Does anyone have experience with mid-life onset allegies/asthma and have you found allergists and/ or shots to be effective in controlling your symptoms?

I have a close relative who became allergic to dust in his late 30’s and finally did the shots in his late 40’s and they helped a lot.

I was told that Sacramento is the Allergy capitol of the country. It would extend to your area as well. Late onset of allergy is common and I believe is not reversible.

@YARNLADY

Yes..El Dorado county is even worse. :-(

@JLeslie

That sounds hopeful. :-)

@Coloma The thing about most allergies is they get worse and worse, because your body gets better at fighting the foreign body, in this case your body is fighting the allergen with histamines, and for whatever reason goes overboard. Like when a person gets a fever of 106, the body wants to kill the infection, but too high and it can kill the person or cause brain damage, the body does not always know when to stop for some reason.

You could move to FL, very few outdoor allergies there.

@JLeslie

Yeah…this is really no fun at all..I am researching some specialists now.

Soooo…whos got the timeshares in the tropical non-allergy zones? lol

I spent three years and lots of money getting allergy shots for mites, mildew and mold. Total flop. Now I squirt a home-made saline solution into nostrils occasionally. It is just as effective.

@gailcalled

Yes, I use the Neilmed pretty faithfully, and drink tons of water, try to keep my immune system bolstered with good food and vitamins but…when some huge trigger hits, like last weeks mega housekeeping, weedeating, blowing and poor air quality, all factors reach critical mass and I get pounded. Aaaah…if only I could predict the triggers.

I think I am just going to have to stay away when the gardeners around for a few hours and keep an arsenal of inhalers and prednisone on hand for these crazy convergences.

I have also been researching the hormonal connectons…I KNOW it has something to do with menopause.

I don’t mind a stuffy head, but this asthma is horrible…coughing til you are so weak you can hardly move.

Makes everything 100 times harder than normal. :-(

I am getting wiser though…I waited too long this time to see my doc…now I will be better prepared in the future. I hope.

Ok….Ohio Valley is horrible…and I got tested about 3 years ago. Mold, dust, cats, and anything outside.
i’m not into shots….insulin is enough, but pull up carpeting and get wood floors if you dont.
Use allergic filters in your furnace/ac.
and they put you on tons of drugs…...Some advair would do me some good right about now.
asthma stinks…the wheezing…...

One thing I have learned is what you mentioned… don’t wait! At the first sign of symptoms, use that inhaler. I keep mine in my purse all through the warm months, now.

Have you tried a Clariten generic? I find it works very well. I never had childhood or adult allergies until I moved to the Midwest area. One a day works just fine. Hope it works for you

@Fed_Up2

I have in the past…did not this year, maybe try again. Thanks for the reminder. :-)

My daughter has had asthma for many years. She takes a cetirizine tablet each day, and also uses an ioniser in her bedroom, which (she says) helps her tremendously.
If you look at this website it will tell you all you need to know about ionisers.
http://www.djclarke.co.uk/file05.html
I hope your asthma improves

I lost a lot of school time due to allergies, but back then, I’m 60, “allergies” were considered bogus. When I finally was tested, got the peacock feathers out of my bedroom, stopped sleeping with my cat, and got shots, I didn’t have any problems until mid 40’s. Felt lousy with the ups and downs of treating symptoms with pills and sprays. I missed too much work, so I got retested and restarted shots for dust mite allergies and am feeling great. Personally, I would recommend going to an allergist and being tested. Then you know what you’re dealing with and can take steps. Sometimes using allergen covers on your mattress and pillows and having an air filter in your bedroom can make a huge difference…if you’re allergic to dust mites…change what you eat, if it’s food, wear a mask, or stop mowing your lawn, or at least close the windows or leave, if it’s grass…treatments can be simple, it’s not automatic that you’d go to shots. I agree with one person above, that generic Claritan, alone, can really help, you need the help of an Allergist, that’s their specialty. Please don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged. It all depends on how you test. It may not be as bad as you think, then you’ll wish you had done the research earlier, and not suffered so long. Oh, by the way, I sleep with two cats now, have for yars, no problem and we’re very happy. Good luck!

@zzc

Thanks for all that info!

Yes, I do leave when I have my yard and property mowed and weed eated ( is that a word, haha )

I also have 2 cats and have never noticed anything being close to them. They will not be going anywhere, regardless. I do have hypo-allergenic pillows and mattress cover and a low allergen, no dustmite memory foam mattress,

It is only spring and fall when it hits me, and sometimes it’s a miss entirely, so I think it has something to do with whatever is activated more or less, like the poak pollens or whatever.

I might have a good season one year and horrible the next.
Right now I feel great, but yes, I think I will go to an allergist this fall and see what they can do.

I felt little dif. on the claritan but, I have not tried it for a couple of years again now, so maybe I will try again.

It is frusterating…

@Coloma—haha, weed eated : – )

@YARNLADY

Haha..I know, that WAS a stretch…would it be ‘weedeaten’ lolol

You have to say it really FAST, three times….

(Hrmm. edged?)

@gailcalled

No, weedeaten lol

No edging, ...wait….! I know…weed WHACKED…weedwhacken’....lol

@Coloma Yes, that’s more like it.

@Coloma: Weedwhacken is a city in New Jersey.

@gailcalled

Is it by Hoe-broken?

@Coloma: Yes. Make sure you never have Sus-sex there. (Or if you thstill have that annoying lithp, thuth- thex.