Allergies

Deathly afraid of needles. Once had a needle so long put into my arm they had to strap my arm to a board so I wouldn't break off the needle in my arm. I could feel the fucker going in the whole damn way, too.... never again.... I'll pop pills for the rest of my life, just keep the damn needle away from me.....

And I have heard about the local honey route... it works for some people (I don't happen to be one of them ). Went to a local beekeeper for some, and tried that for about a month.... did nothing for me. But I have heard it works wonders for others.

 

A couple of things. Make me a believer in the local honey angle. A move to Indiana and back to Georgia, both times, taking local honey was helpful to cut down on the sneezing, especially with the pine trees down here.

I've taken Zyrtec and Claratin and other things. Claratin or Claritin or however it's spelled is the best. I take it over the counter (CVS brand) and it's awesome. Even today when the pollen is so thick on the ground that the parking lot is yellow.

 

I live in a valley that I'm told by longtime residents was known to the Indian tribes who once called this area home as "Cloudy Head." May be a legend, but I've never seen such pollen concentrations anywhere.

I swear by Claritin daily ... it's pricey, but Mrs. P-D get all her prescriptions reimbursed by her employer, so that helps. We buy the 60-pack from Costco or Sam's Club.

Here's another tip ... use a saline spray like "Ocean" when you first get up and before going to bed. I know it's just salt water, but it really seems to help.

 

I use the nasal spray Astelin, which is an antihistamine spray instead of a steroid spray like Nasonex, Nasaqort, Flonase etc. Astelin has been a life-saver since the fall (I have year-round allergies). But today my vehicle is coated in pollen and the pollent count is supposed to be around 5,000. So I went to the doctor just now and got a script for Zyrtec to add to the mix. Spring is definitely miserable in the south.

As a side note/vent after just returning: My doctor is a moron!!! He keeps telling me that anti-anxiety drugs like Klonopin and Xanax are narcotics. No they're f-ing not. They're benzos and controlled substances, but they're not narcotics (Oxycontin and Percoset etc. are). So I have to go to a specialist (yeah, a psychiatrist) to get my "narcotics." I know I could find a different doctor, but the good thing about this guy is he's really hands off until at least age 40. And I'm like zizzer, except my big fear, in addition to needles, is the finger up the butt trick!

I also asked him my Livestrong question (what can I do at age 35 etc.) and his answer was an hour of exercise a day. Good advice I suppose. He doesn't recommend any books, didn't have any other advice. I told him I'd started taking fish oil supplements twice a day and he said there was a new study out that said fish oil helps 75% of the people who take it but actually hurts 25% of the people who take it. The only way to find out which group you're in is to have a really expensive blood test run. So he's quit recommending fish oil.

Note to Johnny D: Feel free to move the last part of this to the Livestrong thread if you want.

 

Everyone:

Go. To. An. Allergist.

One of the best moves I've ever made in my life.

Found out I was allergic to dust mites, cats, rabbits, baker's yeast and cow's milk.

The difference in my quality of life is astounding.

 

That's really interesting. I've never heard of that.

I started on Claritin this morning. Hopefully it'll make a difference. It would be great to feel better and not feel exhausted all day.

 

boy friday uses the 24-hour Claritin-D and it works well for him.

but he is going to see an allergist and hopefully get shots. he sneezes so hard it makes his body ache and gives him headaches. unfortunately, little girl friday has some allergies too, but not the same ones as boy friday...

 

I ate something the other night that gave me the worst allergic reaction I've ever had.

My face swelled up overnight and left both of my eyes bloody after I'd pounded some Benadryl the next day.

Weird.

 

I've been fine, but Ms. Slappy is getting hit with problems. And the dog has had to take more benadryl than I have

 

Reminds me of the time I woke up with a nose like Rocky Dennis. Very unpleasant day. Ended up seeing a doctor. Wish I could remember what they put up my nose, but the swelling was gone in about 15 minutes.

 

I take back what I said.
Allergies have only mildly affected me -- till this morning.
Pollen count is like a billion, and the landscapers have shown up to get rid of like 10 years of leaves in the back 40 -- kicking up dust and crapola....
My head feels like Ken Griffey Jr's on nerve tonic

 

Am I strange or does this happen to anybody else?:

When I get allergies, I don't sneeze or get a scratchy throat. I feel like I have a hangover. I have really vivid dreams and even I sleep for 8 hours I feel like I haven't slept at all. All day I feel like if I close my eyes for more than 5 seconds I could sleep.

Again, the best way to describe it is that it feels like a hangover (and no I don't drink): I feel tired, have a headache and feel loopy and out of it all day. No sneezing or boogies, though.

I took Alegra and it helped. This past year, it didn't help. I'm sure it's allergies because it happens every year around this time.