Its Allergies...RANT!

[Karen]

Allergies can happen to anyone at any time. November is about when leaf mold peaks in the North, and is when homes and businesses tend to turn on the heating systems full-bore. Both of these can affect people's allergies. I, for example, have a strong dust mite allergy. It has very little to do with what month of the year it is - if I am careless, I can aggravate that allergy. What kind of heating system does your home have? Anything with ducts can mean blowing dust around ...

Getting tested for allergies isn't very painful - but if you have allergies, it is very ITCHY!!!! The teeny prick to the skin are just that - far less painful than a pinch from another kid, or a scratch from a kitty. Just be prepared to distract him during the waiting time - they do the little pricks with various substances, then you have to wait ten minutes to see what "develops." They are a very LONG ten minutes. And you simply cannot scratch the itch, or you'll mess up the test.

It is ITCHY!!!!! but we deserve ice cream afterwards for being good.

[Karen]

Any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them. My first allergist was a sniffly old man - so I knew why he became an allergist - and the doctors I have had have had to answer a lot of questions. I am not an "easy" patient, but I am told at least I am cheerful.

[Cataholic]

Allergies can happen to anyone at any time. November is about when leaf mold peaks in the North, and is when homes and businesses tend to turn on the heating systems full-bore. Both of these can affect people's allergies. I, for example, have a strong dust mite allergy. It has very little to do with what month of the year it is - if I am careless, I can aggravate that allergy. What kind of heating system does your home have? Anything with ducts can mean blowing dust around ...

Getting tested for allergies isn't very painful - but if you have allergies, it is very ITCHY!!!! The teeny prick to the skin are just that - far less painful than a pinch from another kid, or a scratch from a kitty. Just be prepared to distract him during the waiting time - they do the little pricks with various substances, then you have to wait ten minutes to see what "develops." They are a very LONG ten minutes. And you simply cannot scratch the itch, or you'll mess up the test.

It is ITCHY!!!!! but we deserve ice cream afterwards for being good.

We have had several frosts....killing frost. Does that effect leaf mold? And, is it worse inside than outside? Jonah shows no difference. AND there isn't any redness, puffiness, watery eyes, etc. It seems like his eyes are dry. We have force hot air, and it doesn't seem to matter where he is...my house, mom's house, in the car, outside...it is present (I mean, present as much as it can be in one week's time ). Our house is sealed up tight....and the heat is on 60 degrees, but it is still blowy inside at times.

Jonah gets ice cream on a regular basis...I will have to take it up a notch. Thanks for the information!!

[Karen]

We have had several frosts....killing frost. Does that effect leaf mold? And, is it worse inside than outside? Jonah shows no difference. AND there isn't any redness, puffiness, watery eyes, etc. It seems like his eyes are dry. We have force hot air, and it doesn't seem to matter where he is...my house, mom's house, in the car, outside...it is present (I mean, present as much as it can be in one week's time ). Our house is sealed up tight....and the heat is on 60 degrees, but it is still blowy inside at times.

Jonah gets ice cream on a regular basis...I will have to take it up a notch. Thanks for the information!!

The leaf mold happens after a killing frost, when the sun warms things up during the day. If he kicks through leaves (what kid doesn't?)- bingo, he's kicking up leaf mold spores. And tracking them in on his shoes. Another few weeks and the leaf mold will be over for the season.

You have forced hot air - when were the filters last cleaned/replaced? As to there seeming to be no difference between inside and out, etc., once your histamine level is sky-high (which is what happens when you are having an allergic reaction) it takes quite a while for anything to effect a change, good or bad.

Do get him tested, it will be good to know, one way or the other. And if it is allergies, well, that's not a bad thing - there are ways to deal very concretely and specifically with allergies, as opposed to trying to fight an unknown!

[caseysmom]

Are they using a different antiobiotic for the second round? Could be he is resistent or the first one is ineffective for him. He could be starting to get pink eye from the goop from the sinuses also.

We have a joke in our family that when something is wrong it must be the UV rays...that is our pediatricians favorite line

[Cataholic]

Are they using a different antiobiotic for the second round? Could be he is resistent or the first one is ineffective for him. He could be starting to get pink eye from the goop from the sinuses also.

That was exactly what I thought. The doctor said if there wasn't any discharge, it wasn't pink eye. I am afraid his little ducts might be clogged...but, the doctor said if that was the case, his eyes would be runny. Jonah says he is touching his eyes cause they are watery. But, I see no sign of water.

It isn't like he can't leave his eyes alone...I just notice he does this sometimes.

[jennielynn1970]

Awe... poor little guy. He's got a lot going on.

In my house I have a humidity control next to my thermastat. It was here when I bought the house. Not sure how well it works, but I think it does work. It's an Aprilaire model (I think that's old, lol).

I'm sure I could be doing more for the dust mites and allergens in here. I have a collection of vacuum cleaners that my parents joke about, but I vacuum everything, and even have a Roomba for the hard wood floors. I'll try almost anything.

I think the way I usually could tell between a sinus infection and allergies was the color. Infection will go from yellow to green to nasty brown green. Allergies should be clear.

I know I also get a distinct flavor/smell in the back of my throat and when I cough when I have an URI. It's an "infected" smell. Even the docs told me that. If it gets to the point where I can smell the URI, I know I've passed the point of no return and will end up with bronchitis and be hacking up chunks of stuff for a few weeks. I've had allergies and upper respiratory issues since I was a little kid, and I get slammed with bronchitis and pneumonia every year (well, bronchitis every year... pneumonia if I'm really not taking care of things).

Big hugs to Jonah and to you, and hopes he feels better and doesn't have to deal with all this stuff!!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Oh what a drag for Jonah and you. I totally understand you being cautious about the allergy label. Do you have any naturopathic doctors in your area? I have one in MI that I still use even though I live in TX now. She's wonderful and I trust her so much. I also have had chiropractic adjustments since I was a baby and I've been getting Quinn regular chiropractic adjustments since she was 8 days old and I couldn't sing the prases of chiropractic enough. Some people think it's a load of crap, but I am such a firm believer in chiropractic.

I know chiropractors can't prevent allergies but they CAN prevent ear infections and help clear up sinus congestion. My mom used to get ear infections (as most kids do) but neither my brothers nor I have ever had an ear infection as a child. My husband and his whole family always got ear infections as well, and Quinn hasn't ever had an ear infection. I am absolutely certain it's from getting chiropractic adjustments since she was just over a week old. I know you didn't mention Jonah getting ear infections, but those little tubes are all connected. Getting everything back into allignment could do wonders in helping prevent (and clear up) any infection.

If you are not open to trying chiropractic and/or naturopathic medicine, disregard this message, but I thought I'd mention it just in case you might be open to trying it.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Allergies can happen to anyone at any time.

I, for example, have a strong dust mite allergy.
It has very little to do with what month of the year it is -
if I am careless, I can aggravate that allergy.

YUP ~ Soooo true!

I was sent to the "Allergist" when still a runny-nosed pre-schooler.
I had a nice assortment:
* Spring pollens
* Fall Pollens
* DUST
* Pet dander = NO pets 'cept hamsters till high school

Lil Sister reacted to:
* Some of the pollens
* CHOCOLATE (poor kid!)
* another couple of foods
* Pet dander

I went to the Pediatrician EVERY WEEK from Kindergarden all the way through high school
for my "allergy shot" in the arm!
Vacations in Canada? - Yup, we took the meds and I had a Canadian "Shot Doc".
Vacation at Grammy & Boppa's in Cleveland? - YUP - I had a Cleveland "Shot Doc", too!

You and The Kid *can* live through allergies ... the big challenge is to test to
determine WHAT he may be allergic to.

In hind sight - I always wondered about the "pet dander" diagnosis ...
Sis and I both had enough friends WITH dog or cat pets that we were
almost constantly exposed to dogs & cats in friends' homes.
How's come OTHER Kids' pets didn't cause grief and sniffels?

Mom got tired of hearing YEARS of whimpering & whining ... when I came home one day
and said I'd found "OUR Dog" at the police station she agreed to "have a look".
"Lady" played up to Mom BIG Time ... we all went home and *leaned* on Dad.
"Lady" came HOME the next afternoon.
Nobody *died* from her being in the house (especailly ME - she shared my pillow every night!)

[Freedom]

Johanna, so sorry to read Jonah is under the weather.

I think lots of folks have covered the allergy side of things; I tend to agree with what has been said.

I noticed you mention forced hot air for heat, and the "house is sealed up tight." You may want to check the humidity level indoors. He will feel better with a humidifier in his bedroom at night. Even if it is allergies, this will help.

I have a table top "thingamabob" which shows the temperature and humidity. Bought it years ago, at Sears. When I bought this house, it had forced hot air for heating. I had a humidity unit added to it. I can adjust the humidity level from the same thermostat that I use for heat. Good humidity levels are between 40% and 60%. May be something more you wish to check into.

[shepgirl]

Cataholic our youngest son was born with allergies. The first time he started sniffling we thought it was a cold, but he was clear and the pediatrician said it sounded like allergies. By the time he was one he was on allergy meds and he didn't go through the tests for anything since he could flare up at anything and everything. As a teen we thought he was outgrowing the allergies but by 18 they returned with a vengeance. He now has to carry meds everywhere he goes as he could eat something that he has eaten before without any effects but suddenly be gasping for air on a particular day. And yes, his eyes are the most annoying part , he constantly holds a cold wet facecloth on his eyes.
As a child he had a dog, we never deprived him of this as he was dog crazy. Our doctor didn't think it would make much difference for the allergies anyway.
His allergies are year ronund off and on, so I don't think there is a specific time for this.
Sorry to hear about your son, hope it's something else but I think they learn to live with it as they age.

[jennielynn1970]

I've had allergies since I was a baby. Between foods and environmental, I've got it covered. Some I grew out of, others got worse.

When I was little, I had no stuffed animals. No carpeting. No pets in the house. I was allergic to grass, and living on a farm, that made for a BIG problem. I couldn't even walk barefoot without my feet cracking and bleeding from grass. It stunk big time.

These days I can do the barefoot deal, but I have more food allergies (chocolate included). Spring is horrible when things are blooming. Fall is horrible when things are decaying. Turning on heat (I have hot forced air) makes things dry in the house and the dust flies around more. I have some huge Honeywell HEPA filter machines going in different rooms. They help. I'm sure having 8 cats in the house doesn't help at all, but they aren't going to leave anytime soon, so I deal with it. I'm on Singulair, Advair, I have a rescue inhaler, and I take Zyrtec most of the time.

Allergy testing, depending on how they do it, can be a pain. My allergist drew a few vials of blood and ran tests that way. Other people I know had allergens placed under the skin or whatever they do, and see how they react that way. I preferred the drawing of blood to that. RAST and PRIST testing I believe is what I had done. Food allergies have to be narrowed out by focusing on the offending food one at a time, at least that's how my mom's allergist did it for hers. Mine, my doctor and I figured out by how I reacted (hives, migraines etc...) when I ate them. I kept a log book of what I ate, how I felt, and what reactions I had.

Allergies can be a pain until they are managed, but they can be dealt with, and Jonah doesn't really have to suffer. If there are food allergies, there can be alternatives, and sometimes you don't realize what you are missing because you just don't have it. Chocolate is still something that I get mild reactions to, but I'm not a fan of the taste, so I don't really care that I can't have it. Strange, huh??? I'd be more upset if I couldn't have fruit, because that's what my mom usually gave me for snacks and dessert instead of chocolate treats.