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current allergy protocol
May. 2nd, 2011 11:38 pmMy pollen allergies this year have been pretty remarkably bad. They are getting worse with time, as generally happens, and I'm about ready to get shots. (I did actually call an allergy clinic, but they required referrals and were booked until August. Possibly everyone else had felt like dying that same day?) I'm coping reasonably well due to some inconvenient but worthwhile strategies.
1. Daily antihistamine. The one that works for me is fexofenadine/Allegra. People seem to think I should be happy now that it's OTC, but a prescription generic is cheaper for me. I've also tried Claritin, to no effect, and Xyzal, which worked better than fexo but cost a LOT more. It seems to make me a little speedy and hot, so I take it in the morning.
2. Hypoallergenic bedroom. This is annoying to maintain, and I don't do it to the utmost, but it really helps. I have an air filter running all the time, bedding dried in a dryer, clothes ditto. The windows are never opened without a fan fitted to them blowing outward. Currently the cats are not allowed in there for other reasons, but I think keeping it shut is probably helpful. (I've never been allergic to animals.)
3. Decontamination showers. Once I get home and come indoors for the night, I take a shower right away. The outdoor clothes go away, my hair is washed or thoroughly rinsed, and I use the neti pot religiously: I don't enjoy it, but by damn it's regular and thorough. No pollen on me, thank you.
4. To a lesser extent, the whole house is hypoallergenic. The cats supposedly reduce one's peak air flow even absent an allergy, but oh well. I whine if we have the windows open at all. Wim likes line-drying things, but any of my clothes or bedding has to go through the dryer as well. I don't grow grasses on purpose -- lawn I haven't yet conquered is not my fault and hopefully not actually blooming -- or any wind-pollinated plants, inside or out.
Things I don't do that I could:
1. Use fluticasone nasal spray. Mostly this is because I have a hard time figuring out when my head isn't too congested or just-neti-potted; when I've used it before, it's helped some.
2. Not study a plant. I'm pretty sure that I'm becoming allergic to Arabidopsis, as many people do to their study organisms. This just proves that I need to study basal plants -- no pollen in liverworts, mosses, ferns...
1. Daily antihistamine. The one that works for me is fexofenadine/Allegra. People seem to think I should be happy now that it's OTC, but a prescription generic is cheaper for me. I've also tried Claritin, to no effect, and Xyzal, which worked better than fexo but cost a LOT more. It seems to make me a little speedy and hot, so I take it in the morning.
2. Hypoallergenic bedroom. This is annoying to maintain, and I don't do it to the utmost, but it really helps. I have an air filter running all the time, bedding dried in a dryer, clothes ditto. The windows are never opened without a fan fitted to them blowing outward. Currently the cats are not allowed in there for other reasons, but I think keeping it shut is probably helpful. (I've never been allergic to animals.)
3. Decontamination showers. Once I get home and come indoors for the night, I take a shower right away. The outdoor clothes go away, my hair is washed or thoroughly rinsed, and I use the neti pot religiously: I don't enjoy it, but by damn it's regular and thorough. No pollen on me, thank you.
4. To a lesser extent, the whole house is hypoallergenic. The cats supposedly reduce one's peak air flow even absent an allergy, but oh well. I whine if we have the windows open at all. Wim likes line-drying things, but any of my clothes or bedding has to go through the dryer as well. I don't grow grasses on purpose -- lawn I haven't yet conquered is not my fault and hopefully not actually blooming -- or any wind-pollinated plants, inside or out.
Things I don't do that I could:
1. Use fluticasone nasal spray. Mostly this is because I have a hard time figuring out when my head isn't too congested or just-neti-potted; when I've used it before, it's helped some.
2. Not study a plant. I'm pretty sure that I'm becoming allergic to Arabidopsis, as many people do to their study organisms. This just proves that I need to study basal plants -- no pollen in liverworts, mosses, ferns...
