Mom0012
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Posts posted by Mom0012
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36 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:
Will he go see an ENT or Allergist? They can Rx him better meds than you'll be able to get OTC. He might need to layer the meds during certain times of year. You can take an astounding amount of antihistamine combinations. Azelastine nasal spray has worked the best for me- I have pretty extreme allergies certain times of the year. I add in Zyrtec, Nasacort and Benadryl as needed. Benadryl makes me feel more "dried out" than Azelastine does for instance. But depending on his symptoms, there are myriad different Rx's out there that can help him (some without making him tired), be it eyes, runny nose, etc. that is most affected will determine which is the best course.
Imo OTC is okay for light/medium allergies, but it helps to have the bigger guns at your disposal. I'd really try to get him to see someone if he'll go. Apart from that, consistency of whatever he takes is sort of key- it takes a while for most drugs to become efficient, so if he's only taking them sporadically, then they don't really help as much.
Is Azelastine Astepro? That’s what works best for my dd. My dh used to take it as well. He did just go to the doctor for a physical a couple of months ago and was given two different allergy pills to try, but part of the problem is he doesn’t take anything consistently. He doesn’t seem to have much self-awareness when it comes to his symptoms or what helps or doesn’t help. I’ll get him to take something for a few months and I can see that he feels better, but then if he has an upset stomach one day, he’ll suddenly attribute it to the meds and stop taking them. It is obvious just from looking at him how badly he feels most of the time though. I can try to get him in with the allergist again. Maybe I will make a chart of symptoms and try to track this for him so he can *see* what helps and what doesn’t. Part of the problem is that allergy symptoms fluctuate.
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1 hour ago, sweet2ndchance said:
Sudafed type medications dry my head out but histamine blockers don't have that effect at all. Can he take antihistamines like Benedryl or Zyrtec? They work by blocking your immune system from releasing as much histamines which for some people (like me and it sounds like your dh too) their immune system goes into overdrive during allergy season. I take Zyrtec daily year round for hayfever type allergies and because I seem to randomly break out in hives with no identifiable cause. I can take up to two a day according to my allergist. I've never even had it suggested to me by my allergist that we do allergy shots. Hopefully someone else can help there.
I've never heard of anyone getting the dried out head side effect from antihistamines so you might urge him to try a different kind of allergy medicine. I use a generic that I can get 300 pills (that most people just take one a day) for $15.
ETA: I got distracted and forgot to say, I also can't do nasal sprays. They seem to make it worse not better. And the worse in winter doesn't surprise me. Have you had your HVAC system cleaned recently? Do you change the filters religiously and use allergy quality filters? Forced hot air systems are terrible for allergy sufferers. We are slowly converting our house to radiant heat because I can't handle forced hot air and all the dust and dirt they stir up.
Thank you. That is helpful to hear that you can’t do nasal sprays. Maybe I’ll have him try Zyrtec this week and see how he does with that. My dd has really bad allergies and meds like Zyrtec never did anything for her, but the nasal sprays have been great, so I keep thinking my dh needs a nasal spray.ETA: And we’re terrible about the filters and stuff. My dh changes them once every few years. Or so. Another thing to consider. We do have a heat pump, but I can’t see us being able to move away from that right now.
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My dh has really bad allergies, but resists taking medication because he says “it dries his head out”. Nasal sprays do cause him to have nose bleeds. Without medication, though, he is in misery. He OFTEN has a headache that is so bad that he will have his hands over his eyes while he is talking to me. He is constantly congested and just plain exhausted.
I will admit, I get aggravated that he will not consistently take medication. Lately, he has been pretty sick on the weekends because of sinus pain. I feel sorry for him and I do have empathy, but I have a hard time understanding why he does not try to find a solution for this. He did allergy shots a number of years ago when my kids did them and they helped him. Since he has discontinued the shots, he has gotten significantly worse and the other weird thing is that his allergies are now much worse during the winter months. Allergy shots are not practical for him at this point, but can any allergy sufferers out there point me in a direction for him? What is this “dried out” head thing medication causes him and how can he avoid that?
Nasal sprays have been effective for me and for both of my children. None of us have allergies anywhere near as bad as his, though.
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The biggest difference between the CLEP and AP tests, IMO, is that there is no essay portion on the CLEP tests. They are all multiple choice. Oh, and they are not so “high stakes” because you can retake them if you want to or need to, unlike AP exams which are only offered once a year in May.
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My ds took some CLEP exams between the end of his junior year and up until the summer before he went to college. He studied for a couple weeks after finishing classes he took those years — Government, History and Precalculus. And then we used AC/DC Econ over the summer before college so that he could CLEP out of micro and macroeconomics. This enabled him to bring in a semester’s worth of coursework at his college with a minimal effort and expense. Had CLEP exams been on my radar earlier on, I would have had him try some of the science ones when he had completed those classes in 9th and 10th grade. This was a kid who AP classes were not a good fit for.
For whatever reason, I have heard that CLEP exams are looked down on, similarly to GED scores, and so I did not put them on his transcript when he was applying to colleges. We just reported them after he had been accepted.
My dd took AP classes/exams and she took the Calculus CLEP a couple of years ago for placement at the CC. Now that we know what college she will attend, she’s working on the CLEPs for macro and microeconomics because they are a minimal amount of work/expense and she’d like to knock those out.
If your child is up for AP classes and does well on the exams, that is the “safer” route as far as getting credit because most schools will accept AP credit with a good test score. If AP exams are too difficult to access or your child doesn’t want to take those classes, then taking CLEP tests may pay off, depending on the school your child attends. We didn’t know what school my ds would attend until his senior year, but we had started looking at options in his junior year and that is when I realized most of the schools he was considering would accept the CLEP tests he could take.
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One more idea —
This site (below) has tutorials for all kinds of software. It is the resource my dd’s college is recommending for their business students to master Excel, so we’re going to go through it this summer so that she can pass the test she needs to take before being admitted to the business school.
Powerpoint is one that seems like it would be worth learning as well, but there are lots of options.
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1 minute ago, Sneezyone said:
There's a very fine line, I think, between I don't want to read and I don't enjoy reading because I am not able to do it at a level that makes it an effective method of instruction. Your niece and nephew may not have read a full book but that doesn't mean they weren't assigned. There are so many kids with poor reading skills in schools. In decades past, these kids might be shuffled into trades or, as they are often today, pushed out of school. We put all of these kids on a 'basic' college prep track now. The basic English track at my DDs HS school includes R&J for 9th and things progress from there. Short of a SpEd diagnosis, you figure out how to understand these books or you fail. There is actually a lot of really useful, factual, information on YouTube that can be especially helpful for visual learners. I just don't buy this idea that young people today are more lazy than in the past.
I don’t think young people are more lazy. I just think the overall expectations have been lowered for everyone. Believe me, I was plenty lazy as a teen/young adult. This isn’t a judgment about the kids, but about changes I perceive in the system.
And my ds has some lds and I used many different methods to reach him — reading out loud, audiobooks, software to strengthen his vocabulary, etc. He has accommodations at college. And he is now a very strong student. But, had I decided to just let him watch movies because reading was too hard or to skip writing because it was really difficult for him, he would not now be looking around with surprise at how strong of a student he is at his college.
I know my niece did have books assigned in early high school. And yet she never read them and still walked away with decent grades because all she had to do was show up at a class she was required to attend anyway. My nephews both have lds. One would greatly benefit from a trade. The other would greatly benefit from an education. I only wish I lived close enough that I could give that gift to him because he’s a really great kid.
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25 minutes ago, Halcyon said:
congrats!! F and M is right now a top contender for my son for their business offerings and location... Waiting and hoping!!!
It’s located in such a fun area. We’ve done mini vacations to Lancaster over the years and noticed the school on our visits, which is what put it on our radar. I hope it works out for your ds!
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On 2/21/2020 at 7:07 PM, Sneezyone said:
Why would it be strange or controversial to reach kids where they are and teach them in the ways that they learn best? Isn't that the reason so many of us chose to homeschool to begin with? At one point last year, my daughter asked me to download a dictionary app. She said it was because she "needed a dictionary that didn't require internet access". I informed her that we had several versions that would meet her needs, that they were called BOOKS, and she was welcome to retrieve them from our bookshelves at any time of day or night. She laughed her butt off and proceeded to walk away...without the app. There's no point in making kids use a tool that they are unlikely to use when there are other ways to access the same information. At DD's school, they provide textbooks. DD uses hers as needed. She also uses other resources that, as a mildly dyslexic student, are more accessible to her. I think about all of the students who are left behind by insisting on text or lecture as the only medium of instruction. When we know better (about how kids learn) we should do better. If the ultimate results are poor, OK, reevaluate and change course. When the results are not only not poor but good or superior? Get over it.
I really think what Hadley is talking about is catering to laziness and low expectations. Many kids are now being taught with YouTube clips, not because they aren’t capable of reading, but because they’d rather not. I honestly don’t think my niece or either of my nephews read a single book in high school and, I love them, but it shows.
I’m all for using whatever methods are necessary to reach kids and bring them to the next level, but this change is not about that imo.
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On 2/21/2020 at 5:45 PM, Hadley said:
My son’s sitting on a 98, so I’m not too concerned about the ‘tricky’ mc questions. I think the vocabulary has been a bit unclear in a few, from what he has shared with me.
I’m ducking for cover now...
I think it’s pitiful that teachers dumb-down delivery methods because students choose not to read. I taught school for years, and those who chose not to study for my class also chose not to receive credit for the class. I’m old school. I think students need to learn to rise to class requirements, rather than teachers lowering their standards to meet the students’ apathy. Of course, this only applies to students who have no learning challenges that would preclude them from handling the material.
I accept the fact that this approach may not be popular. It’s a large part of why I left teaching in the public schools!
I think so much authority has been taken from the teachers and given to the admin who just want to keep their clients happy. The bar has been lowered. Cheating is rampant and done right in front of the teachers at the CC my dd has been attending. And there isn’t a darn thing the teacher can do about it without pushback and oversight from the admin.-
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On 2/21/2020 at 5:20 PM, Hadley said:
The textbook was required, but then the teacher told the kids that he wouldn’t use it after we had already opened it, and now it can’t be returned.
I do agree with you about teaching without textbooks in my homeschool, but this is vastly different. Even when I use living books, I follow some sort of a plan.
I did not check Rate My Professor. It’s a shame-on-me situation. This has been our first foray into dual enrollment. My son wanted to squeeze in this class, and he found a night class that would fit his schedule. The truth is that he likes the teacher and enjoys his class. It’s just terribly disorganized...
I’m sure I’ll live 😊
I totally get what you are saying and cannot understand why we are moving away from using textbooks to random worksheets. Oh, I know. It’s *cheaper* (haha) to use online texts but then no one reads them. But why should they read them when it seems 90% of teachers give a study guide that tells the student exactly what will be on the test. My ds has had that experience in his accounting class this semester and I worry that he isn’t getting the foundational information he needs to be successful in this field. And this is his major. I feel like the “Information Age” has really just led to an “information drain” and no one in any industry is going to know anything that there computer doesn’t tell them.
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OP, if you like Dave Ramsey, he has a personal finance course that could done over the summer. I don’t agree with him on everything, but it was good for both of my kids. It got them thinking more long term about investing and saving and they each opened up an investment account while taking the class. It also spurred us on to get “adult” banking accounts for each of them. It made them want to steer clear of debt.
I think it’s a subject best taken once your teen has a job and is working. My ds made a budget while we were doing DR and was so aggravated about all his bills, lol. It was so great for him to see how quickly his small income got eaten up with his phone bill, car insurance, etc. We didn’t even really use the workbook other than to use the page that had you make a budget because most of the workbook is simply busywork, but the introduction to some of the basic ideas was great for my two.
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3 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:
Tangent: Did you do anything besides Khan for AP Gov? I have 2 students going through it right now, and we're just pairing it with some short YouTube videos & 3-4 written papers. I'm too late to register them for the AP exam, so that's off the table for us (which is fine, really). Considering having them take Modern States CLEP prep + test at the end?
We took the quizzes and tests throughout the modules, but that’s it. My dd has worked so hard throughout high school, this was a class I wanted to be light. We certainly could have done some reading of The Federalist Papers and other original documents if we had wanted to beef it up. I likely would have had her use the AC/DC prep for government if she was going to take the exam, but she won’t be able to use the credit at the college she is attending, so we’re just moving on.🙂-
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One of the reasons we have time to start Econ now is because we used Khan Academy for AP Government and went through the whole thing pretty quickly — started mid to late January and finished last week and we did not do it every day. So, that’s my second summer recommendation. I notice that AC/DC also now offers government class as well, so you could CLEP out of it over the summer.
Another plus is that both government and economics are courses that are enjoyable to do along with your student. At least they were for me. And what you would learn in government right now is especially relevant with the upcoming election. Highly interesting and there hasn’t always been as much I can share with my student academically at this point because they’ve both been pretty involved in outside classes in high school.
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My dd is doing AC/DC Microeconomics and Macroeconomics and then will take the CLEP tests since the college she’s attending will accept those (many do!). They are both very quick. You could probably do a unit a day (there are 6 for each course) and then spend a few days to a week on practice tests and knock both out in a few weeks, but we’re just spending 30 minutes to an hour a day on this. Even so, she’ll probably be done by the end of March/mid-April and we just started a few days ago. I did the same thing with my ds before he went off to college.
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I bumped into an old acquaintance recently and she told me she sent all three of her kids to UAH this last year as freshmen. Two twins and one they graduated a year early. I think one has a full ride as a NM scholar and the other two have full tuition. She confirmed the nerdy vibe and said there are lots of homeschoolers there and that her kids are all super happy with the experience.
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9 hours ago, dmmetler said:
It’s the same for 2021 apps, according to the person we spoke to this weekend. DD is concerned about the length (for her, long essays are much easier to write than short ones)
I think this one was actually a decent length. My dd actually had to make hers longer because she was initially thinking it was only supposed to be 500 words, I think.
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I’ve posted before about this lady, Beth Walker, and her book — Never Pay Retail for College. I’ve spoken with her some and she has really impressed me, to the point where I am going to have her do some financial planning for my family. She also offers college consulting services, which I found out about too late in the process, but her book was very helpful to me.
Here is the link to her blog — https://www.neverpayretailforcollege.com/blog
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I also love to cook and bake but can never eat any of the things I make, so it was really nice to be able to make the brownie cheesecake and have a slice with my dd.
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9 hours ago, Just Kate said:
I do THM (which includes both low-carb meals, along with some healthy carb meals) and I absolutely love the All Day I Dream About Food website. Carolyn is amazing and has such great recipes and videos on her site. If you are on Facebook, you should join her group. Lists of great discussion.
Thank you, Kate. That may be a good enough reason to finally get me on Facebook. I tried THM years ago and loved the idea, but was never able to get it to work for me. I started with her mug cake and would eat that for breakfast and then be horribly irritable. I have always struggled with blood sugar issues and keto has been life changing for me. In my early 30s, I realized I *must* have protein at every meal. I still have my THM book, though and always loved the idea of it,
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9 hours ago, ThisIsTheDay said:
I'm basically a keto person; I kind of hate to say that though! I definitely stick to low carb, healthy fat. I don't do ANY fake or alternative sweetener ever; for many, it can trigger an insulin response similar to real sugar.
If I want something sweet, I eat berries (a good, lower carb fruit) with homemade whipped cream.
(And yes, I ate sugar over Christmas--and Valentine's Day!)
I have had issues in the past when I’ve eaten things I’ve made with swerve. And, honestly, I did have to fight cravings for more cheesecake last night plus I felt a bit edgy, which is rare for me these days. I keep thinking that’s all in my head though. Or at least hoping. Maybe I will have to limit these treats to no more than once every week or two or try having them on special occasions.
Do you get major inflammation after eating carbs on the holidays? The joints in my feet get so bad I can hardly walk in the mornings after having sugar for a day or two.
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I have been doing keto for about 3.5 years, mostly because I feel so good eating this way. It also helps me maintain my weight without feeling constantly deprived or hungry. I haven’t really made much in the way of desserts in the past, but have found when there is a special occasion and I eat carbs I now tend to go overboard since I so rarely have sweets. I went crazy with the sugar over Christmas, lol. So, I thought if I made a dessert each week, I might not go so crazy on the rare occasion that I do have carbs. Or, better yet, maybe I could just substitute these low carb recipes on special occasions instead of having carbs.
The other benefit is that my husband is insulin resistant and he can eat these desserts without me worrying as much about him.
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This whole website has so many good recipes. Here’s another I think my whole family would enjoy. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-chocolate-mousse-pie/
I’m planning to try this when my ds is home for spring break.
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Next week, I plan to make keto ice cream with this recipe — https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/perfect-low-carb-vanilla-ice-cream/
I was going to make raspberry sauce to go with it, but I think I will be sick of that by next week, so if anyone has any great suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
DH with Allergies - please help if you can
in The Chat Board
Posted
So, the doctor had given him a bottle (prescription) for Zyrtec and Claritin. My dh says one of them helped some, but he’s not sure which one, lol. I just had him take a Zyrtec and I will remind him to take Astepro in the morning and he’s agreed to keep a chart (to let me keep one). If he gets the dried out feeling, we’ll drop the Astepro.