I'm starting to wonder if it's seasonal allergies. Can you help me figure it out?

[Tiramisu]

Dd12 has been sick since last week. It's nothing specific. She started sneezing like crazy last week. She has been congested but it sounds like it's more in her throat then her nose. When I asked about it, she said there's a lot of "gunk" in her throat. No fever. No headache. No sore throat. But she does seem sick. The main thing is that she's REALLY, REALLY tired and she looks absolutely awful. Her color is terrible. She has dark circles under her eyes. She's barely eating. She just says she doesn't feel normal rather than having a specific complaint.

 

I don't think this dd has ever shown signs of seasonal allergies before, but I know things can come up for women for the first time with hormonal changes. And dh developed significant seasonal allergies for the first time last year, out of the blue, and he doesn't have the hormone excuse. Dd has had contact dermatitis on occasion so she does have a little propensity for allergies.

 

I'm a bit worried about her because she looks so bad but I don't know if bringing her into the doctor will help. I think it will just be a waste of co-pay.

 

Meanwhile, little dd is also vaguely unwell with fatigue and on and off nausea, also since last week.

 

Maybe I'll give Claritin a whirl. I may have some generic Zyrtec on hand, too.

 

It's only Monday morning but I have a foreboding that this week will not be as productive as I'd like.

[Dana]

The dark circles under the eyes can be "allergic shiners".

This season, allergies have been bad for me, so I've been taking Zyrtec and it's helped a lot. I'm trying to decide when to stop it :)

 

The nausea with your younger daughter doesn't sound like allergies though... at least I've never heard of nausea going along with them.

[Cinder]

My allergies/hayfever showed up when I was about 15yo. Before that I had apparently been allergic to dust mites but it showed up as rashes on my arms. I can't remember if I'd been tested but I do remember getting paperwork from the doc's office about how to deal with dust mite allergies. I'd always had an itchy nose but not so bad that it amounted to anything.

 

Anyway, at 15yo my allergies started as "colds." Nothing specific, fatigue, stuffy head, drainage, general lousy feeling. Stayed home sick from school. After a few days of not getting better mom took me in to the doc. He said allergies. I got a shot, got better, went back to school and some weeks later it happened again. (Now I know that allergy shots don't work as a one-time cure but back then I didn't know; I guess mom didn't either.) So it might be allergies for your dd. Can you take her to the doc anyway just to be sure?

[AnIslandGirl]

DD9 has seasonal allergies, and the dark circles and "gunk in the throat like you dd describes sound all too familiar. Please be careful if you go the Zyrtec route, as it has been known to cause moodiness, night terrors and depression in some younger children. We had to stop it, and within 4 days, our sweet child was back.

[Tiramisu]

DD9 has seasonal allergies, and the dark circles and "gunk in the throat like you dd describes sound all too familiar. Please be careful if you go the Zyrtec route, as it has been known to cause moodiness, night terrors and depression in some younger children. We had to stop it, and within 4 days, our sweet child was back.

 

 

Oh, no, scary! Thanks for the heads up. I may stick with the Claritin for now. This dd has always been prone to night terrors and though she isn't the moody or depressed type, there is depression in the family and I always want to try to avoid triggers.

[Tiramisu]

Thanks. After reading the replies, I'm feeling more confident about the possibilities of allergies.

[walkermamaof4]

If it is seasonal allergies, our favorite aid is d-hist, an all natural product sold at amazon and sometimes locally but harder to find locally. A friend whose child has been hospitalized for allergies has been able to drop some prescription meds using this. We don't need it all year, just as needed. We begin with a high loading dose (like 3) then use as needed. My niece also dropped a prescription med once she began using it. My son and I can use just this.

[KrissiK]

Seasonal allergies for sure. We've got them bad. Nausea, yes. All that junk running down the back of their throat ending up on the tummy. My kids are all sniffing, sneezing, coughing and complaining of tummy aches. Howevee, we do not have runny noses. it's all draining into our throats.I feel like I'm drowning in snot. And we are all on several meds, each. And I'm on immunotherapy. Figure that one out.

[Seasider]

Nausea and fatigue, in addition to those dark eye circles, definitely are symptoms of seasonal allergies. We use Claritin instead of Zyrtec for the reasons listed above. Also, you might want to keep her off dairy while she is displaying symptoms.