once anaphylactic, for a while nothing.....now asthma???

By allegralynn Tuesday, January 22, 2008

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Hello everyone. Wow, am I frustrated. I've never written on a webboard

(guess that shows my desparation level) Here's the cliff notes version:

when I was..... a kid: severe allergies, you name it, anaphylactic,tested, took sublingual drops, doing great.....a college student: stopped taking meds, minor reactions, felt I was outgrowing them....in my thirties: ear infections( like when I was younger), my work place didn't provide proper safety equipment when working with cleaning chemicals, boom! Asthma attack. Go to dr.,Allergic rhinitus / asthmatic bronchitis. Now, when I go to work, cough, raspy voice, congestion, watery eyes, etc....went back to Dr. Said lungs were fine this time, acute bronchitis...treat as needed. The catch: I feel great- go to work- get sick- go home- continues to get worse for a few hours-then starts clearing up- next day, stay home, still a little congestion- following day (if I'm still home) feel fantastic- and so the cycle repeats....Dr. has a wait and see, treat as needed- but I don't think RX Clariten-steroids-and inhalers are the necessary answer....think I should be retested (yet obviously, you see how cheep my emplyer is, benefits are not available, erego I'm a the med. card. Any thoughts anyone????? Tired of getting sick!!!!!

Comments (3) | Add comment

Vicki M

1/23/08 1:37pm

Hi there,

Sounds like you have a workplace environmental issue. You don't say what your line of business is, but there is an article here that says Nurses, Printers and Woodworkers are at an increased risk for asthma and allergy related issues at the work place meaning less productivity in the work place. Improper use and storage of chemicals is one of the main culprits.

Being that you had acute allergies as a child and asthma, even though the symptoms subside, they can come back with a vengence if the right triggers are present. My asthma has been in check for over 10 years, but once in a while I will still have an attack due to dust or cold damp air.

I am not sure what medications your doctor has prescribed for you, but you might even need to resort to using a face mask at work to keep whatever is getting into your system out. Or it might be time to look for a new place to work.

At any rate, stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!!

Vicki M

(side note: allegra never worked for me!)

Christina

1/31/08 2:51pm

I am a long time allergy sufferer as well, I have come to find that when there are extreme reactions at work, the first thing I do is get with building maintenance about the air conditioner filters. ALOT of places only change them once every few months, however, I have asked supervisors to have them changed often and when they realize that is why I am missing time they are usually pretty good about handling it. They need to be changed a minimum of once a month. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Vicki M

2/ 7/08 10:58pm

Christina,

Have you ever considered one of those ionic air cleaners at your desk?

I got one because my office is one of those really open offices with high ceilings and it seems no matter how well the cleaners work, there is still so much dust it's incredible. It also helps because a work mate of mine wears some horrific perfumes.

Stay in touch and let us know how you're doing!

Vicki M

once anaphylactic, for a while nothing.....now asthma???

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