In the Rain Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Is there a good website or forum somewhere with information and support? One of my dd's completed testing today and I am overwhelmed. She wasn't tested for food, but her environmental allergies were awful. She has so many "seasonal allergies" that in our climate, she'll be miserable all year. I tested "severe", but she was literally "off the charts". :sad: The instructions they gave us were discouraging. Basically, she should avoid being outdoors. I'm sure others here are dealing with this. What do you do? Where do you go for support? Do you eventually just get used to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 :grouphug: I remember that feeling well. Getting allergy test results that are so life altering is shocking When we first got our dd's results, I cried. Then I called my friend whose son has extensive allergies. She told me to forget about all of it, enjoy the day, sleep on it, and tomorrow it would be better. She was right. A night's sleep was just what I needed so we could start fresh. Our allergist basically recommended a sterile environment for dd. However, we are far from that. :) we did everything we could that would help dd the most...mattress and pillow covers, very few stuffed animals, no carpet in bedroom, got rid of cat, regular furnace filter changes etc. And like your dd, most of my dd's allergies are environmental. However, the only thing we don't allow is for her to sit or roll in the grass (full body hives). We don't make her change, shower, etc...she plays outside all the time. And her allergy induced asthma has IMPROVED over time. We opted not to do allergy shots. Dd is needle phobic and it would've been very traumatic for her. So we helped her as much as we could in other ways, while at the same time allowed her to be a kid and do regular kid stuff. I don't have any websites that I visit. I mostly just talked to my friend whose son is allergic to many foods. So my advice...sleep on it. It WILL seem better tomorrow. And then do what you can to help without removing childhood from her. Kids need to be able to be kids, even with allergies. Here is another :grouphug:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) This is my go to site: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/ There's also the Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis Network, FAAN: http://www.foodallergy.org/ This site may be of more help dealing with environmentals: http://www.aafa.org/index.cfm My experience was and has been that if you want to go outside, you suffer or medicate. The degree of severity for my allergies has waxed and wanted at different periods in my life and the degree of reaction may depend on weather conditions. For instance, a light winter will leave more pollen in the air longer and I suffer longer. Edited January 30, 2012 by MomatHWTK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Do the covers for mattresses and pillows. Use a quilt that can be washed regularly instead of a comforter. Have her shower and wash her hair at night. No getting in/on her bed during the day when she has been outside. Try to have her play in an area other than her room. Try to keep her room a clean zone. If that isn't possible, keep the bed itself a clean zone. I am assuming she will be on an antihistamine; use it daily. Stuffed animals can be frozen and rotated to make them more allergy friendly. We actually got a separate freezer at this point.:lol: That is really about all you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 DS6 reacted to pretty much everything they tested him for, too. His worst ones are spring tree pollen, ragweed, and dustmites. Which means there's at least one thing to get him all year round. We got covers for his mattress and pillows, and we took almost all the stuffed animals out of his bed (he can keep one or two, and we wash them regularly). He also has mild asthma. His meds right now are flovent twice a day, zyrtec daily, and a saline rinse as needed. He has a xopenex inhaler, too, but he hasn't needed that since he started on the flovent. He's feeling pretty good most of the time these days, though he still get headaches more than I'd like. He wasn't tested for food allergies, but we've also cut out gluten, and that seems to help him a lot. The allergist we saw recommended allergy shots, but we're holding off on that for now. I want to see how he does in the spring when the pollen shows up and how well we can keep things under control with his meds. I'll also get a second opinion before trying shots, as I've heard such mixed things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks for the websites and tips. We've been using some of the methods without improvement: antihistamines, steroid nose sprays, pillow and mattress covers. We recently did a big purge and moved all of her books and toys out of the bedroom or into closing cabinets. Her room is now much easier to clean. We were considering the sublingual allergy drops, but the nurse who tested her said her reactions were probably too severe for that. Dd has watched me get allergy shots all her life. That, combined with use of the Rx numbing cream, should make shots acceptable if we have to go that route. MomatHWTK, thanks for the links. I'll check them out tonight. It is a good thing we keep getting the bad news a little bit each week, otherwise I'd be totally overwhelmed. My 7yo dd had her little heart broken when the nurse told her our family should probably never own a dog or cat. She was devastated. Then came the stuffed animal purge. Then a milk allergy. Now this. I wonder what news we'll get at our follow up next week. :tongue_smilie: We need to look ourselves in the bedroom with an air purifier and munch on dairy free chocolate chip cookies. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 So my advice...sleep on it. It WILL seem better tomorrow. And then do what you can to help without removing childhood from her. Kids need to be able to be kids, even with allergies. Here is another :grouphug:. That is an important reminder. As we were culling stuffed animals and moving all of the books, toys, and open shelving out of their rooms, it felt an awful lot like robbing them of their childhood. They got over it quickly, but it was painful to do. We actually got a separate freezer at this point.:lol: That is really about all you can do. :lol: Last week, I mentioned the idea of buying a chest freezer to dh. I'm afraid to wash my king size quilt in hot water, so I was considering freezing it. Dh thinks we should ask some friends if we can use their deep freeze. Somehow it seems nasty to ask if we can use their food freezer to kill our dustmites. :tongue_smilie: We aren't that good of friends. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 He's feeling pretty good most of the time these days, though he still get headaches more than I'd like. He wasn't tested for food allergies, but we've also cut out gluten, and that seems to help him a lot. The allergist we saw recommended allergy shots, but we're holding off on that for now. I want to see how he does in the spring when the pollen shows up and how well we can keep things under control with his meds. I'll also get a second opinion before trying shots, as I've heard such mixed things about them. My dd's grass allergies were the ones that were completely off the chart. Our clinic does have grass allergy patients limit wheat the days before and after their shots or drops. I wonder if cutting out wheat would help her. I'll have to ask when we see the dr. again. What have you heard about shots? Our current dr. said they are most helpful for pollens, and less helpful for dust, cat and dog. Of all my allergists, she is the first to admit that about dust allergies. That matches my experience with shots. The nurse said the sublingual drops are less likely to trigger anaphylaxis, which is one reason they like to use them in kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 My son has severe environmental (indoor and outdoor) and also food allergies including anaphylaxis. The food allergies have been a harder adjustment/more limiting for us. But for his comfort and health (allergies trigger asthma here) we do go through some hassle. Most important is her sleeping space. I do think she should shower before bed and change into fresh clothing. She doesn't want to take her allergies to bed. If she has a room as allergy free as possible (I'd throw is a HEPA if you can along with the washing of bedding on hot/dry on hot and stripping the room of dust collectors) that will likely help her a lot. We all shower when we come in and change to "inside" clothes because of my son's allergies. We used to have Dec through early Feb outdoor allergen free but the last few winters the allergies have been year round. This part is a lot more of a lifestyle change than the showering before bed and having an allergy friendly room. I'd do what you can do. My son may be more severe experientially because he's absolutely a mess if he even goes outside in heavy pollen days. It sounds like the allergist is thinking she may need some pretty intense stuff like that but if it's just too much start with the "don't bring the allergens to bed" routine. Adjust to that first because I think it's most important. Oh, I forgot to mention we put a HEPA in the playroom that he spends most of his time in and it helped him a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 My dd's grass allergies were the ones that were completely off the chart. Our clinic does have grass allergy patients limit wheat the days before and after their shots or drops. I wonder if cutting out wheat would help her. I'll have to ask when we see the dr. again. What have you heard about shots? Our current dr. said they are most helpful for pollens, and less helpful for dust, cat and dog. Of all my allergists, she is the first to admit that about dust allergies. That matches my experience with shots. The nurse said the sublingual drops are less likely to trigger anaphylaxis, which is one reason they like to use them in kids. I have no medical knowledge of shots. Dh took them as a teen. They made his pollen, dust, and animal allergies all very managable. Dd had years of shots when she was young. As an older teen, she is still off the chart allergic to them all, except for dogs. (We kept our indoor dog, and even got another after his death, despite her allergies.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have no medical knowledge of shots. Dh took them as a teen. They made his pollen, dust, and animal allergies all very managable. Dd had years of shots when she was young. As an older teen, she is still off the chart allergic to them all, except for dogs. (We kept our indoor dog, and even got another after his death, despite her allergies.) I'm sorry they didn't work well for your dd. I got them for 8 years, and had mixed results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengjw Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Both of my children have seasonal allergies and one, I suspect has allergy to dust, dustmites etc. They are both currently taking this homeopathics medicine a friend recommended. http://www.amazon.com/Natra-Bio-Allergy-Relief-Pollen/dp/B000FDMLRM/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1327980836&sr=8-12 They are currently taking Pollen Hayfever and DustMites, Molds etc. In springtime, I give them the "Tree and Grass" ones. For few years, my dd suffered thru her stuffiness, watering eyes etc etc but last year was the first year she had great relief...infact her symptons were almost gone. I know this sound too good to be true but I am just so happy to have found something that works for my children. I recently added the BioAllers DustMites, Molds to our medicine cabinet because my son's cough was getting longer and longer and he seems to have a prolong cough like this every winter. After some research, I decided to start him on the medicine and after 3 days his cough finally stopped completely. I was at the state where I was ready to take him to see a dr so...I am beyond excited to see his cough disappeared. A neighbor up the street who has many allergies has started to take some of the BioAllers medicines few months ago and she has gotten tremendous relief. Everytime I see her, she thanks me profusely..:0) I feel for you and your dd. I remember feeling so helpless when my dd couldn't go to sleep at night. She could hardly breathe as her nose would get so stuffy and she would cough a lot too. I am beyond happy to have found BioAllers...I just want to tell everyone!! LOL. Julia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 This site may be of more help dealing with environmentals: http://www.aafa.org/index.cfm This link was very helpful. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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