Those of you dealing with severe dust and mold allergies

[Mom2J112903]

What do you do to keep things under control at home?

 

J is on a cocktail of meds including an antihistmaine/decongestent, Nasonex, Singulair and a daily inhaler med (it starts with an "a", can't remeber the name, we just got the script yesterday and the pharmacy was out of stock) along with his albuterol inhaler for rescue. He also started allergy shots yesterday.

 

We have no carpet in the house, minus the master bedroom.

 

All the blinds are down.

 

Curtains will be washed once/weekly.

 

He does have allergies to both the cats and the dog. We are getting ready to put a privacy fence up so they can all spend the majority of the day outside. The adult male already spends the nights outside.

 

We have a steam mop for the hardwoods, will be getting the same for the bathroom.

 

He has minimal stuffed animals he *has* to sleep with-these are in the deep freeze right now. ;)

 

His mattress is encased :)

 

We do have microfiber furniture, a sofa and love-seat. We will be getting him a vinyl-type bean bag tommrow.

 

What else can we do to help my little man? Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions/links.

[abbeyej]

I'll throw out a few things...

 

Are the pillows on his bed encased? You can get those covers at places like Target sometimes, and I like those 'cause you can wash them as well and since they're a little cheaper, it's less painful when you have to throw them out and replace them periodically. (Best bet is to have an anti-allergen pillow *and* a cover, but replacing those regularly can get pricey.)

 

You can use a product called X-Mite on all carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture. You brush it on, leave it for three hours, then vacuum.

 

There are super-surfactant laundry detergents that are specifically made for clearing allergens (particularly dustmites and pet dander) from fabrics. I've used AllerWash. (If you have one of those washing machines that heats its own water to a set temperature, this may be unnecessary. The "hot" setting on my washing machine gets nowhere *near* hot enough to neutralize allergens.) It's expensive, so I just use it on bedding. Our regular All Free&Clear seems to work fine on clothing and such. (And ds is very sensitive to other laundry detergents, but we haven't had any problem with AllerWash.)

 

Hm... Vacuum cleaners can sometimes make things worse by throwing dust back up into the air and such. Make sure yours is working well and you keep filters clean, replace bags regularly, whatever. And preferably vacuum right before you're leaving the house, so the air settles a little before your son is breathing it more.

 

You might also ask your doctor to test your son's vitamin D levels. I just went ahead and started supplementing my kids, and whether it's coincidence or not, ds has had *much* fewer allergy and asthma problems this past year than ever before, and we were able to use his meds far less.

 

And good job on the deep freeze for his creatures. :) That can be a little traumatic to give them up for a few days, but it's worth doing regularly.

[joannqn]

You might want to see this video about vacuums.

 

We have lead issues with our house and our infant has an elevated blood lead level so I have to keep all dust to a minimum. I'm dusting with disposable wipes (wet keeps the dust from flying), vacuuming daily with a Miele vacuum (bought because of this problem), and damp mopping 2-3 times a week. I also use the Miele on the furniture.

[Mom2J112903]

Yep, pillows encased as well :) He tested positive for a dust allergy as a young toddler, but yesterday tested more severely. So, a lot of this has been in place for quite a while.

 

We have used X-Mite before and I think DH still has some out in the garage. Just have to get it out and made up of course.

 

I am glad to see someone else likes the AllerWash, I had been looking at it. I wash J's clothes on their own already, so I will most likely use it for his bedding and clothes. That is 2 loads of laundry a week-at most, so it should last us for a while.

 

We leave the bedroom door closed at all times, it is DH's and I "sanctuary" of sorts. This is the only room that has carpet. We ripped up the carpet in what is now J's playroom as soon as we moved in.

 

We supplement with Vit D and have been on a regular basis since December. That and big doses of Vit C, which obviously neither have helped J unfortunatly.

 

There are not that many, maybe 12 creatures. Some of them are going away permantly, since he does not realize they are even missing. There are a few that he *must* have and will have to be around. I even found "guggy" in the deep freeze. DH is serious about this stuff :) Then again, some of the animals are too sentimental for Momma to put away for good. Like the Boyd's Bear Elephant that my Mom gave me when we found out we were pregnant. J is about 2hrs old and it was already with him. *I* can't give Elephant up even though J has replaced it with "sting-ray" and puppy". Don't ya just love my child's orginal names? :tongue_smilie:

 

I use actual furntiure polish on my few pieces of furntiure, weekly, and then also use the disposable wipes (as much as I hate to, I know they are better for allergies) when needed.

 

I just do not think we need a special vacum, since the only room that has carpet in it is our Master.

[sbgrace]

Well, my son's allergens are also severe and include outdoor. Are you sure J doesn't also have outdoor (tree/grass/pollen) allergens? I mention that because that's a key issue here. If you've got animals outside that then come in they are bringing that stuff in on their fur. People coming in and out are bringing it on clothes and hair. I'm saying if his animal allergens are less severe than the outdoor you may be making it worse leaving them out (assuming they are also coming in). We tried to wipe animals down to lower dander and of course they never went in his room. Eventually we rehomed. That was hard and wasn't an easy decision. Talking to adults with animal allergies who were so miserable they rehomed their own animals or avoid visiting family with animals or etc. made that decision for me though.

 

For outdoor allergns we do showers when coming inside which is a pain in the rear but does make a huge difference for my son. I have a HEPA on the air handling unit to the house and a HEPA unit in his bedroom. If I could afford it I'd have them in his main play area in the house too but it's a huge room.

 

We've got a HEPA vacuum for carpet and steam mop for hardwoods/tile. My steam mop does carpets and I do that to kill any dust mites remaining after vacuuming. I do the couches too.

 

Shower before bed so he's not taking his allergens to bed with him.

 

We hot dry his pillow (you could freeze rotate instead). I wash all his bedding including stuffed animals on sanitize cycle and dry on hot.

 

We normalized his vitamin D though I think that ship sailed. We do probiotics. We do histamine lowering supplements including b12, folapro, vitamin C. I wish they were enough for us. He's on lots of meds like J and while we finally got the asthma pretty well controlled (all allergy triggered for him) and the allergies manageable he's still not 100% in terms of nasal especially in summer when his outdoor are most severe. I can't believe how hard it is to control them!

Edited July 9, 2010 by sbgrace

[Mom2J112903]

Yeah, he has allergies to grasses and two types of trees (which I have not seen around here-Black Walnut and Cottonwood). Bermuda, one of his grass allergens, is all around here unforutantly.

 

We literally can not rehome the dog-she is not re-homeable. Long story made short, but there is no way she could go live with another family.

 

DH is getting a new filter for the central air tommrow morning. He had to work today and J is still recovering from yesterday. He looks sooo tired and wow his allergy shiners-EEK!

 

J will start showering at night, instead of the morning. No biggie for us, but for him, this will cause a "rift" in his routine. He shall get used to it ;)

 

We thought about getting an air filter for his playroom and main room, but they are big rooms and we are hopeful that with the filter on the central air, this will help. Also thought about getting some filters for the actual air vents.

 

I haven't thought about steaming our microfiber sofas actually. Hmmm.......

 

We haven't found a probiotic that J doesn't react to. He gets more stuffy/asthma symptoms with *every* one we have tried. Many of them are grown on a mold or fungus substance, so we are staying away from them.

 

J and B12 just do not mix-they made him one very hyper little man.

 

He gets 1000mg of Vit C a day :)

 

I have never heard of Folapro, will look into that one.

Edited July 9, 2010 by Mom2J112903

[joannqn]

I just do not think we need a special vacum, since the only room that has carpet in it is our Master.

 

 

Do you mop the hardwoods daily? I suggested the vacuum because mopping daily would be damaging to the floors. I have to vacuum at daily, sometimes twice a day, to keep them dust/dirt free.

[sbgrace]

Can the dog just stay outside or maybe in a garage or similar in the heat or night or etc? If he's got outdoor allergies the dog is bringing them into him which is a mess.

 

He likely doesn't handle methyl donors well and that can happen with some genetics (especially spectrum genetics) so folapro might be an issue too. You might want to look into work arounds for the methyl issues as he likely needs a lot of support in that area. In short, we did hydroxy b12 instead of methyl. I use drops my kids like. J may tolerate that better. If his bedroom is smaller (I think 160 square feet) I can suggest a pretty affordable air cleaning unit. Honestly--I think the HEPA's become even more important given the dog is bringing in allergens.

[Mom2J112903]

Do you mop the hardwoods daily? I suggested the vacuum because mopping daily would be damaging to the floors. I have to vacuum at daily, sometimes twice a day, to keep them dust/dirt free.

 

I wish I could get away with daily, I usually sweep three times a day-if not more. I have always been particular about my floors. I steam clean my floors once/twice a week. So far, three years after moving in, they look as good as they did when we moved in. The Master is on one end of the house, you have to walk in a hall-way to get to it. It is really "out of the way" of the other rooms.

 

Can the dog just stay outside or maybe in a garage or similar in the heat or night or etc? If he's got outdoor allergies the dog is bringing them into him which is a mess.

 

We do not have a garage, it is hard to find an afforable home around here with an attached garage. The animals we know are a problem, and this stupid dog was never to live with us. She is actually my MIL's dog, but when we moved out, she said to DH "take the dog with you" UGH!!! I can let the dog stay in the Master at night, since J will not be in it. I do not know how she would take it being locked up all the time though. It wouldn't be fair to her.

 

He likely doesn't handle methyl donors well and that can happen with some genetics (especially spectrum genetics) so folapro might be an issue too. You might want to look into work arounds for the methyl issues as he likely needs a lot of support in that area. In short, we did hydroxy b12 instead of methyl. I use drops my kids like. J may tolerate that better. If his bedroom is smaller (I think 160 square feet) I can suggest a pretty affordable air cleaning unit. Honestly--I think the HEPA's become even more important given the dog is bringing in allergens.

 

We have an air purifier in his bedroom and the door stays shut-all the time. I honestly can not stand the fur, but I can not get rid of the dog, so, I have to find a way around it.

 

Yeah, he most likely needs methyl support, he has a severe SPD (Sensory Processing Disoder) and most likely CAPD is a huge culprit as well. Getting the methyl cycles working would help everything. We are doing OT 2/wk for it and can't do other supps/testing due to funds right now. His insurance pays for OT 100% thankfully.

[sbgrace]

I'm thinking if she's outside during the day and comes in at night to a room J doesn't go into with a HEPA that would be the best you could do. Of course...then you've got outside dog on you. I don't suppose she can be bathed easily? How old is the dog?

[Mom2J112903]

I'm thinking if she's outside during the day and comes in at night to a room J doesn't go into with a HEPA that would be the best you could do. Of course...then you've got outside dog on you. I don't suppose she can be bathed easily? How old is the dog?

 

She is 10yrs old and about 50lbs. Short stubby leggs and a long body-she is part welsh corgi. DH plans to bath her once/week and brushes her daily. I just don't like the dog, plain and simple and if it would not kill her to re-home, I would in a heart beat.

 

When the privacy fence gets placed, it could be a month or more due to finaces and simply finding the time, the plan is for her to be outside most of the day and inside the master when she comes inside.

 

J starting tonight, will shower nightly and he is already washing his hands after contact with her and the cats. That is, if he lets the cats get anywhere near him anymore. He loves them, but heard the allergist talking about how hard that allergy is to control. They will be outside 99% of the time once the fence goes up.

[Teachin'Mine]

I would highly recommend an air purifier - or two. One for his bedroom, and one for the living area. You'd be amazed how much the dust and other allergens will be reduced! :)

 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11490678&search=hunter%20air%20purifier&Sp=S&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=hunter%20air%20purifier&Ntt=hunter%20air%20purifier&cm_mmc=BCEmail_533-_-FOCUS-_-9-_-HunterAirPurifier&ec=1&ec=1&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

 

It's amazing! Not too high of a rating on the site I linked, but ratings elsewhere are great, and I'd give it five stars.

Edited July 9, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[Hathersage]

You say you can't get rid of the dog, but what about the cats?

[sbgrace]

I'm thinking the cats might be better completely outside or completely inside. The issue is they are bringing in the outdoor allergens on the fur. So you've got cat dander and fur with outdoor allergens on top of that. I'd perhaps invest in high quality HEPA units instead of the fence unless you need the fence for J or another reason outside of the animals.

 

Our allergist told me to wipe the cats down with wet paper towels if I remember right to try to control the dander. I think a HEPA could go a long way. It's pretty much impossible to completely remove dander from a home even after the cats are gone. I'm sure we still have it and our cats have been gone for over six months.

[Mom2J112903]

I would highly recommend an air purifier - or two. One for his bedroom' date=' and one for the living area. You'd be amazed how much the dust and other allergens will be reduced! :)

 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11490678&search=hunter%20air%20purifier&Sp=S&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=hunter%20air%20purifier&Ntt=hunter%20air%20purifier&cm_mmc=BCEmail_533-_-FOCUS-_-9-_-HunterAirPurifier&ec=1&ec=1&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

 

It's amazing! Not too high of a rating on the site I linked, but ratings elsewhere are great, and I'd give it five stars.[/quote']

 

We already have one for J's bedroom. The problem with the living area is, it is one huge room consiting of the LR, DR and kitchen.

 

You say you can't get rid of the dog, but what about the cats?

 

Even if we got rid of the cats (the one is just a few weeks old-it was left outside on a stormy night and was barely alive), the dander would still be around for a LONG time.

 

I'm thinking the cats might be better completely outside or completely inside. The issue is they are bringing in the outdoor allergens on the fur. So you've got cat dander and fur with outdoor allergens on top of that. I'd perhaps invest in high quality HEPA units instead of the fence unless you need the fence for J or another reason outside of the animals.

 

Our allergist told me to wipe the cats down with wet paper towels if I remember right to try to control the dander. I think a HEPA could go a long way. It's pretty much impossible to completely remove dander from a home even after the cats are gone. I'm sure we still have it and our cats have been gone for over six months.

 

When the fence gets put up, the cats *will* be outside most of the time. I refuse to leave them outside when it is storming. Especially when we have Tornado warnings. They will just have to go into the pantry (where J is not allowed and all the food is in its plastic storage containers) for the duration of the storms.

 

We will be wipping down both cats with vinegar/water rags and much to their dislike, they are bathed regularly.

 

There are many reasons we need the privacy fence. Imagine living 2 blocks away from a famous home with a funeral palor and nursing home within walking distance as well.

 

I wouldn't get rid of my other children (assuming he had siblings) if J was allergic to them, and yes, this is possible, so why would I get rid of my fur-babies? If we absolutly can not get his allergies under control, then yes, something will need to be done, I agree. Until then, I am willing to do whatever it takes to control the allergens.

[Mom2J112903]

He also has friends and family that have dogs and cats-what am I supposed to do about visiting?

 

Am I supposed to keep him inside, in a bubble, for the rest of his life? All because of his outdoor allergies.

 

I want to help him, and DH and I are willing to spend a nice amt of $ to do so. We just can not stop life because of the allergens. We didn't when we found out about his food allergies, so why should enviromental be any different?

 

True, we are homeschooling now and because of his enviromental allergies this is best for him. Homeschooling is also best for him because of other things that go on with him. Due to his SPD, he can not filter everything out and school is just torture on him. But if I had a child with just food allergies (even severe), and we did, we would have no problem sending him to school. Life can't stop and we just find ways to make life easier while dealing with the special needs that come along in life.

[Hathersage]

The dander would be around for six months. And there is cat salvia to think of as well. In the longer run, I think it might be better to find them other homes.

[Mom2J112903]

The dander would be around for six months. And there is cat salvia to think of as well. In the longer run, I think it might be better to find them other homes.

 

Can you elebrate? We talked at length with the allergist yesterday about ALL of the animals and he never once mentioned the bolded part. He likes our plan, is a huge fan of homeschooling, delay/selective vax, so we feel confident with him on board. He, and I have also read, that the dander can be in the house for *at least* six months, if not much longer, once they are removed.

 

DH and I have agreed, that if J does not get better with his meds and allergy shots, that something will be done. Then we are back at "what to do about visiting family and friends?" My sister has FOUR cats, my parents a cat and a dog. When we visit my in-laws, they usuauly have an assortment of animals as well (since my SIL comes into visit she brings her dogs) and we can not keep J from seeing family.

 

My OP was for the mold/dust and while I understand the outdoor allergies are bad, those are things I just can not control 100%. The mold and dust, we can.

[Hathersage]

There is a protein (Fel d 4) in cat salvia that is deposited onto dander as the cat grooms itself. Dog salvia also has an allergen protein, so you wouldn't want to get licked, for instance, but they aren't constanly grooming themselves.

In general, the less animals the better.

 

I had to clean my house of all of the dander in it when we bought it, and so yes it can be more than 6 months, but it does get better.

 

 

Heather

Edited July 10, 2010 by Hathersage

[Mom2J112903]

How important/beneficial would it be to get an air purifier for our LR/DR area? We will be placing a new air filter on the central air, which is actually located in the DR. Being in the south, you don't really find basements, so the cold air return/where the filter actually is, is on our DR wall. This could be a bad thing, right? I really don't *want* to spend $200+ on ANOTHER air purifier, but if it is MORE beneficial than an allergy filter on the central, then we will.

 

We will also thought about placing covers on the vents themselves. Yey, or Ney?

 

Found a hand steamer that will work nicely for the bathroom and other areas.

 

Allergies are supposed to lessen in severity and not develop new as you get older, this is not the case for J. And for this reason alone, I want to control the dust and mold as best as we can.

[Dana]

My husband is highly allergic to cats and dogs. He had a blood test done some years ago and on a scale of 1-5, he told me he was a 5+ for both cats and dogs. We had cats at the time.

 

He would get used to the dander from our cats (and I've also read that the issue is the saliva that dries on the fur and then flakes off), so he wouldn't appear to be in distress. His asthma stayed "under control" and was amazingly better than it was when we were around his family (smokers and pets).

 

After our cats died, we waited a bit and then tried to get another. My husband's reaction was amazingly severe; I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. He wasn't able to walk up our driveway without pausing for breath - and this was on asthma medication. After trying for a few days, we returned the cat and gave up on having a pet.

 

My husband's asthma is really under control now. I don't recall the last time he used a rescue inhaler. He used to need it with him at all times.

 

As for family, when he has visited his family, he has limited the length of time there, stayed at a hotel, and once we stayed with his family, but they boarded the animals while we were there and had the house steam cleaned before we arrived and smoked outside while we were there. It was still miserable, but he didn't end in the hospital.

 

With friends, he doesn't pet their cats, has his inhaler, and doesn't stay for too long. He has some hives from the visit and a bit tighter breathing, but it's not unmanageable.

 

You've got to make your own decision about what's best for your family.

I'm sharing our experience because I didn't believe how severe my husband's allergy was; he was maintaining. It was only when the allergens were gone and he improved so much that I really understood. I still miss having a cat and so does he, but I prefer him healthy.

 

Good luck. It's tough. (We've got food allergies here and are starting to deal with environmental allergens with my son, so I'm also following the links and suggestions here!)

[Mom2J112903]

My husband is highly allergic to cats and dogs. He had a blood test done some years ago and on a scale of 1-5, he told me he was a 5+ for both cats and dogs. We had cats at the time.

 

J was a 3+ for cats and 4+ for dogs. The dog has been around since before he was born and he has been around cats his entire life. We have had a cat since shortly after he turned 3yrs of age. He was exposed to cats daily before that however.

 

He would get used to the dander from our cats (and I've also read that the issue is the saliva that dries on the fur and then flakes off), so he wouldn't appear to be in distress. His asthma stayed "under control" and was amazingly better than it was when we were around his family (smokers and pets). Yeah, I am NOT looking foward to visiting MIL, whom smokes. She always smokes outside and keeps a spotless house. But she is still a smoker and the smoke is still on her, her hands, her clothes, etc.

After our cats died, we waited a bit and then tried to get another. My husband's reaction was amazingly severe; I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. He wasn't able to walk up our driveway without pausing for breath - and this was on asthma medication. After trying for a few days, we returned the cat and gave up on having a pet. We have long agreed, that after the animals are gone, that is it. We like to travel and finding people to care for them is not always easy.

 

My husband's asthma is really under control now. I don't recall the last time he used a rescue inhaler. He used to need it with him at all times. This is what we hope for J, with the combo of meds and allergy shots that we have started him on.

 

As for family, when he has visited his family, he has limited the length of time there, stayed at a hotel, and once we stayed with his family, but they boarded the animals while we were there and had the house steam cleaned before we arrived and smoked outside while we were there. It was still miserable, but he didn't end in the hospital. I could not see *any* of my family boarding their animals. It is hard enough to get my Mom to sufficiently clean her house. She is NOT a house cleaner, and will admit it. Now her house is not un-liveable, but um, yeah, for a person with allergies, it is NOT the house to go into.

 

With friends, he doesn't pet their cats, has his inhaler, and doesn't stay for too long. He has some hives from the visit and a bit tighter breathing, but it's not unmanageable.

 

You've got to make your own decision about what's best for your family.

I'm sharing our experience because I didn't believe how severe my husband's allergy was; he was maintaining. It was only when the allergens were gone and he improved so much that I really understood. I still miss having a cat and so does he, but I prefer him healthy. I too would much prefer my son healthy. Allergy shots were not a "lets wait" option, it was we needed to start them now because of the severity of the dust/mold/grass allergens.

 

Good luck. It's tough. (We've got food allergies here and are starting to deal with environmental allergens with my son, so I'm also following the links and suggestions here!)

 

We have delt with food allergies since J was 19 months old. That, I am an old pro at. ;) All of the new enviromental allergies is what I need help with. We could not believe that he tested positive to 20 different allergens out of 55 tested. To *us* that seems like a lot, and it was mainly grasses and molds.

[Luckymama]

Crystal, I don't have much time now, but my dd15 developed all her allergies starting at the age of 12. She has food allergies (soy, melons, kiwi), environmental allergies (trees), and pet (cat). She has mainly exercise-induced asthma but the asthma flares around cats. We can no longer go to my inlaws' house as they let their pets have full run of the entire house and do not clean up adequately after them. They just do not understand that dd CANNOT breathe inside their house, "even on a nice day when the windows are open." Like that will help with the cat uckies in the carpet.

[Mom2J112903]

Crystal, I don't have much time now, but my dd15 developed all her allergies starting at the age of 12. She has food allergies (soy, melons, kiwi), environmental allergies (trees), and pet (cat). She has mainly exercise-induced asthma but the asthma flares around cats. We can no longer go to my inlaws' house as they let their pets have full run of the entire house and do not clean up adequately after them. They just do not understand that dd CANNOT breathe inside their house, "even on a nice day when the windows are open." Like that will help with the cat uckies in the carpet.

 

EEEwwwww!!!! Thankfully our cats, well once the kitten is bigger, will both be outside potty cats.

 

We have been really thinking back to J's bronchitis episodes and it coinsides with increased humidity/being stuck inside due to rain/cold. So, for him, it looks like the mold is to blame. He gets miserable around the change of season as well, thank you grasses. The trees he is allergic to, as far as we can tell, are not around here.

 

My MIL is a neat-freak, her house is spotless-maybe even *too* clean. I am not kidding, she bleaches EVERYTHING! Too bad she is the smoker.

 

I just keep thinking back to J's first round of allergy testing and the doc saying "as he gets older, the allergens will decrease in severity and number" Oh boy, was he ever wrong.

[Hathersage]

Do you have a dehumidifer to take care of humidity levels inside the house?

And a humidifer for the dust in the winter?

I don't know if that was mentioned already in the thread or not...

 

ETA: I don't know if you have lots of trees, but there are mold spores on decaying leaves

Edited July 10, 2010 by Hathersage

[mamajp4]

Hi,

 

I have pretty bad seasonal allergies to pollens like weed, trees, grasses, along with dust and animal dander. I am miserable from March till October or November depending on when the snow starts. As much as I love summer, I'm usually begging for snow by September! We have a chiropractor/nutritional guru who we see pretty regularly. Several years ago, I seriously did his detox program and limited diet (mostly, no sugar, wheat, dairy, processed foods, etd). He tests people using some type of muscle test to determine their particular sensitivities and to figure out which supplements would help them most. He told me that usually when people are taking care of their "gut", they find that their other allergies get better or disappear. All that to say, that maybe your son would benefit from dietary changes along with the environmental ones you already do so well. Just a thought.

 

Bless you!

Julie

[Teachin'Mine]

The air purifier I linked is rated for 510 square feet. I would think that if one isn't enough downstairs, two would do very nicely. They move an amazing amount of air. I'd run them on high when you're sleeping and on the lowest setting during the day, and vice versa for the one in his bedroom. I'd also suggest having the carpets steam cleaned. :)

[Mom2J112903]

Do you have a dehumidifer to take care of humidity levels inside the house?

And a humidifer for the dust in the winter?

I don't know if that was mentioned already in the thread or not...

 

ETA: I don't know if you have lots of trees, but there are mold spores on decaying leaves

 

We do have a dehumidifer, need to get it back out.

 

J has a humidifer for his room in the winter, yes.

 

Yes, we have LOADS of trees in our yard unfortunatly. Nice for shade, not so for mold allergens.

 

Hi,

 

I have pretty bad seasonal allergies to pollens like weed, trees, grasses, along with dust and animal dander. I am miserable from March till October or November depending on when the snow starts. As much as I love summer, I'm usually begging for snow by September! We have a chiropractor/nutritional guru who we see pretty regularly. Several years ago, I seriously did his detox program and limited diet (mostly, no sugar, wheat, dairy, processed foods, etd). He tests people using some type of muscle test to determine their particular sensitivities and to figure out which supplements would help them most. He told me that usually when people are taking care of their "gut", they find that their other allergies get better or disappear. All that to say, that maybe your son would benefit from dietary changes along with the environmental ones you already do so well. Just a thought.

 

Bless you!

Julie

 

We are already gluten free, that is one of J's allergens. We eat a fairly healthy/organic/low-sugar diet already. J has been treated for yeast in the past as well. Milk, we allow in his diet-allergist sees no reason to keep it out as we do not see a difference when it is out of his diet.

 

I agree though, the gut plays a HUGE role in things. J was a GI's dream case as a toddler, lol. "Back then" it was GI appts, now it is Respiratory. UGH!

[Mom2J112903]

The air purifier I linked is rated for 510 square feet. I would think that if one isn't enough downstairs' date=' two would do very nicely. They move an amazing amount of air. I'd run them on high when you're sleeping and on the lowest setting during the day, and vice versa for the one in his bedroom. I'd also suggest having the carpets steam cleaned. :)[/quote']

 

 

Well, we don't have a Costco, so I will have to either find it on-line or see if I can find it at Target. Edit to add-I looked at the link again-never mind that one, it is not rated for animal dander, that is very important for the main living area.

 

We only have one level thankfully, but it is a very open floor plan. I am sure we could place it in the DR and it work nicely though. Thru the day, that is where we will be most of the time anyways.

 

J has a playroom, that is at the other end of the house. It was the garage, and the previous owners enclosed it. I wonder about something in there, it is the size of a one-car garage. He is not in it much actually because he lives to be outside. Yeah, keeping my child inside is torture-on both him and myself.

 

I can steam clean the Master, no problem. It is a small room-J actually has the bigger of the 2 bedrooms. We gave him the bigger since it was not carpeted.

Edited July 10, 2010 by Mom2J112903

[Teachin'Mine]

You can purchase it from Costco online. It's available many other places, but for around $250 or so. I believe it filters down to .5 microns. We have cats and lots of dust - normally - and it was hard to breathe. Since getting the air purifier, it's been amazing. Hardly any dust at all, and that's probably from the one day I did open the windows because the weather was nice, and we all breathe better.

 

If this one doesn't work for you, I would still advise getting a different one for the downstairs. They work much better than just the filter for the A/C. You can put filters on the vents, but be careful not to block the airflow too much. You can also have a service come to your home and clean all the duct work in your home. This isn't cheap, but might be a good idea too.

[Mom2J112903]

We purchased an air purifer for the LR/DR area this morning at Lowe's :D It is this one and we are in LOVE with it!

 

We also got a Shark Steam hand-cleaner for the BR and Kitchen. Already used it too :D WOW why did I wait to get one of these?!

 

DH is thinking about getting something that measures indoor humidity-that we know wheather or not and how forceful to run the de-humidifer. Anyone have one that they like?

[hornblower]

Allergies are supposed to lessen in severity and not develop new as you get older,

 

I never had allergies until I hit my late 20's & they've been getting gradually worse.

 

Tough situation. I cannot imagine life if I got so allergic to my animals that I'd have to consider giving them up. Like you say, it would be like giving up siblings or dh....

 

Does he use a neti pot? Daily nasal flushing has been helpful for me.

[Mom2J112903]

I never had allergies until I hit my late 20's & they've been getting gradually worse.

 

Tough situation. I cannot imagine life if I got so allergic to my animals that I'd have to consider giving them up. Like you say, it would be like giving up siblings or dh....

 

Does he use a neti pot? Daily nasal flushing has been helpful for me.

 

I developed a severe allergy to mushrooms in my early 20s. Nothing like eating something for the first time in your life and practically being rushed to the ER. Before that, I could eat anything and everything, now I have to be VERY careful about mushrooms. And I LOVED em, until I started swelling like a balloon of course.

 

J will not even let the allergist look closely in his nose, so for now, a neti pot is out of the question. I know they work, and work great, but J is deathly afraid of anyone coming near his nose right now :-(

[Scrapmom3]

My son has severe dust mite allergies too. We have been treating him since he was 2. It can be tough to get things under control.

 

Before getting a new furnace filter, we had all of our vents professionally cleaned. I really think this made a difference. Then we had a new filter system put on the furnace. The filter looks like a huge box and is called Air Bear Surpreme.

 

We have a humidity guage in the house. To keep dust mites down, be sure the humidity is less than 50%. We use a dehumidifier in the basement in the warm months. We use a cool mist humidifier in the winter to make sure the air isn't too dry. Dry nasal passages will make the dust mite symptoms worse.

 

This is my son's treatment regime. In the morning as soon as he wakes up, we use a saline spray called Ayr Saline Nasal Mist. ( this brand is better than generic imo since it's a mist not a squirt/spray) At breakfast we use Nasonex spray. At bedtime he takes liquid Zyrtec and Astelin spray. he also has nebulizer meds for asthma as needed. This has been a bad year for outdoor allergies though.

 

I know you said your son doesn't like anything by his nose, but I really think this is a key to treating dust mite allergies. My son has special needs including sensory issues and it was very hard to get him use to any kind of nasal spray. However once we had a system down pat, he is much better. Using the nasal sprays has really cut down on his frequency of sinus infections. The saline flushes out any dust that from the bedding. It took me a while to get on board with the saline idea--it just seemed too simple. Bue I have really noticed a difference now that we use it daily. We also use it after playing outside. You might want to try the Ayr and let your son spray the bottle on his hand so he can see the mist. We had to take it in steps to get my son use to it.

[Mom2J112903]

J was started on Nasonex, but um, that is difficult to get in-right now.

 

He goes to OT 2x/wk for SI therapy, so we are hopeful that the SPD will get better and we will be able to do more-in all aspects.

 

We do not have a basement or even a crawl space. When we lived in W.Va we had a full basement and had to keep the dehumidifer running constantly. Our home sits on a cement slab, that is the south for you ;)

 

Josef daily allergy asthma meds include a combo decongestant/antihistamine, Singulair, Asthmanex and Nasonex. He was on pulmicort 2/day, but the allergist/asthma doc wants to try the Asthmanex. We go back in less than 2 wks now and will do another set of lung-function test. We have his albuterol inhaler, which unfortunatly, has been used almost daily since we recieved it a month ago.

 

Really need to get a humidity gage, DH just didn't see anything he liked yesterday.

[southcarolinamom]

We have a whole house air purifier from EcoQuest, and when I vacuum, I use my new vacuum The Shark - which I love! I can finally vacuum without feeling sneezy/congested.

 

When allergies get bad, I take Zyrtec.

 

If we could afford it, I'd replace our carpeting. I think that's a big culprit. That, and the many cats we have had in the past 12 years ...

[Mom2J112903]

Yep, carpet is the devil when it comes to dust allergies. When we were looking for a new home, we did not even look at whole-house carpeted homes.

 

I found out last night why my Aunt's home is so spotless and you can not tell she has 9,yes NINE, cats. She is allergic to them! I can't belive it, but honestly, you can not tell she has that many cats in her home.

 

J does not know it yet, but the kitten that was abonded here about a week ago, is going to find a new home. Our adult cat, that we have had for almost 3yrs, while being a good Daddy, can not relax with it around. Of course J's allergy to them is also helping our cause. Tiger has been staying outside 95% of the time, even in the heat! He does NOT want to come inside! Come fall, he will be outside 100% of the time.

 

J is sleeping SO much better though already-it is amazing. :D

[truebluexf]

We got two serious air purifiers that made a world of difference. With that and mattress and pillow encasing (and cleaning etc) DS was able to go from coughing like he had bronchitis while on meds to no meds at all! We got two Austin Air purifiers. They are workhorses and will work a bazillion times better than anything you find at a big box store. They are less expensive than many others out there, though not the quietest. The filters only need to be changed every 5 years. I really think with all the animals and other allergies, you need something powerful. The filters on the HVAC system are not going to come close to fixing your problems, though they are helpful.

[Mom2J112903]

We purchased an air purifer for the LR/DR area this morning at Lowe's :D It is this one and we are in LOVE with it!QUOTE]

 

We got two serious air purifiers that made a world of difference. With that and mattress and pillow encasing (and cleaning etc) DS was able to go from coughing like he had bronchitis while on meds to no meds at all! We got two Austin Air purifiers. They are workhorses and will work a bazillion times better than anything you find at a big box store. They are less expensive than many others out there, though not the quietest. The filters only need to be changed every 5 years. I really think with all the animals and other allergies, you need something powerful. The filters on the HVAC system are not going to come close to fixing your problems, though they are helpful.

 

The adult cat is going outside, the dog will spend many hours outside once we get the privacy fence up and the kitten will be finding a new home.

 

We have all of the encasing on J's bed already :)

[truebluexf]

Sorry I was being mauled by a 2 year old as I typed. :D I did a lot of research on the purifiers though and it seemed to me we needed the best of what was out there, and we did...it made all the difference in the world. :) And we don't have animal allergies, just dust and mold...so I was thinking if you invested in one really good machine it might help a lot and cut down on some of the other things that make more work for you. I know what it's like!! Just the laundry alone is a pain. I strip DS's bed and wash on hot weekly, and sanitize it every couple of weeks (I hate doing it weekly bc I just know I'm stripping the color out of his quilt along with the dust mites lol).