I am allergic to my life? Is it only temporary?!
By Woodpigeon
@Woodpigeon (3710)
Ireland
May 3, 2007 7:52am CST
I have had a cough for quite a few weeks now and have been feeling crummier, weaker and slower. Finally, my friends and family go so sick of listening to me rasp and spew that they convinced me to go and make sure I haven't developed a 'chest infection'.
So, I finally break down and yesterday the doctor inquires, "Any Allergies?"
Me, "No. Uh uh, don't think so."
"Has this happened before?"
"No, no, not like I see happening to other people, with the dripping and the running and the red eyes."
"And you say this has been going on nearly six weeks? Let me have a listen to your lungs." So, out comes the stethescope, I'm instructed to breath, breathe again, and point to where it has started to hurt from all the breathing and coughing.
The doctor then tells me there is no infection. Very little fluid. Ears are good, throat is holding up. None of the syrups I have been buying would have worked, they were decongestents and all wrong. It is clearly allergies.
"Ah ha! I knew it!" I say. "First I thought it was the winter mould! Then I thought it was the cleaner for getting rid of the mould! Then I thought it might be the dogs shedding their winter coats! Or the cherry blossoms, or the ashes from the fire! Now I hear the rape is blooming! So, doc, which is it?"
"Em...surely you aren't burning many fires in this weather?"
"Dead sure we are, that's how we heat the water. Do you think the ash is doing it? Or the smoke?"
"Em, can you get rid of the dogs?" (I hadn't even mentioned the cats or that I am an avid gardener).
Shock, horror, "NO! Of course I can't!" She may as well have asked me to get rid of the garden ;-)
By the time she was done with me I was armed with some super duper prescription antihistimine tablets, plus one of those inhalers for asthmatics to get me through the worst of it and give my lungs a chance to calm down.
I told my husband it was allergies, and he suggested we get rid of the cats. He will snatch any potential chance to get rid of the cats.
I went to the grocery store this morning and the flower and fertilizer aisle set me off coughing. When I finally recovered from that, the laundry detergent aisle got me going again. Perhaps I should ditch the grocery shopping chore? Maybe I could skip doing laundry, too, until the medicine kicks in? Do you think my family would go for that?
Well, I must take my hats off to all of you allergy sufferers that have dealt with this problem for many years. It isn't much fun!
I'm curious, what are you allergic to? How do you deal with it? Did you develop allergies latr in life or has it been an ongoing thing? I am hoping this is the only year this happens!
13 people like this
19 responses
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
3 May 07
Oh hun I really hope you are feeling better very soon, once the medication kicks in it should help a lot.
I am allergic to fish and seafood, I dare not eat any of it otherwise it's antihistamine time and a trip to the local hospital. I developed the allergy in childhood and it has stayed with me ever since.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
Thanks, RG...I thik it is helping a little or maybe that is wishful thinking. It can't hurt at this point, and last night I really felt like it was the beginning of an improvement. I am holding off on using the inhaler for now, but it is nice to know that it is there, just in case.
Allergies that are potentially life threatening are so frightening. You are always hearing about things being in dishes but people not being aware of it or it not being listed on the menu. I would be really frightened about eating out if I had one of those types of problems.
3 people like this
@jepoyamaru (114)
• Philippines
3 May 07
Eating to much mangoes, I got this one hell of a allergy got all the itch in my body!!
I also have this problem that I have a cold and cough for almost 5 months but i didn't got this problem after that 5 months.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
It's strange the things our bodies react to, and how long it can last. Shame about the mangoes, they're tasty!
3 people like this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
4 May 07
I know exactly how you feel. I had this same problem, guess how I got over it. I changed the carpet and other things in my house, I changed my diet, I went to theorpy, I was given a pneumonia shot, I got my cats to a proper groomer and doctor, and I was put on different medication. I just basically changed my way of living and that took care of a lot of my allergies. I was a very sick person as a child and teenager and that was because of the way I was living. There were a lot of things in my house that were not good for my health and once I changed all of that, things got better. Your house could be your greatest problem. My house was my problem for 20 years. I am allergic to smoke as well, and you know what I did, I put my hand in front of my face whenever people smoke in front of me to indicate that it bothers me and they get the message eventually. My friends and I are starting a "No Smoking" on campus rule because it hurts our health so much.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
5 May 07
Yeah, I know what you mean, but sometimes there are things that you have to do without. I am also allergic to metal and fake jewelery, but it does not have any affect on me. I just put up with it.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
4 May 07
I yanked the carpets a year after we moved into this house so fortunately there isn't anything living in there. I don't think I would ever want anything but throw carpets anymore because they collect too much stuff that no amoutn of hoovering is going to suck out.
I wonder if my feather bed has collected things the way carpets do. I get it launder regulalrly and maybe it is time again. It would be nice to minimize the irritants that I can do something about because there are so many that I can't, and I don't want to give up days out smelling the roses, if you know what I mean!
1 person likes this
@SpitFire179 (2536)
• Canada
3 May 07
once your body acquires an allergy it takes years to get rid of, sometimes never.
I've had allergies since i was born, when they did the test on me (just a bunch of pin needles with solution in them) it came out to 18 pages of allergies, small print.
today i still have most of those allergies, dogs, cats, trees, cut grass, mold, dist, smoke, a bunch of foods, including certain nuts, pecans, walnuts, bees, spiders, mosquitoes, chlorine, iron, lactose, laundry detergent, fruit, and sooo much more.
All i really do to conquer them is push through, just make sure your involved with these things daily, see if that helps it out a little, but if you've had pets your whole life, and you've suddenly gotten these allergies, chances are they will just get worse.
Allergies suck, and usually you feel like hell, but if you can get by it, all the better to you.
@SpitFire179 (2536)
• Canada
3 May 07
it is a lot to be allergic to, but i manage, it took a lot to deal with them, but i guess it's easier not knowing how it feels to not have them...
Just plug through it, you'll have your good days, you'll have your bad days, but i would get an allergy test if i was you, that way you know what exactly will set you off, and if you have any severe allergies, that could be fetal, those are the ones i stay away from, the others, i'm hoping to grow out of one day.
It could have been anything that gave you the allergies, but usually it's because your body had too much, or an over intolerance to it that caused the first reactions.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
Oh no. That is a hell of a lot to be allergic to. How do you manage your day to day life? It seems like it would be very difficult to avoid many of those things.
Yeah, I've been around all the things, like pets and pollen my whole life, and I am no strangr to mould or ashes, either.
I wonder if if I had an actual virus somewhere in the midst of these nearly six weeks now, if that could have weakened me and pushed me over the allergy divide. I hope they go away. Fingers crossed!
@seagoddess28 (873)
• Canada
3 May 07
Oh no! You are not having any fun with this, are you my fine-feathered friend...I have had allergies all my life, and I have had skin tests done on me. They scratch the skin and put a very minute amount on the scratch. They had the scratches all the way up the inside of my arms and in two lines down the sides of my back! It took quite a while so by the time they were doing my back my arms were on fire with itching!!! You're right, life's tough...the animals are a very major source of your problem, unfortunately. I adore animals myself but I can only enjoy them from afar. I have taken Claritin, Aerius, Reactine, etc. and "rotated" them throughout the years. I was told they lose effectiveness after a year. I have also developed asthma and the puffers and nose sprays keep me going. You can't be too trigger-happy with the inhalers though, esp. the steroidal ones bec. they impact bone density. Don't you love it? One cure causes another plague!!! My thoughts are with you, dear friend. One thing I should share with you. I told hubby and kids I can't dust and vacuum and they have to do it because of my allergies. Hey! Make lemonade when life gives you lemons..LOL hahaha! ;-}
@seagoddess28 (873)
• Canada
4 May 07
Valyushah, is Zyrtec over-the-counter or do you need a prescription? I don't think we have it here in Canada but I will certainly ask my doctor. Right now I am taking Reactine and I am very happy with it. About three years ago I had a horrible horrible reaction to insect bites that made me look like a puffer fish on 'roids, so my dermatologist prescribed the extra strength (not the OTC variety) Reactine for me. Fixed my insomnia too cause it knocked me out. Woodpigeon, my son has worse allergic reactions, because he has internal ones as well as external ones. He goes into anaphylactic shock and we used to be extremely paranoid in the summertime (bee and wasp stings). We discovered just how bad his allergy was to animal dander when we got a guinea pig. He was about four and when he stroked GP's fur he started choking and turned blue. I dialed 911 and they took him straight to the hospital. It was an anaphylactic reaction. I was in shock myself, feeling so guilty for buying the animal without getting him checked first. I felt I should have known better, since he already has penicillin allergy (took after me)and you know that allergies run in "clusters."
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
I love the idea of having someone else clean out the fireplace. My son has done it for me a time or two when it has been at its worst. The vacuuming today gave me grief, too. Hopefully these pills will calm down the agitated state my defences are in and then when I quit taking them the problem will go away. I hear early summer is supposed to bring a cessation to a lot of the things that irritate allergy sufferers.
I have known so many people with allergies but never really 'got' it. Now I do!
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
Of course I have a beautiful white lilac in mygarden that I am trying to stay away from. It could also be the guilty party!
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
3 May 07
i would have guessed mold too-i had a problem with that til i got a dehumidifier.
only major problem i have really is privit hedge.
air filters help quite a bit-zaps the pollens out before it gets in your lungs.it's an allergy i've always had,though.everyone in the neighborhood has that type of hedge.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
I have a friend who is a very bad asthmatic, and it is mould for her too, which is what I reminded my husband when he jumped on the "Let's throw the cats out the window" bandwagon. She could get rid of her cats and dog, but without clearing the mould it wouldn't help.
Privet is so common here you would just be miserable! I think the mould may have started me off, because it was so bad, and then all bleach, then the...until the cherry blossoms bloomed. It is my suspicion that was the last straw for my lungs. Hopefully I will see more improvement tonight, as I just took the second dose.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
I suspect this may be one of the culprits. It might be broom or forsynthis, but there is a lot of yellow blooming right now. There is also a yellow plant across the street that smells like coconuts and every time I walk by it I start sneezing but I have no idea what it is. Smells gorgeous until the sneezing starts!
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
4 May 07
Wow!!!! It really does sound like you are allergic to your life!!!
But maybe some things are setting you off because your body is already hypersensitive to what is invading it now. So, once you get your allergy under control...to whatever it may be...you will not be sneezing and coughing to the everyday things that didn't set you off before.
I can't say that I have allergies because I have not been "diagnosed". But I know there are some things that really bother me. I once lived in a state that everyday during Spring, I would drive by this once area on my way to work and I would instantly start having tears stream from my eyes! It took a few times trying to figure out when I need to roll up my window and that has never happened to me before...but it was something. Even my Senior Master Sergent was effected and she didn't have allergies. She walked in one day with the whites of her eyes swollen and I quickly commented that the trees around the hospital were bothering her too. She was so excited that I had just figured it out for her! After that, she made sure her windows stayed rolled up when she drove to work and got her allergy that she was never diagnosed with, under control.
You just need to find the one trigger that sets it off. And once you figure that out, you will be able to get it under control.
If it has been happening for six weeks...think to what has been around or started blooming during that time. That might be your trigger.
Good luck!!! I would love to hear if you figure it out! :)
1 person likes this
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
4 May 07
I don't know how the weather has been in your area this past winter. But ours was unseasonably warmer. With the exception of a few ice blasts...the weather was so warm, our plants sprouted early and right before an ice storm!
So, if your weather has been off too...it is very likely it played a part in something growing a bit better and effecting you now.
Maybe some type of mold even in the dirt...since you garden...I do too.
And just this past weekend, when I was weeding the garden, I got into some weeds that gave me a very nasty skin reaction!
It happened last year too. But not as bad as this time!!! It burned!!!!
So, I figure it is the weather that just made those weeds I am allergic to all the more potent. LOL
I hope you get well soon!!!
And truly...if you figure it out, I would love to hear! :) My sympathies to you and your friend and well wishes too.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
4 May 07
Believe me I know how you feel. I had a few allergies when I lived in the north but nothing major, then I moved to Florida and they have been steadily getting worse. I ended up in the hospital this year from them, they caused bronchitis in me. Well the post nasal drip from the allergies caused it. The doctor put me on a new allergy medicine and it is so much better now. It's called Astelin and I can't believe the difference.
I'm allergic to many things that are airborn. Cats and dogs I can be although I won't give them up. I've really had problems with the rabbit and hamster though (they have short lives and by the time I knew I can't just get rid of them). I can't go around feathers at all I'm also allergic to many flowers and worse the Citrus tree pollen and blossoms. Fun huh? The flowers I'm allergic to are roses, gardenias, jasmine and honeysuckle, these are used in most perfumes and scents. Makes life very interesting.
Good luck with the allergies. I hope they get better.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (92872)
• United States
3 May 07
Seriously, you should write a comic discussion for us all because you are too darn funny! My dad is so miserable today. He has the tree, pollen, and all the other "plant" allergies. He takes Allegra-D, but this is hardly making a dent in his misery. He has a doctor appointment tomorrow, but I don't know what else they can do. My mom also has those allergies, the ones from "nature." My sister has those plus animal and dust allergies. Her husband had to get used to the fact that his dog could no longer stay in the house. I have allergies and I've had them all my life. There has never been a day in my life that I didn't have circles under my eyes. My doctor told my mom it was allergies. I do pretty well, but on occasion my eyes get itcher than ever. Today has been pretty bad for allergy sufferers here, but so far I'm doing pretty well. : )
2 people like this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
4 May 07
I am very allergic to certain metals. I can't wear any jewelry unless it's gold and it has to be 20 or over, or else I will still get a rash.
However I am not allergic to foods, molds, or any of the most common allergens. I don't sneeze, cry, have a runny nose.
However I get hives. And I once had anaphylatic shock the funny part is that I was tested for anything available and then some and the cause was never found. Which did get me to worry just about anything. I worried about food even after being told I wasn't that allergic to any special food. I worried about perfume, make up, soaps. I was scared of laundry detergent, dish detergent, any kind of cleaning supplies.
Unlike most people with allergies that know what they need to avoid, I had no idea of what to avoid. And after the anaphylatic shock I was a bit in panic . How could I avoid something I didn't know what it was?
ANd to be honest, I wonder if like your title, I was just allergic to my life :) There was so much happening at that time, that maybe I was .
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
4 May 07
I had tests. Zillions LOL it's just that there was nothing that I was specifically allergic to.I reacted mildly to a few things but on the whole nothing enough to justify what happened.
It went for about one year and then it disappeared the same way it came. I gave up on figuring out the whole thing :)
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
4 May 07
That is such a drag that you aren't able to find out. It must be some weird, obscure thing.
I suspect mine are pretty common, and I am just getting hit from too many at once. If I had an anaphlactic reaction I would press for the etsts, but otherwise I jus hope they will pass.
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
3 May 07
I have had allergies that were enough to cause notable distress since I was 17, before that it was just an occasional annoyance. As far as I am aware my allergies include: tree pollen (pine and oak for certain), weed pollen such as Rag Weed, Golden Rod?, Queen Anne's Lace, Cotton - not as it is in the packages or in material, but as it blows from the fields...
Dust is my biggest allergy that causes me to wheez and have asthma attacks...maybe it is dust mites that are the true culprits.
mold as well.
now I am all itchy. lol.
PLEASE
Have your doctor take xrays of your lungs too, to rule out anything more serious.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
Oh my word that is a lot! I would be afraid to have the test done for fear it is something I wouldn't be able to cope with, like an allergy to one of my pets.
If the medicine doesn't work I am to call, but getting an Xray is such a hassle with a big long wait (ask Slarkin on the next page of this discussion, we're both Irish and I think she even has a discussion about her last trip to A and E- no fun!!!). If it is just allergies, hopefully the problem will clear up soonish. Don't get me worried, now, that was why I went to the doctor. She had a good listen and didn't hear any infection like rattling, so I am hoping it is just bog standard allergies. Thank you for your concern though, it is nice to be 'in it together'!
@sjohnson628 (3197)
• United States
3 May 07
I have allergies also. I am allergic to pollen, dust, mold and animal dander. It's terrible. Especially when the seasons change. That is when it affects me the most. I got these allergies late in life. I was about 32 when my first symtons appeared. I was on Rx meds for it until they came out with OTC claritin. These I found to be too expensive and so now I take sudafed or benydrl.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
3 May 07
That's where I was blowing it by trying to look after myself. I used to get so many ear infections that I reach for decongestents, not antihistimes. I didn't know whether to keep taking a expectorant, or switch to a dry cough because it seemed somewhere betwen the two.... At least I got some answers, even if I don't know what the precise irritant is.
The doc was saying that younger people sometimes outgrow them, but what she was muttering about people who develop them later in life wasn't quite so promising so I tuned most of it out;-)
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
4 May 07
Aren't you humourous? Your title certainly caught me on. What if I say I am also allergic to my life. YES! LIFE - "Love Is Forever Enchanting" is something I am allergic to. Too much of it and it brings pain to one and all :P
And I think it is great if you don't have to do anymore housework. Does your husband buy it?
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
4 May 07
No, he doesn't buy it. He has no synpathy. He is off on a "Oh, I care so much! Let's get rid of the cats!" tangent. I'd much rather get rid of the housework!
@robert19ph (4577)
• Philippines
4 May 07
I don't have any allergies but my children have. My first son has asthma when he was a child and we brought him to the doctor twice a month. He has a lot of medicine and have to do nebulizer every time. He's medicine are almost sprayed into his mouth. This goes on for three years until we were refer to a a good doctor who specializes on respiratory disease. He give him a steroid and change his spray medicine. Luckily my son overcome his asthma and he is doing well now. Your case might be different and by the end of the year your allergies will be gone.
@sherry_navilla (420)
• Slovak Republic
4 May 07
i am allergic to shrimps and other fruits but most i don't know of yet.. i just discover them along the way which is kinda bad because you might eat many not knowing your allergic to them... but my allergy is different from yours.. i just develop major rashes especially on my lip area.. good thing i don't eat much because if i do i might have serious problems..
1 person likes this
@Hart57 (359)
• United States
4 May 07
I suffered from allergies as a kid. I remember that I was unable to be around certain cats without my eyes tearing up a storm. I was very disturbed by this as I wanted to enjoy playing with cats without being so uncomfortable as a result.
I remember going to the allergist as a kid to get tested (my doctors name was Dr. Schatz -- pronounced "shots." How appropriate for an allergy doctor!). Anyway, the tests revealed that I was allergic to just about everything under the sun. I started to get allergy shots twice a week. What an ordeal! I really don't know if they helped or not. I received shots for about 2 years or so; I finally stopped because they became too much of a burden.
Thankfully, though, I seemed to have outgrown my allergies. I'm certain I still have them to a degree, but I'm not bothered by them nearly as much as when I was a kid.
@m1zundaztud (72)
• Philippines
4 May 07
I hear you! Same here... I got allergies... specialy when summer came... I can't be in very very hot weather... I tend to scratch all over,, and some red spots ... I even joked around.. if there are such things as rosy cheeks,, then I got rosy legs :p I got small dots over my body because of it,, I'm even band from some other beauty products not to mention my old favorite perfume... I can't use it anymore.. Even with my favorite seafoods I'm not allowed to eat it as often as I want...but only once in what 1 month....
at first it is very hard, to cope. But I have to deal with it or else I'll die young...
My doctor said in my case it is still MILD,, most people can't enjoy life outside due to severe allergies.
What bugs me is How did I catch allergies.. then I found out that my father is also allergic, but its dust. The rest as they say its history..
@castleghost (1304)
• United States
4 May 07
I am lucky becuase I don't suffer from allergies. My girlfriend on the other hand is miserable the last couple of years because of allergies. She has been allergic to cats for about ten years now. But last year was the first time that pollen in the air made her suffer. She has given up going outside that much because it just makes her feel worse.
I sincerely hope that your medicine kicks in soon and that you will feel better.
1 person likes this
