Allergy season! Wabbit season! oh, wait...

[ScottH]

It's that time of year again. That Awful Yellow Stuff is in full bloom along every highway median and in all the green belts, and the cottonwood fluff makes it look like I should go out and build a snowman.

I'm taking a 24-hour OTC allergy med every morning, and squirting a prescription antihistamine into each nostril every night, and still one passage or the other is stopped up solid. I've tried switching off between masks, and still I only get one with airflow.

I've heard stories, of folks who continued therapy while severely congested and suffered Dire Consequences. Any truth to this or is it more of a tribal folklore thing? I'm early enough into this that I don't want to give it up if I don't have to--incremental improvements only but even a small victory is better than no change.

What are the more experienced folks doing during this annoying time of year?

[sharon1965]

hi scott

have you been to an allergist? would you consider the shots or have you already been down that road? i recently went for the scratch test (again) and during the consultation the allergist told me what i already know...otc allergy meds don't work...and what's more, they're very bad for you...we have histamines for a reason, and blocking them is detrimental to our health...also, they cause such a rebound effect, they often leave you feeling worse than before...have you tried any other types of allergy management? i find that some naturopathic remedies actually helped me more than the claritin/reactin/allegra roller coaster i was on for 30 years...there was a thread on here not too long ago, where a few people mentioned using a product...dammit if i can remember what it was and i actually used it myself and found it very helpful! (i blame osa for the brain fog that is keeping me from remembering) if i think of it i'll send you a pm

i also find that nasal rinses really help clean things out and keep the swelling down...and the big one for me this year has been septoplasty...you mention that one or the other side is blocked...i always thought i was having a perpetual allergic reaction, but when i started cpap i realized that only one side, and always the same side, was always blocked! only took me till the ripe old age of 41! so i saw the allergist and the ent and had the surgery and voila! symptom free and med free so far...so forgive me for stating the obvious, but does the blockage alternate?

i'm sure you know best what works for you, and you may have already explored many avenues...if nothing i've said is helpful, at least know that i feel your frustration and have suffered for many years also...hope you get it worked out

sharon1965

[Hurricane]

Try using a saline rinse before retiring at night, it might help wash out all those tiny little irritating specks of pollen, thats what works for me, I use the Neti pot,and the little packs of saline mixed with warm water, it will surprise you what comes out of your nose. Gross huh? but hey benifical'
Ed

[ScottH]

sharon1965:

I had scratch tests and the full range of shots as a child, and went back for more scratch tests a few years ago to see if anything had changed. I get more good than not from the OTC meds, but which one works changes each season; go figure. And yes, the blockage alternates, depending upon which side I'm sleeping on--I can even feel it moving (ew!) from one side to the other when I turn over.

I tried the saline rinses before, Hurricane, and all it did was remind me what getting smacked in the face by a wave feels like--salt water up in places it has no business being. I'll brave it again, but it didn't really help much last time.

[sharon1965]

i use the NeilMed Saline Rinse...not too invasive, actually feels great when you're done and those prepackaged doses really keep it simple...i think it's the same packets hurricane is referring to

[Guest]

I'm new to CPAP and have just gotten through mulberry season with flying colors. I actually found that the machine helped my congestion - nothing like warm, HEPA filtered air.

My allergy regimen is shots (for the last 15 years or so. Tried stopping, but always need to go back on.), Singulair, loratadine, Flonase, freeze dried stinging nettle capsules. Mucinex helps a lot to thin and disperse the mucus. And the occasional Sudafed - usually about 4 hours before bed so that my nose is clear at "mask time". Oh, yes, my new favorite - Simply Saline; the spout puts the fine mist just where it needs to be.

Hope that helps some.

Shari

[Hurricane]

Hi Shari,
Simply Saline is a good way to rinse, what could be easier than a pressurized container, works good too, only problem I run out of it quick so I keep both the Neti pot and the Simply Saline on hand. What is happening to have all these allergies affecting people, maybe Al Gore has an answer.
Ed

[roster]

It's about colds but works also for allergies: viewtopic.php?p=160144#160144.

[sharon1965]

"QUERCENASE"!!

i said i couldn't remember the name of the natural remedy i used for allergy management and it came to me suddenly in the middle of the night--yeah, while i was supposed to be sleeping but was up instead fussing with my interface--anyway, there it is if anyone is interested in something safer than otc allergy meds

sharon1965

[catbirdgirl]

and I didn't like it!

it was cold in my sinuses instead of warm like my neti pot.

I have it for emergencies like colds or stubborn nose clogs, but ick!

[sharon1965]

and I didn't like it!

it was cold in my sinuses instead of warm like my neti pot.

I have it for emergencies like colds or stubborn nose clogs, but ick!

catbirdgirl

which post are you replying to? hopefully not mine about the quercenase! because you don't squirt that up your nose, you drink it in water or juice! lol

sharon1965