How to deal with a dust allergy?

[ang79]

DD1 (almost 12 yrs. old) has had a recurring cough since last Nov. The doctor initially did a chest x-ray to check but her lungs were clear and they always sound clear when he listens to them. He prescribed prednisolone to see if it helped but it didn't stop the cough. I was hoping as the weather got nicer it would go away. It has lessened but is not completely gone. She says she feels like she has a tickle or something stuck in her throat and has to cough. At our last visit the doctor ordered blood work to check for food allergies and respiratory allergies Results came back with an allergy to dust. How do I treat this, other than better cleaning? We have 3 indoor only cats so I already vacuum several times a week. She changes her pillowcase every few days. She does not sleep with stuffed animals, but does have them around her room as decoration. DH thinks we should get an air purify for her room, do those help and which brand is good?

I'm also wondering if the coughing could be related to reflux. In the past she has complained of her chest hurting and recently she has complained of tummy aches.

[georgiegirl]

It could be asthma. I’d get her evaluated for that. DD (12) has exercised induced asthma and the doctor said coughing is the biggest symptom of asthma. DD coughs a lot after a swim meet. She uses a rescue inhaler before practice and before meets. The doctor said if she coughs regularly to bring her back in.

You can also get her skin tested for allergies. It’s better than the blood test. Ds1 is allergic to almost everything environmental but he rarely coughs.


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[ang79]

It could be asthma. I’d get her evaluated for that. DD (12) has exercised induced asthma and the doctor said coughing is the biggest symptom of asthma. DD coughs a lot after a swim meet. She uses a rescue inhaler before practice and before meets. The doctor said if she coughs regularly to bring her back in.

You can also get her skin tested for allergies. It’s better than the blood test. Ds1 is allergic to almost everything environmental but he rarely coughs.


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The doctor said that if it was asthma (or allergy) related that the prednisolone would have stopped the coughs, but it only slightly decreased the frequency. I mostly hear her coughing in the morning or in the evening before bed, though she said she often had to cough during the day at school. It has not been as frequent since she has been home for summer break.

[georgiegirl]

The doctor said that if it was asthma (or allergy) related that the prednisolone would have stopped the coughs, but it only slightly decreased the frequency. I mostly hear her coughing in the morning or in the evening before bed, though she said she often had to cough during the day at school. It has not been as frequent since she has been home for summer break.

I’d make an appointment with an asthma/allergist specialist.


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[magnoliaparadise]

I’d make an appointment with an asthma/allergist specialist.


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I think there is a strong correlation between asthma and allergies so I agree with the others to check asthma out. This popped up when I googled it just now:
From a Mayo Clinic website:
"Allergies and asthma often occur together. The same substances that trigger your hay fever symptoms, such as pollen, dust mites and pet dander, may also cause asthma signs and symptoms. In some people, skin or food allergies can cause asthma symptoms. This is called allergic asthma or allergy-induced asthma."

I have dust mites allergies (and tree and hay) and I have not been diligent about trying to reduce the triggers, but there are all sorts of websites and groups online of people supporting it. The general easy things they say to do are... no rugs, vacuum or sweep frequently, change pillow cases and sheets every two-days in hot water, wash blankets (bedding) more frequently than others, shower every night before you go to sleep (showering at night helped me - I don't always do it, but I see a difference when I do).

Here is a Quora paragraph on the subject that I just googled that think is pretty standard fare for how people treat dust allergies:
Quora:
"You probably cannot get rid of your allergy to dust mites, but you can control your reactions by keeping your house, especially your bedding, free of dust mites. Choose furniture that is covered in leather or vinyl or is plastic or wood or stone or glass, instead of fabric cushions. Use allergen covers on your bed, comforter and pillows that prevent the bedding item from becoming colonized with dust mites. Extra-hot-water wash bedding often. Wipe the allergen covers clean and hot-water-wash periodically. Have hardwood floors, vinyl or tile of some kind, stone or otherwise, that are easier to keep dust-free than carpet, or else vacuum often. It might help to have someone come to help you dust and clean; otherwise, use a mask to cover your face. I would recommend keeping your house closed up more than not and using filtered air instead of opening the windows since dust can blow inside. You should also check your house for mold, since those also commonly cause allergic reactions and are often hidden.

The allergy covers we are are recommended by our allergist. (Mission Allergy). We use the premium microfiber to cover the mattress, but not the boxspring. We have the bedskirt and plenty of pillow covers. Depending on how bad your allergy is, bedding should be changed every month. I would recommend that you bathe and wash your hair before going to bed, to remove pollens and dust from outside, and to slough off dead skin cells that dust mites feed off of. (a scrubby kind of bath puff is good for this kind of thing).

If that doesn't control it, you may need to consult a doctor about allergy medications that can safely be used either in rotation, or year-round. Don't self-medicate, and know that allergy medications can tend to lose efficacy over time, which is why sometimes rotation can be helpful." (End Quora)

*****
A word of caution just in case this helps at all from my experience... I medicated using over the counter allergy meds for years - like at least 10 and possibly 15 - I used Xyzal or Zyrtek nightly - and I wouldn't recommend staying on long-term like I did. I felt like I personally (and I realize that might not be others' experience!) got more, not less allergic overall using meds somehow... like clockwork to the hour, after 24 hours, I was in great distress and needed the meds. I would go NO WHERE without my allergy meds in hand. I really needed them. And yet they also stopped working as effectively and at times I would need to take more than one pill (I have friends who take multiple to control their allergies). I didn't like that I was so beholden to the meds without an end in sight and that they weren't working all that well anyway.

Allergists would always support my use of them, but I decided to try to stop last Spring. My withdrawal symptoms (different than my allergy symptoms) were pretty significant for a week or two (and then probably continued for another month, though diminished) - I wasn't expecting much withdrawal at all - and when I went online, my symptoms mirrored exactly what people on the web were saying. I was really surprised!

After a period of time, those withdrawal symptoms died down and my allergy symptoms did, too. I almost never allergy meds now - I think once in three months. I periodically still do have allergic outbreaks, but overall, I now have less, not more allergy symptoms, than I had when I consistently took nightly allergy medicine. Not sure why this is, but there are some medical theories online that may or may not be legitimate or accepted (that prolonged anti-histamines actually get your body used to not making histamines and when you stop those meds, your body adjusts to producing them).

I haven't been off of allergy meds all seasons so I might be calling victory too soon. I'm open to going back to the meds again, but hoping I don't, or at least not as often.

Again, others might disagree and choose to stay on allergy medicines for good. I just mention this because I had NO idea that the meds could be habit forming and was pretty surprised when I went online with my symptoms and saw them reflected so prolifically by others. I just never realized how habit-forming the allergy meds were.

I am hoping to start shots next year. I realize that they don't work for everyone, but I have seen positive results in friends anecdotally and would really like to try in the hope of some permanent or semi-permanent solution.

[azzeps]

If you haven't had your ductwork cleaned in a while, maybe that would help. Also, look at adding an air cleaner to your HVAC system if you don't already have one.

[mackmama]

In addition to stuff already listed...

Hire an air quality specialist to test your house for mold and other culprits. Only hire someone who would not do the remediation to make sure they are honest.

Consider installing hardwood instead of carpets.

Get an air filter in her bedroom and your common room (ie family room). Strongly recommend IQ Air. We have the Health Pro and have seen a big difference in all of our allergies. We have 3 of them. One in main room and one in master and one in DC’s room.

Consider cleaning or installing new ductwork.

[ang79]

If you haven't had your ductwork cleaned in a while, maybe that would help. Also, look at adding an air cleaner to your HVAC system if you don't already have one.

So our house is only 1.5 years old. It is a modular that was set in Oct. 2017 and we moved in at the end of Nov. that year. I am wondering if there is dust or something in our system that didn't get blown out properly when the house was set. We've had weird problems since moving in - last summer DD1 had dry skin patches around her mouth and eyes, DH has also had similar dry, scaly skin around his eyes, one of our cats seems to have a non-stop cold, and in the past month I have gotten a weird bumpy rash (pink at first, then flesh colored but you can still feel the bumps) on different parts of my body. I have not opened the windows this spring/summer because pollen in our area was extremely high and both DD2 and I have seasonal allergies in the spring/fall. We've had the AC running since mid-May as I can't stand humidity when I sleep. We have a whole house fan that runs on and off to help control humidity in the house (it was built in, we just turned it on, but are not sure if it is working correctly as this is new to us).

We are headed on vacation this weekend, then I will see about finding a company to check air quality/check ductwork, etc.

[MSWR0319]

The doctor said that if it was asthma (or allergy) related that the prednisolone would have stopped the coughs, but it only slightly decreased the frequency. I mostly hear her coughing in the morning or in the evening before bed, though she said she often had to cough during the day at school. It has not been as frequent since she has been home for summer break.

He's contradicting himself. If what he said was true, then the dust mite allergy isn't causing the coughing. My dad went through a stage this winter where his coughing wouldn't stop. Steroids didn't help either. It was asthma. He needed a controller inhaler. I definitely recommend going to an asthma/allergy specialist. I used to be allergic to dust mites and allergy shots did wonders for me in that area. The allergy is gone and I test negative.

[georgiegirl]

He's contradicting himself. If what he said was true, then the dust mite allergy isn't causing the coughing. My dad went through a stage this winter where his coughing wouldn't stop. Steroids didn't help either. It was asthma. He needed a controller inhaler. I definitely recommend going to an asthma/allergy specialist. I used to be allergic to dust mites and allergy shots did wonders for me in that area. The allergy is gone and I test negative.

I totally agree. Our asthma specialist said coughing (unrelated to an illness) is the NUMBER ONE SYMPTOM of asthma. Especially coughing at night