Any allergy suffers out there, I need some advice please.

I have never had allergies in my life, until 2 years ago. The MD told me it's not in uncommon in AZ, especially if you moved here from a different location, secondary to some of the common grasses and cacti.

Never had much sympathy for people with allergies, I mean how bad could it be. Well the joke is on me, I am dying here. Basically it's a on going bad head cold that makes you want to scratch your eyes out.

Tried the medications, but man the side effects are bad too. They make me feel like I am walking round with a sock on my head, a lot of napping involved as well.

Waiting it out for like 2 weeks now and it's not getting better, judging by the amount of pollination going on around here the end will not be insight for weeks.

Any helpful hints appreciated, I am trying to stay away from medications, but any tea products...... anything that will make me feel better.

Thanks, congested in AZ.

 

wondering about with a sock on your head and napping often is a recipe for disaster

it caused an uncle of mine some serious grief with the law in London in the 60s

he was a bankrobber
police report stated - he made no attempt to resist arrest, on account of the fact he was pushing out the Z'ds when they found him in the vault.

on a less serious note - this link may contain some usefull ideas
Hay Fever - Best Remedies for Hay Fever and Allergy Relief


Steve

 

A really hot shower- hot as you can stand it.

Then use a hair dryer to blow hot air on your face, this causes the capilaries in your sinus' to expand and deliver more blood flow, then when your face cools down, it feels much better because much of the swelling is relieved.

Try it it really works.

Also certain types of peppers can relieve sinus problems.

 

for a time i had allergy's bad, so bad they would even make me dizzy. the good thing is they can and often do go away in years. at one time, i actually tried wearing one of those dust masks from homedepot to bed. sexy huh. lol
my allergy's are almost gone now. a few sneezes but thats it. hope yours go away also.



and LOL Steve

 

Thank you Steve,

I will try to stay away from banks while wearing said sock, and I will give the link a good going over.

Humor really is the best medicine right. :

Your are absolutely right on with the shower thing, it is really the only thing that gives me some relief. I will look into the pepper idea, I like hot peppers so it might be a win win. I will let you know.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I am so desperate pink4miss I may try the mask in all seriousness. But I will stay away from banks and generally hide from the public.

I sure hope mine goes away as quickly as they appeared.

 

Well I have some good news and some bad news. There's a way to build up your resistance to what you're allergic to, the bad news is it takes a while but luckily it isn't really medication.

Info Here

It took me about 3 months going for shots twice a week to build up to my maintenance level. I went in for a couple hours the first time, they did a bunch of skin tests, found out exactly what I was allergic to, then told me to come back in about a month, they'd have my exact mixture ready. So once it was ready I went in twice a week and they gave me a little shot (I hate needles but these weren't too bad, they don't go deep just under the surface. Every time I went in they were slowly increasing the dosage, after a month I could tell it was improving, after I got to maintenance (going once a month) I hardly have any symptoms. It's been just over a year now since I got to maintenance, I still go once a month, takes about 45 mins and I feel great, I still have very mild symptoms but nothing like what you're describing or what I used to get. I used to never be able to be in the same house as a cat for longer than two hours or my eyes would start swelling and I'd need a hot shower and itch all over. Now I live with one, and my eyes just get itchy if he somehow plops down on my face or I pet him a lot then rub my eyes right afterward.

I was pretty lucky it was covered by my insurance. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

oh forgot i used to take ...vitamin c with rutin , it helped a lot. and is good for you

 

Thanks Tecnomage.

Now see I had not even thought of this or that direction anyway. Being a nurse you would think that would have thought of that, but no we make the very worst patients.

 

caused by your immune system reacting to the external bodies - pollen and the like.

so wash before bed, you have it in your hair and on your skin, if you wash it off frequently it reduces impact.

stay out of air currents, keep windows shut etc. antihistamines work OK but stick to the non drowsy ones - loratadine works OK, there's stronger ones too if you have it real bad.

I got it bad suddenly when i was 18, i've just grown out of it now age 31.

one thing i found did work, there's a lot to suggest that VOC's (volatile organic compounds) affect the human immune system. we steered clear when my wife was pregnant, and wierdly i got significantly less allergies that year. so try avoiding having products like bleach, aerosols, cleaning products, air fresheners, perfumes etc in the house. use natural alternatives. it CAN make a big difference.

I never understand the non-medication argument - I'm yet to hear a definition of "natural" or "unnatural" that doesnt allow you to take meds. its a case of understanding what they do. some of the stronger prescription nasal sprays work well, coupled with the pills, and if your eyes get real bad (mine used to itch and swell till the lids were cracked and bleeding) the best thing for it is the steroid eye drops.

if its really that bad, and bad for a few years, you can get the desensitisation therapy - they test you out for what you might really be allergic to and run a course of desensitisation - here in the UK they will only do that in a hospital though as there is an outside chance that you may have a full on allergic shock reaction and need steroids.

Good luck, hope it works out for you, as someone who;s just come oout the other side of it i do feel for you, it makes you feel totally ill and useless for weeks on end. Dont be a martyr to the whole organic/natural brigade, get some meds in, they are the only thing that i found worked - and thats with 13 years of experimenting behind me.

 

(this is what i do) hot(both temperature wise and spicy) foods clear sinuses, alpha 03's method is what i do for my eyes, and headahes i just drink anything with caffine (tea, soda...etc) hope it gets better