People of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico... I have questions

[Guest inoubliable]

Since last summer I have developed some bizarre allergies. I'm suddenly allergic to mold, mildew, pollen, my guinea pigs, the children, chores, *cough*....

 

I was talking to a friend about the various OTC medicines I've tried, the ER and Urgent Care visits, the inhalers and she said "why don't you move to one of the Desert States?". Huh? She said that her mom developed some allergies years ago to mold, mildew, and pollen and, like me, ended up with asthma from it as well. Her doctor recommended that she rethink her retirement plans and head to Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas to escape the conditions that contribute to so much mold, mildew, and pollen.

 

Is this really something people do? Are these three states better for allergy sufferers?

[chiguirre]

That would be West Texas. Houston is notorious for aggravating allergies. I never had seasonal allergies until we moved here.

[vonfirmath]

Since last summer I have developed some bizarre allergies. I'm suddenly allergic to mold, mildew, pollen, my guinea pigs, the children, chores, *cough*....

 

I was talking to a friend about the various OTC medicines I've tried, the ER and Urgent Care visits, the inhalers and she said "why don't you move to one of the Desert States?". Huh? She said that her mom developed some allergies years ago to mold, mildew, and pollen and, like me, ended up with asthma from it as well. Her doctor recommended that she rethink her retirement plans and head to Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas to escape the conditions that contribute to so much mold, mildew, and pollen.

 

Is this really something people do? Are these three states better for allergy sufferers?

 

Austin is supposed to be the allergy capital of Texas. So it wouldn't be here in any case!

[Upward Journey]

It's a myth that there's no pollen in the desert, and dust is everywhere. Crazy amounts of dust, with wind to blow it all around all the time. Now if you only suffer from mold allergies then yes, going to the desert to escape might make sense, but otherwise I don't see it helping. In fact my sons asthma got better after moving from AZ to FL, even though there's a crazy amount of pollen in FL.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I think it depends on your allergy types. My pollen & ragweed allergies completely cleared up upon moving to Phoenix, and I was to the point of having to get shots. My dd's asthma is much better here, too. It was terrible when we lived in the humidity and smog of Hong Kong.

 

If dust is the problem, the desert is not good. Also, olive trees are highly allergenic. We have one in our front yard that sends my dh into a nose-blowing mess every spring, but he loves the tree for the way it looks and he also likes to harvest olives from it, so he puts up with it.

[Guest inoubliable]

It's a myth that there's no pollen in the desert, and dust is everywhere. Crazy amounts of dust, with wind to blow it all around all the time. Now if you only suffer from mold allergies then yes, going to the desert to escape might make sense, but otherwise I don't see it helping. In fact my sons asthma got better after moving from AZ to FL, even though there's a crazy amount of pollen in FL.

 

Ah. Good point. I didn't think of that.

[WiseOwlKnits]

The Texas Panhandle, yes. Nothing lives up there. LOL! Austin is the allergy capital of the world though. And I hear that the gulf area is notoriously bad because of all the humidity and water.

[Orthodox6]

When I moved to Austin, people told me that I would develop cedar fever within five years. I developed cedar fever right when five years had gone by. Whenever I visit nearby New Braunfels, I immediately burst into drip.

 

Dallas-Fort Worth is nasty, nasty, nasty for pollen.

 

Houston specializes in ragweed.

[PachiSusan]

All I can say is that I'm in Nevada (moved from California in December) and i've never had WORSE allergies and sinus issues.

[trlt]

I live in the DFW area and both DH and myself have nasty, terrible allergies! In the spring everything around us is covered with yellow pollen, it's really kinda gross!!

[mrseshaw]

Central Texas is terrible for allergies. Stay away! Living here now.

 

I lived allergy free in Boston...asides from the chronic clear nose drip. (but that's nothing to me).

 

Prior to Boston my allergies were quite bad in S.Florida. Received allergy shots as a child while growing up there. Not sure if they helped. But my mom thought they did.

 

 

[Guest inoubliable]

Help! The allergies are killing me! I'm so stuffed up and snotty and sneezy. I just sneezed for 13 minutes straight. Not exaggerating in the least. My abdominal muscles are on fire from the sneezing. My head and sinuses are pounding from the force of the sneezes. Where in this country can I live??

 

Okay. That seemed a little melodramatic. I know. Not kidding about the sneezing, though. I've been taking two - three showers every day in an attempt to get any spores or pollen off of me regularly. I've gone to washing the sheets on my bed daily. I don't open the windows. DH and kids have scrubbed this house from top to bottom many times. I wear a mask and gloves around the guinea pigs. We changed their litter. (This started before we got them, so I don't think they're the culprit.) I have a Dyson Animal as my vacuum cleaner and the filter gets washed every day. I use a neti pot as often as I dare. The doctor I saw told me that there was nothing prescription strength that was stronger than Benadryl. The pharamcist that I talked to last night said that the Claritin and the Benadryl that I've been taking are working against each other and went on about half lives and which was weaker and stronger, and I don't have the strength to type it all out. So now I'm taking Zyrtec daily. This is my first day.

 

I am completely miserable. I spend most of my days in bed or on the couch completely zonked on Sudafed or Benadryl or whatever, huffing Vick's Vaporub in an attempt to clear *something* up. Moving to a "safe state" was sort of the last thing I could think of to do. :crying:

[Sara in AZ]

It's a myth that there's no pollen in the desert, and dust is everywhere. Crazy amounts of dust, with wind to blow it all around all the time. Now if you only suffer from mold allergies then yes, going to the desert to escape might make sense, but otherwise I don't see it helping. In fact my sons asthma got better after moving from AZ to FL, even though there's a crazy amount of pollen in FL.

 

 

 

Yes. There is plenty of pollen here in Phoenix right now. My allergies are terrible most of the year. I get a little relief in the hottest part of the summer and when it gets cold in the winter. I moved here from UT ten years ago. My allergies were terrible there, too.

[Ellie]

Mr. Ellie and I have been in the Austin area for almost nine years. Neither of us has developed cedar fever, nor allergies to oak pollen. A couple of times I did react to the oak, but the Walgreens generic for Clariton worked like a champ. No problems for the last, oh, five or six years.

 

Mr. Ellie is allergic to *something*--sneezing, eyes watering, the whole thing. We have no idea what causes it. He was much worse in San Diego and San Jose; here he rarely has problems.

[ElizabethB]

Allergy shots have helped me.

 

The only place where it is truly "safe" and pollen does not persist is at high altitude. Albuquerque is not high enough altitude. Colorado Springs is. I'm not sure what the exact altitude cut off is. Colorado Springs was the place that was best for my pollen allergies. But, after allergy shots, anywhere is tolerable. I went from a full dose of Claritin and being miserable to where I can have 1/2 dose most of the year and a full dose the first few weeks of spring when things are in full bloom. They take several months to start working, but they are worth it.

[Whereneverever]

Colorado Springs is only just over 5000 ft. Lots of high places to try. KkinVa, what about taking some trips to see if you feel better in a different place?

 

My kids and I were on daily allergy meds before moving to Wyo. It's nicely high and dry here and it helps a ton.

[PachiSusan]

Colorado Springs is only just over 5000 ft. Lots of high places to try. KkinVa, what about taking some trips to see if you feel better in a different place?

 

My kids and I were on daily allergy meds before moving to Wyo. It's nicely high and dry here and it helps a ton.

 

We are considering a move to Wyoming in a few years. That's nice to know since my hubby and daughter have allergies.

[tex-bex]

I think it USED to be true. Then people migrated to those non-allergy areas and brought their stupid sneeze-causing plants with them!!!!!!!

 

I grew up north of San Francisco and never had allergies. Moved to Tucson, AZ for college and developed allergies within 2 years.

 

Here in Texas, it seems there are allergens for every season. Cedar, juniper, elm, ragweed, UGH!!!! They all seem to get me.

 

Dropping wheat and grains from my diet has made a HUGE change in how I experience them, though. I used to get very congested. Now I just sneeze some and have some itchy nose days. I only take something like Allegra now if I'm bothered for more than 3 days in a row.

[Mrs Mungo]

My allergies were best in Hawaii, but better in the Mojave than in VA, NC, Germany of Oklahoma.

[TravelingChris]

We are military and moved to Albuquerque. We develop local allergies everywhere if we are there long enough. But anyway, in Albuquerque, we developed new pollen allergies- namely Pinon Pine and juniper. There is always something you can be allergic to in any area. The dry states tend to have a lot of plants that are pollinated by wind. Those plants therefore spread the pollen through the air.

 

No, high altitude is no barrier to pollen. In Albuquerque, we lived in the hills and were at higher altitude than Colorado Springs. All these places have junipers and pinon pines.

[TravelingChris]

OTOH, ALbuquerque and other high places are better for my asthma- the air is thinner and easier to breathe.

[Guest inoubliable]

Allergy shots have helped me.

 

The only place where it is truly "safe" and pollen does not persist is at high altitude. Albuquerque is not high enough altitude. Colorado Springs is. I'm not sure what the exact altitude cut off is. Colorado Springs was the place that was best for my pollen allergies. But, after allergy shots, anywhere is tolerable. I went from a full dose of Claritin and being miserable to where I can have 1/2 dose most of the year and a full dose the first few weeks of spring when things are in full bloom. They take several months to start working, but they are worth it.

 

 

Tell me more about these allergy shots? I've asked a doctor for help. And all she would tell me was that Benadryl was pretty much the only thing I could do and that if that wasn't helping, then "sorry, there's nothing else".

[Guest inoubliable]

Colorado Springs is only just over 5000 ft. Lots of high places to try. KkinVa, what about taking some trips to see if you feel better in a different place?

 

My kids and I were on daily allergy meds before moving to Wyo. It's nicely high and dry here and it helps a ton.

 

 

Maybe I need to plan a trip to Wyoming for the summer.

[Guest inoubliable]

My allergies were best in Hawaii, but better in the Mojave than in VA, NC, Germany of Oklahoma.

 

 

Oooh. Or maybe I can convince DH that Hawaii would be a good move...

[Chris in VA]

Are you in Virginia? How are you getting pollen attacks? What is blooming? Are you sure it isn't mold or something like dust mites? Or pets? Poor thing. We do have lots of oak trees that give off that yellow pollen that coats the cars.

I've known some folks to be allergic to pinecones. We used to keep them by the fireplace but not any more. We don't keep wood in the house there, either.

[Whereneverever]

 

 

Maybe I need to plan a trip to Wyoming for the summer.

 

 

Bring your bear spray. ;)

[Freckles]

We left East Texas because dd11 was sick all of the time due to the beautiful piney woods. Her allergist suggested coastal or high desert. We ended up in the foot hills of the west San Fernando Valley almost in Ventura county. We rarely have smog if ever. I miss the beautiful pine forests, but she rarely has an asthma/allergy attack anymore. I lived in Austin for years, and I am so allergic to cedar. Drip, snort, cough, cough! I love Austin though.

[ElizabethB]

Colorado Springs is only just over 5000 ft. Lots of high places to try.

 

OK, I was actually near Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy, which is 7,250 feet. They made us memorize the height as freshmen but I forgot and had to look it up, LOL. I must be getting old. I did spend some time with my sponsor family in the actual city of Colorado Springs and my allergies seemed fine at their house, too, though.

 

Tell me more about these allergy shots? I've asked a doctor for help. And all she would tell me was that Benadryl was pretty much the only thing I could do and that if that wasn't helping, then "sorry, there's nothing else".

 

You have to be referred to an allergist to get the shots. Here is an article about them:

 

http://www.webmd.com...e/allergy-shots

[Guest inoubliable]

Are you in Virginia? How are you getting pollen attacks? What is blooming? Are you sure it isn't mold or something like dust mites? Or pets? Poor thing. We do have lots of oak trees that give off that yellow pollen that coats the cars.

I've known some folks to be allergic to pinecones. We used to keep them by the fireplace but not any more. We don't keep wood in the house there, either.

 

I have no idea what it is! :crying: There isn't really anything blooming where I'm at. I'm in the Shenandoah Valley, close to WV. It's pretty dead around here. It *could* be mold. This rental is crap. DH caulked around the tub and toilets where we could see visible mold, but there is water damage from long ago on these floors. There could be mold in the subflooring, sure. And the bedrooms upstairs - we use one for our master bedroom. Have cheap carpeting thrown over hardwood floors. So I have to wonder about the state of the hardwood floors. Dust mites...maybe? I don't know. All of our mattresses are fairly new. Our couches are new. I'm OCD-like with washing linens and vacuuming. We did acquire a guinea pig late last summer, but these allergies started before we got him.

 

There is a fireplace here. And a woodstove down in the basement. Landlord won't let us use either one. He claims that his homeowner insurance won't permit it. Neighbors say it's because there was a fire years ago and the landlord never had the chimney fixed and re-inspected. Could something be up there??

 

I'm all out of ideas.

[Guest inoubliable]

Bring your bear spray. ;)

 

Bwahahaha. My laughter sounded AWFUL just now! Wheeze in, congested honk on the way out!

[Guest inoubliable]

OK, I was actually near Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy, which is 7,250 feet. They made us memorize the height as freshmen but I forgot and had to look it up, LOL. I must be getting old. I did spend some time with my sponsor family in the actual city of Colorado Springs and my allergies seemed fine at their house, too, though.

 

 

 

You have to be referred to an allergist to get the shots. Here is an article about them:

 

http://www.webmd.com...e/allergy-shots

 

Thank you! I'm going to insist on a referral. I don't understand why the doctor I went to just shut me down with "Benadryl is all there is".

[Upward Journey]

I think it USED to be true. Then people migrated to those non-allergy areas and brought their stupid sneeze-causing plants with them!!!!!!!

 

I grew up north of San Francisco and never had allergies. Moved to Tucson, AZ for college and developed allergies within 2 years.

 

Here in Texas, it seems there are allergens for every season. Cedar, juniper, elm, ragweed, UGH!!!! They all seem to get me.

 

Dropping wheat and grains from my diet has made a HUGE change in how I experience them, though. I used to get very congested. Now I just sneeze some and have some itchy nose days. I only take something like Allegra now if I'm bothered for more than 3 days in a row.

 

Yes, my allergies in AZ were terrible. I was allergic to everything around me, literally all the plants plus the dirt. And my body couldn't tolerate the shots so that was a no go. We moved to FL and they diminished somewhat but not much. My sinuses got so bad that they tested me for MS two years ago! Anyway, going gluten free a year and a half ago is the only thing that has helped. I've gone from taking Sudafed and Claritin daily (and still feeling miserable), to only needing to take one or the other when I have a reaction to something.

[Trilliums]

Since moving from S. California to the Midwest, DS's allergies/asthma have been horrible! When we vacationed in FL one year he was symptom free.

 

You just need to vacation around a lot of places and see where you feel the best.

 

It could be a WTM road trip where you stop off and visit members along the way. :)

 

Oh! Oh! It could be educational too!!

[Guest inoubliable]

You just need to vacation around a lot of places and see where you feel the best.

 

It could be a WTM road trip where you stop off and visit members along the way. :)

 

Oh! Oh! It could be educational too!!

 

I'm liking the sound of that!!

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

I have no idea what it is! :crying: There isn't really anything blooming where I'm at. I'm in the Shenandoah Valley, close to WV. It's pretty dead around here. It *could* be mold. This rental is crap. DH caulked around the tub and toilets where we could see visible mold, but there is water damage from long ago on these floors. There could be mold in the subflooring, sure. And the bedrooms upstairs - we use one for our master bedroom. Have cheap carpeting thrown over hardwood floors. So I have to wonder about the state of the hardwood floors. Dust mites...maybe? I don't know. All of our mattresses are fairly new. Our couches are new. I'm OCD-like with washing linens and vacuuming. We did acquire a guinea pig late last summer, but these allergies started before we got him.

 

There is a fireplace here. And a woodstove down in the basement. Landlord won't let us use either one. He claims that his homeowner insurance won't permit it. Neighbors say it's because there was a fire years ago and the landlord never had the chimney fixed and re-inspected. Could something be up there??

 

I'm all out of ideas.

 

 

Ugh, I'm allergic to mold, too. Just the smell of mildew can set me off. That problem has been completely taken care of by living in the desert, but when we stay on our boat on the coast I notice it if we haven't been there a while to clean it out. So sorry your nose is a mess - I hate that feeling!

[Chelli]

High altitude did not help dh's allergies. We lived in Denver for two years and he was sooooo sick with allergy the ENTIRE time. He actually has less allergy problems here in Houston than he did there. :confused1:

[ElizabethB]

High altitude did not help dh's allergies. We lived in Denver for two years and he was sooooo sick with allergy the ENTIRE time. He actually has less allergy problems here in Houston than he did there. :confused1:

 

 

Denver is also 5,000. That might not be high enough. Albuquerque was 4,500 and did not have the same effect as 7,250, it was not high enough there, I had problems in Albuquerque but not at 7,250 feet at the Air Force Academy.

[ElizabethB]

I could not find specific altitude numbers, but the Alps do sound nice, they claim that they are high enough and low pollen:

 

http://www.hotelwiesental.com/en/sommerfrische/obergurgl-sommer.html

[melissad2]

Get thyself to an allergist :) and try some chlortrimeton (chlor tabs from Walmart) in the meantime to dry up your nose and stop the sneezing.

[Chelli]

Denver is also 5,000. That might not be high enough. Albuquerque was 4,500 and did not have the same effect as 7,250, it was not high enough there, I had problems in Albuquerque but not at 7,250 feet at the Air Force Academy.

 

Thanks for the info. We want to move back to Denver one day because we loved it there, but the idea of his allergies acting like they did the first time is definitely a damper on making plans. I'll tell him we're going to have to live way up in the mountains. Not that he'll mind. :hurray:

[Guest inoubliable]

Get thyself to an allergist :) and try some chlortrimeton (chlor tabs from Walmart) in the meantime to dry up your nose and stop the sneezing.

 

Can I find that at Walgreens? LOL. I'll run right out now! I'd love to dry up enough so that I can get some sleep tonight. I'm pretty sick of having to toss and turn every three minutes so at least one side can drain and I can breathe for about three minutes. And I'm pretty sick of waking up every 20 minutes because of violent sneezing. Last night I had to sleep with the heating pad on my stomach. My abdominal? diaphram? muscles hurt so badly from a sneezing spell that I couldn't lay down at all.

 

I once knew a woman who told me that she'd never considered suicide until she developed allergies after having her fourth kid. She'd talk about how her quality of life was so awful and how she was exhausted all the time from lack of sleep. I thought she was just exaggerating. I know now. :crying:

[melissad2]

 

 

Can I find that at Walgreens? LOL. I'll run right out now! I'd love to dry up enough so that I can get some sleep tonight. I'm pretty sick of having to toss and turn every three minutes so at least one side can drain and I can breathe for about three minutes. And I'm pretty sick of waking up every 20 minutes because of violent sneezing. Last night I had to sleep with the heating pad on my stomach. My abdominal? diaphram? muscles hurt so badly from a sneezing spell that I couldn't lay down at all.

 

I once knew a woman who told me that she'd never considered suicide until she developed allergies after having her fourth kid. She'd talk about how her quality of life was so awful and how she was exhausted all the time from lack of sleep. I thought she was just exaggerating. I know now. :crying:

 

I would think so...ask the pharmacist for chlortrimeton or the Walgreens generic equivalent. It was the only thing that saved my sanity during my pregnancy allergies.

[Shawn On the Border]

Lots of people have problems with allergies in the Southwest. We lived in El Paso, and now live in Albuquerque. I have been very fortunate, because I'm just allergic to mold, but many people are allergic to the local trees and transplanted trees and plants. Our dog even has allergies! Also, the dust can be terrible certain times of the year.

[ElizabethB]

The breathe right strips are helpful, too. I needed to use them to sleep one summer in Virginia before I got allergy shots. My nose was still a mess and I still felt horrible, but it helped me get to sleep easier.

[Guest inoubliable]

Our Walgreen's (at least the closest one) didn't have the Chlor stuff. They had a brandname kind but it was pretty expensive. I went ahead and took some Bendaryl since it's what I had on hand. Hoping I can get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow I look into moving to some moon colony. Surely there won't be anything on the moon that I'm allergic to. :glare:

[SW in IL]

A friend of mine is considering moving to Arizona. In the past few years her son has developed allergies to things including dust, pollen and mold. But whenever the son goes to visit relatives in Arizona, the allergies all but disappear.

 

If possible, I'd arrange to spend at least a few weeks to a month or so in Arizona. See if that helps any before packing up and moving.

[lexi]

That would be West Texas. Houston is notorious for aggravating allergies. I never had seasonal allergies until we moved here.

 

 

Lol! We lived by Houston and had zero allergy issues. Now we live near San Antonio and we are dying! This place is like a horrible allergy nightmare for us! But I guess it really depends on what you are allergic to.

[texasmama]

DFW area here, too, and we have ragweed in the warm months and mountain cedar in the cold months. Killer stuff for allergy sufferers.

[Ellie]

Since moving from S. California to the Midwest, DS's allergies/asthma have been horrible! When we vacationed in FL one year he was symptom free.

 

You just need to vacation around a lot of places and see where you feel the best.

 

It could be a WTM road trip where you stop off and visit members along the way. :)

 

Oh! Oh! It could be educational too!!

 

I have a very nice guest suite. :-)

[gaillardia]

 

Tell me more about these allergy shots? I've asked a doctor for help. And all she would tell me was that Benadryl was pretty much the only thing I could do and that if that wasn't helping, then "sorry, there's nothing else".

Some doctor! I used to get allergy shots. I'd be looking for a different doctor. I am a transplant, MD/VA to Dallas/Ft.Worth area and the pollen here gets to me way worse than it did in MD. Just two weeks ago with the cedar, or was it juniper? yeah, in February!

There is a liquid homeopathic product made by a doctor in this area for allergy sufferers. I have used it cautiously due to penicillin allergy (which this has in minute amounts) and have had subtle but true and definite relief from using it. It is called Allernone. The label shows a lady with her arms spread out in a field of blooming yellow flowers, "Breathe it in!" :laugh: