I have never been told by a doctor in my entire life that I am allergic to anything. After struggling the last couple months with breathing I was referred to an allergy/asthma specialist to get things checked out.
So today I had an allergy scratch test done on my back, where they scratch all sorts of allergens into your skin and watch for the reactions. Out of the 48 different things that were pricked into my skin I am allergic to 40 of them. At the top of the list: Dust Mites, Cats and Dogs, Various Trees, Weeds, and Grasses. So basically everything. Oh, except horses (don't ask me why they tested that one on me!).
So basically I need to sell my cats and get a horse, pour concrete over my grass, buy a hepa-filter, dust and vacuum constantly, and never go to anyone's house considering they will probably have a dog or cat. Or....the doc says I can kick the cats out of my bedroom and just take medicines and inhalers so I can go on with my life. I choose option two since I'm sure you all know I could never ever in a billion years get rid of my cats :)
Has anyone else developed allergies in adulthood? This is just too crazy for me to understand. I have a bunch of brochures that the doctor gave me which will probably help me gain a better understanding of it all. I know that the allergens in the air cause my airways to get inflamed making it hard to breathe and the sensors in my nose tell my lungs not to breathe in the invading particles. Craziness!
Wow, what a bummer. At least you are taking option 2 (thankfully) and keeping the kitties and taking meds. Both my siblings were/are highly allergic to cats. I was blessed and am not--crossing fingers that it stays this way.
ReplyDeleteI came home from the hospital after giving birth to my daughter - to discover I had suddenly grown extremely ALLERGIC to MY cat of 4 years!!
ReplyDeletePreviously I had the scratch test and was diagnosed with allergies to "god's green earth and all of it's microscopic inhabitants". I got the weekly shots from the allergy doctor and they helped a lot. I kept the cat and later even had another, I'd just wash my hands after any really good petting sessions.
that was all 20 years ago I have grown progressively less allergic over the years so sorry you're going through this, it's an annoying heart breaker, it is!!
My husband is also allergic to EVERYTHING! He has tried all kinds of meds and nothing really works! His allergies are so terrible that there is a name for his condition - Chronic Urticaria or Uticaria (can't remember how to spell it)
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon. Having allergies is terrible. I didn't develop them until I was an adult too.
Thanks for all your stories and support! I think it will be fine once I get used to the medications and make my bedroom cat-free. Sleeping will be a lot easier once I get the cat dander out of my room. And good idea about washing my hands after petting my cats.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that all your trouble was only allergies, not saying that allergies aren't awful, but I am glad that it is something you can manage. Love you.
ReplyDelete