Its Allergies...RANT!

[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.

[Cataholic]

Thankfully, Jonah hasn't ever had an ear infection. There IS fluid in his ears now, but, it isn't to the point of being infected. And, the antibiotics will keep that from happening.
I appreciate the information on DC care!