How to appropriately respond to allergies?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Ds16 has seasonal allergies.  He takes Flonase and Astelin and Allegra.  He also has an inhaler if things get bad or will take Benadryl.  We're in the process of getting allergy shots but he hasn't had them yet.  Anyway, it's spring and his allergies are acting up.  I want him to go to taekwando.  He says that his face is itchy and that's reason to not go.  He's also afraid that it is warm enough for them to keep the door open.  He needs encouragement to go sometimes and then he does fine.  I know he's already 16, but physical things are not his strong suit and he tends to want to slough off if he can.  Anyway, for those of you who know allergies, is his argument valid?  He will have his inhaler with him and also some Benadryl.  It may be that they don't even have the door open.  I could take him with the proviso that if the door is open that he gets to come home.  What do you think?  

[Lady Marmalade]

His argument may be valid about the allergies acting up.  However... at 16 years old, it's probably time to learn to LIVE life with allergies and not go into hiding because of it.  I've had friends in the past who hole up in their homes with the A/C running to avoid seasonal allergies as much as possible.  I understand that meds are a pain, but you take what you can to alleviate as much as you can and continue on. 

 

The shots should help a ton once you can get them going though!

[Dana]

With dh's asthma, he'd go.

I'd say stay home if there are hives, eyes watery, nose runny.

When the pollen is getting to us, the tissue box is close at hand.

 

I'd say probably go but if he's miserable, come home.

[texasmama]

Have him shower the second he gets home to get any pollen off his hair and body and see if this helps.

[sbgrace]

I know adults who avoid outdoors as much as possible in peak pollen because they know they will be miserable the next day.

 

If he does Benadryl and an inhaler before hand, will that keep things at bay?

[Random]

His argument may be valid about the allergies acting up.  However... at 16 years old, it's probably time to learn to LIVE life with allergies and not go into hiding because of it.  I've had friends in the past who hole up in their homes with the A/C running to avoid seasonal allergies as much as possible.  I understand that meds are a pain, but you take what you can to alleviate as much as you can and continue on. 

 

The shots should help a ton once you can get them going though!

 

My son has pretty intense allergy problems in the springtime.  The bolded is the line I give him, usually.  I am also pretty miserable with allergies in the spring, but we all have something to overcome, you know?  My most difficult symptom to overcome is the fatigue that comes along with the allergies.

 

Disclaimer: The son with the allergies is generally kind-of low energy and doesn't get a ton of physical activity. I think that is related to how he physically feels.  But he really does have to just get over it and cope and not rely on his feelings, when it's a chronic situation and it's not hurting him to ignore his symptoms.

[Loowit]

My DS with allergies has been miserable this spring.  He plays soccer outside and can't avoid the pollen.  The only time I let him skip practice is if his asthma is not being controlled with medication.  He needs baths when he gets home or sometimes he gets hives from being in the grass.  I give him Benadryl at night when he gets home if it is needed.  I don't give it to him beforehand because it makes him sleepy and aggressive.  I have talked to his allergist and she strongly encourages him to get out and do as much as he can and not use his allergies and asthma as an excuse not to being doing stuff.

 

He has just had to restart his allergy shots because he had to take almost a month off due to a bad sinus infection.  I am hoping that they will work for him.  We have to take him 2 days a week right now.

 

Another suggestion if Taekwando isn't his thing and he wants to try something else, I have heard that swimming is a great sport for people with asthma.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I took him.  I told him that I wouldn't make him go in if the door was open.  The door was closed.   ;)   He does like taekwando and it is his sport of choice, but he likes sitting at his computer even more.  So the allergies become an excuse, I think.  I'll see how he did when I go to pick him up in a half hour.  He hasn't called to tell me to come pick him up. . . .

[Joker]

Oldest dd, 14, not only has the most common allergies but she also gets small, very itchy hives when she's hot or emotional. They bother her more than the normal allergy stuff but she still does her dance class, participates in her musical theatre class and productions, and all other normal activities. She takes a cool shower as soon as she gets home from those things but she does them. She's just learning how to live with them as they don't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

[Jean in Newcastle]

A huge part of the puzzle is that this is my sensory child. . . but you are right, he needs to learn how to live with his allergies.  

[Tap]

A huge part of the puzzle is that this is my sensory child. . . but you are right, he needs to learn how to live with his allergies.  

 

What are the symptoms that make him want to avoid this activity?  Is it the itchy skin or asthma? 

 

Asthma attacks can be scary, and if the sport is triggering asthma attacks while he has uncontrolled allergies, I would not push him until he gets better control.  Asthma is dangerous and can cause permanent damage if not properly controlled.  If he has exercise induced asthma, I would say he HAS to use his inhaler before exercise while his allergies are not under control, even if he doesn't think he needs it.    Taking it, after an asthma attack starts, helps to stop the symptoms, but having repeated asthma attacks can cause small amounts of damage over time that add up.   Once his asthma is controlled, hopefully he will be able to manage his fear of having an asthma attack.

 

If the medication is effective at preventing an asthma attack, then he shouldn't have symptoms at practice.  If he is still having asthma symptoms, when his inhaler has been used in a timely manner before practice, he needs a different medication added to his current treatment plan....most likely a steroid like Qvar or Flovent to decrease his inflammation. 

 

If it is itching...Ask your allergist (or do your own research) about adding Ranitidine to help get the itching under control.  I know it sounds odd, but you can research it by looking up articles about adding an H2 blocker to an antihistamine to get better results with an itchy reaction.

[Tap]

Just another thought....

 

DD7 gets hot and sweaty.  The sweat on her face makes her itch, but it is not allergies.  I give her packs of wet wipes to use on her face.  I buy the  high quality, unscented baby wipes and during the hot part of summer keep a pack in the fridge for her.  Taking something like this in an insulated lunch box may help him if his face gets too hot at practice.  Even a cold wash cloth seemed to help, but the little bit of soap in the baby wipes seems to help her get the sweat off better.

 

I was going to buy her some wipes marketed for cooling off, but decided to try the refrigerated wipes first and found they worked great, so I saved money by just buying the baby ones.

 

If your son would be offended by having baby wipes, you could just transfer them to a zipper bag, so he didn't see the packaging. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tap, great information.  I'll have to talk to ds a bit more to find out more about what bothers him.  He keeps mentioning itching - last year the itching was a precursor to his face swelling up and I think he's afraid of that.  The wipes idea is a good one.  

[Mom in High Heels]

I have horrible, horrible allergies to the point where the Exceptional Family Member Program (I always knew I was exceptional!!!) keeps James Bond from going to certain posts because it would be too hard on my physically (not to mention emotionally).  They planned to send us to Texas, but just driving through Texas has caused such bad reactions that I've ended up in the ER, because the allergies triggered a severe asthma attack (this has happened twice, BTW).  EFMP told James Bond's Branch manager (the person who does the assignments), that he can't go there because it's so bad for my health.  We're talking serious allergies.  I am completely miserable most of the spring and summer.  My eyes itch, burn, and swell, I sneeze constantly, my nose runs or is stopped up, and my face can swell to the point that I've been asked (by an MP) if I was being beaten, and I am just an overall lump of a human being.  Oh, I'm also tons of fun to be around.  ;) Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to stay inside a hermetically sealed home until it's all over, but unfortunately, I can't do that, because allergies or not, life still goes on.  Believe me, I can understand his fears (I'm the first person screeching for the door to be shut as soon as it's opened), but at 16 he should start to recognize that he can't hide from the world, no matter how appealing it sounds.

 

If the allergies are triggering the asthma, he might need an inhaler that is not for emergency use, but for everyday maintenance.  He also might need different meds.  Allegra worked okay (not great, just okay), for a little while, but then it just stopped working at all.  I might as well take a Pez for all the good Claritin does and Zyrtec doesn't work either.  The docs finally had to go a little more "old school" and put me on a regime of slightly older allergy meds and they work much better.  Unfortunately, a lot of times it's trial and error, which really sucks.  The shots should help, but it often takes several months for them to make any real difference.  I've been on them for almost 15 years (I also did about 5 years as a child, so 20 total), and they did make a difference.  I need to go back on them though, as my allergies are bad enough that I should really be on them all the time.  They come with their own hazards in the beginning though.  Until they get the correct dosage (we move so often the mix has to be changed for each area), I break out in hives every single time I get a shot.  Getting hives twice a week is horrible.  It took 6 weeks to finally get me to a dose that didn't cause hives.  They had to break my shot down into 4 separate shots given twice a week, because I was so sensitive that if the meds were mixed in 1 or even 2 shots caused hives.  My mixes are usually for 75+ allergens and to have it all in one dose sent my body into overdrive.  Breaking it into 4 different shots of extremely low doses helped, and the hives almost completely stopped.  One shot was trees, one was grasses, one was molds and one was foods.  I got them all the same day, at the same time, but something about separating them out made my body respond better.  Just be on the lookout for this kind of stuff when he starts his shots (you too!).

 

I absolutely agree with showering the minute he gets home, to get anything off of him.  Make sure the clothes he was wearing aren't in a hamper in his room.  You might also think about getting him a Neti pot if he doesn't have one.  It's weird to use at first and until he figures out the correct angle, he may feel like he's going to drown, but once he gets it, I'm telling you, it will change his life.  It is truly disgusting to use, but gets everything out of the sinus cavity and makes it so much easier to breath, and can help keep the allergies from being too bad.   He should use it every time he's been outside for an extended period.  I use mine daily in the shower, because it's just easier with all the gunk coming out (see, gross), but also use it if I've been to the park with the boys or whatever.  You would not believe how much stuff can be in the sinus cavity!  I convinced my parents to use them (they both have bad allergies too) and it made a big difference.  James Bond mostly rolls his eyes at my "hippy" ways, but once I got him to try the Neti pot, he was amazed at how much better he felt.  He has very mild allergies, but even just using it to clear his head when he has a cold is helpful.  If he's been out in the field and around all those vehicle fumes and exhaust or in dirt and dust, he'll use it when he gets home to clear all the pollution from his sinuses.  They're not expensive and can be found at pretty much any pharmacy or big box store.  I prefer the ceramic ones, as I think the plastic ones have a weird smell, but I'm highly sensitive to smell, so that might not be a big deal.  The ceramic ones are more expensive, and can be broken (James Bond broke 2 of mine!), so you might want to take that into consideration.  

 

I hope he feels better soon.  It is so miserable to have allergies.

[Plink]

A huge part of the puzzle is that this is my sensory child. . . but you are right, he needs to learn how to live with his allergies.

((Hugs)) My sensory kid is the one with allergies too and the sleepy feeling from Benadryl is one of her least favorite sensations. Her favorite sports are all in the winter or in the water. You have my complete understanding and sympathy.

[Jean in Newcastle]

:grouphug: Heels.  He does have a sinus rinse bottle (the plastic kind!) but while I tell him to use it, I don't think he really does.  We're in this tug-of-war at age 16 where I am picking my battles between what I insist on and what I let him decide on.  I'm trying to set up healthy habits that he (hopefully) will continue once he's out of the home but at the same time trying not to make this into a battle that is going to set him against doing any of these good habits.  You would think that his misery would make him want to comply but that doesn't always seem to be the case.  

 

Thank you everyone for the understanding and the advice.  I haven't responded to everyone individually but I appreciate all of you!

[Tap]

:grouphug: Heels.  He does have a sinus rinse bottle (the plastic kind!) but while I tell him to use it, I don't think he really does.  We're in this tug-of-war at age 16 where I am picking my battles between what I insist on and what I let him decide on.  I'm trying to set up healthy habits that he (hopefully) will continue once he's out of the home but at the same time trying not to make this into a battle that is going to set him against doing any of these good habits.  You would think that his misery would make him want to comply but that doesn't always seem to be the case.  

 

Thank you everyone for the understanding and the advice.  I haven't responded to everyone individually but I appreciate all of you!

I don't like to use a Neti pot but will wash my sinuses in the shower, by controlled breathing in of water that is cupped in my hands.  You can google how to do it, and honestly it works just as well for me, with half of the effort.  If he showers after class, it might be a quick way to get him to do a sinus rinse at the same time.  

 

Since the water isn't buffered with saline, it does sting a tiny bit, but it isn't a big deal to me.