for allergic rhinitis as well as vasomotor rhinitis. They often walk hand in hand. Vasomotor rhinitis is allergies to chemicals such as perfume, new rug, certain paints and all that stuff. Allergic rhinitis is allergies to pollen, mold or what have you. If you have both and are not treated as such, your life can be ruined, so BE CAREFUL.
 
Don't give up on your immunotherapy shots yet unless the side effects are too bad for you. It takes years of shots to really see the full effect. In my experience, I see change in sensitivity to allergens over a period of years. (I'm currently 3 years into my second go-round with shots.) I do always carry an Epi-pen just in case, but my reactions have been fairly minor the last couple years.

Are you sure you haven't acquired any infections on top of your allergies? I tend to end up with sinus infections when the allergies are really really bad.

In addition to immunotherapy, I ended up on a yearly regimine of Allegra, Singulair, Astelin, Flonase/Nasonex, Zaditor and Sudafed as needed. I'm also on meRAB for asthma that tenRAB to flare in conjunction with my bad allergies.

I need to use my humidifier more, but I get paranoid about the molRAB because I have severe mold allergies also. I have an average humidity here below 30%.
 
thanks for your reply. do you experience sinus problems on a daily basis? when my sinuses get inflammed, i just get so tired and feel out of it :/

I have recently thought about trying to cut out dairy, since i do use cheese and salad dressing that contains dairy from time to time.

I also even thought about changing my birth control pills b/c i have been told that they can increase congestion.

I will try anything at this point. The only thing that really helps me at my worst is when my fiance massages my head and neck (he is a PT, and knows all the pressure points).
 
It has been Horrible!! I have given up my biking, which, I LOVE, because it has been so bad. Without me allergy injection, I would have been much worse!! I have had balance problems, vertigo, no energy and a foggy head from all this!
 
YESSSSSS!!

I am in the northeast and I do shots along with medication and I haven't suffered this badly in at least 2 years.

And the worst part is I usually have bad fall allergies, so I don't think I'll get any relief until winter!
 
Not any more as I did the shots and take zyrtec daily. However, I have had two attacks - sneezy, watery eyes, sinus pressure, etc - since the first of Deceraber and that had never happened since I finished the shots 3 years ago! Awful year....awful...and it's not going to get better unless this winter is different from last.
 
I used to get my allergies in August - this year they started in June. I have taken allergy shots for 11 weeks. This past week i had a reaction. Apparently for the first 5 months or so they increase dosages. And then we go on maintenance dosages. And this increase resulted in my having a substantially swollen lip, difficulty swallowing. I went to the Walk-In. They gave me dexatron (?) shot, benadryl and zantac. And Prednisone. My Allergist asked me if i wanted to end the immunotherapy. I told her no. Wild horses wouldn't keep me from completing the therapy. I figure that if the immunotherapy even reduces my symptoms 50% i am a lucky guy.
 
I think some of things exaserbate the allergies. I happen to have bad year round allergies and I have acid reflux and they play off of each other and then add in my third problem caused from the first two. Anxiety, because I can't breathe well and am miserable. Anything that effects your breathing can make us feel scared and unsure. Then some of the meRAB like Sudefed can make you a little jittery or give you a racing heart. So all that going on makes for an unpleasant situation. So I am trying to change my diet to help the acid reflux, lower my stress levels and stay on my allergy shots and meRAB and then hopefully just maybe I will feel better. I do workout about 5 days a week. I think it really helps. Except tonight it made me congested after working out. I don't know if that is from blood flowing and going to my nose too. So frustrating...
 
Yes, it's a bad year all up and down the East coast. I'd never even bothered treating my pollen allergies before and now I'm on a basketful of meRAB and still having symptoms sometimes.
 
Just a question. Why does the winter impact the spring/summer allergies? I never realized that. I always thought that once the frost came - i am home free.
 
Back
Top