help me help my DH (allergies)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

DH had an appt for allergy testing at the ENT this morning. Apparently he reacted strongly to 11 out of the 26 things they tested!! basically various types of mold, as well as various pollens, weeds, cedar, trees/grasses, and dust mites. :( The poor guy. And we live in Texas, which can really be an absolute hell-hole for these types of allergies.

we've always known that DH has had bad allergies (he's been congested ever since he was a kid) but now they seem to have gotten so much worse lately. All the crazy rain this past week didn't help. DH had been complaining of various body aches/pains, muscle stiffness..though it was just because he was out of shape and stuff but now i'm wondering if this is a large factor. He is basically constantly sniffling and essentially chronically congested. Snores like crazy...years ago i thought he had sleep apnea but he did a sleep study and he did not have it. This is despite cycling through claritin or zyrtec... they seem to prevent it from getting horrible but still he seems pretty miserable! He already does Neilmed sinus rinse twice a day.

Any tips/suggestions appreciated. I feel so bad for my poor DH! Even me who had sinus surgery last year for chronic sinusitis ..i did not have allergies this bad (i had same testing and only reacted to one thing, dust mites, very mildly).

[Philly Mom]

Has he tried a nasal steroid? Made a huge difference for me.

[crl]

This is me. I had a strong positive on scratch testing to everything except cockroaches and feathers. I'm allergic to everything else they typically test for. So allergic that the allergist's first words to me when he saw my arms were, "can you breathe?" Freaking out the allergist is not a good sign.

Anyway my allergist strongly advocated making the bedroom as allergen free as possible. His view was that you spend a third of your day there and it is the easiest place to control without interfering with your life. He said to use dust mite encasings on the pillows, mattress and comforter. Wash and dry the sheets, comforter cover and pillowcases on hot every week. Minimize drapes, carpets, rugs, any fabric. Dust and damp mop the room every week (preferably the person doing the cleaning doesn't have the allergies, but since dh and I both have dust mite allergies we can't avoid that). Avoid piles of clothes or papers or any other dust catchers in the room. Keep the windows closed (this is for the pollen, etc allergies). Keep your furnace and a/c filters changed. Consider an air purifier running at the height of the bed.

One more tip a pharmacist gave me is to shower before bed so you wash all the pollen, etc off yourself and especially out of your hair. He also advocated changing the pillow case frequently.

Allegra works best for me, but my allergist said everyone is different and suggested trying all of them, one at a time of course, to see which worked best. The nasal sprays give me bloody noses, but they do help so worth trying for sure.

Dh's allergies were helped substantially by moving. Mine not so much.

I also had allergy shots as a teenager. They helped substantially, but the effect seems to have worn off--I'd say I got ten solid years before it wore off. Not sure what happened. I have been reluctant to try again because I don't want to commit to being at the doctor's office so often at this point in my life.

Catherine

[Philly Mom]

Oh, I agree about showering every night. Everyone in my family does. If I have been outside around lots of pollen, I shower as soon as I get home. We also keep windows closed and ac on. Makes a big difference. For me the nasal steroid I like is generic Flonase.

[lauren3110]

Allergy shots helped me - ask if cluster shots are available. They help get you up to maintenance dose much faster. I still have allergies and use Flonase and sinus rinse but it is much more manageable. I used to get sinus infections every 2 months and almost daily headaches - vet infrequent now.