Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Allergy Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to airbourne allergies, eye allergies, shots, anaphylaxis, asthma, children's allergies, hives, insect stings, rhinitis, sinuses, and allergies to drugs, foods, and pets.
cold allergy
by sandher, Oct 24, 2006 12:00AM
I am at my wit's end...I am so upset with my son's hives from the cold. Some days he gets them and some days not. We just did the cold test with the ice here at home and sure enough hives. I am terrified. Sometimes they itch and some not. He recently was tested for allegies and was found to have dog and cat allergies. We found the cat a home, but as for the dog it is hard and heart breaking. My son is 4 and I would say that these started at around 3. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Do they outgrow them? I am using Claritan, but I don't think it helps...is there something else? I feel weird to be so upset...but as a mom I want to make it better...
HELP.......
HELP.......
Post Comment
Also - what did you mean talking about the cold? I was confused about that part... it comes across sounding like he's allergic to ice or something, can you clarify?
Have you looked into allergy shots? These can actually make symptoms disappear. Also - if you find he is still having symptoms you will want to make sure he doesn't have any food allergies or things they may not have tested him for with scratch testing.
Things will certainly get better! I've had allergies my whole life, and they come & go. It's strange, I'm mainly allergic to dust/dust mites - and have allergen-proof comforters, and covers on all pillows & the bed -- also, no wall-to-wall carpeting! You can also purchase devices that help to purify the air in your home.
Good luck - it'll be ok! I'm from a family of allergies - my sister is allergic to everything! It's just a matter of letting your body adjust to things (i think).
Also - I'm allergic to cats & dogs, but i have a cat. I love her too much.... My allergist gets mad at me every time. I take a 24 hour allergy pill daily to prevent the hives I get from her... silly, I know, but it's very hard to give up a pet. For me, I was never allergic to cats, we always had two -- then I went to college, came home & I was very allergic. Then after a few years it sortof went away, then when I got re-tested turned out I was also allergic to dogs... weird. But my allergy isn't too severe. Being that he is so young, his allergies could cause problems, so you should probably get rid of the dog and get one when he is older... i don't know, an allergist could would really be helpful - they're usually covered by insurance through your primary care doc...
GOOD LUCK!!! hope your son is better..
Oh - random hives incident for me... Every once & a while I used get a huge hive on my lip, and I found out it was from dishwasher detergent that wasn't thoroughly rinsed off the glass I drank from -- now I try to wipe the top just in case!
can dog allergies cause asthma? i know cats can...
anyway, yes, the skin testing will be the "scratch testing" same thing... I get them every few years to see what new allergies I have, fun! some go away though, so that's good!
don't stay up at night worrying (although i'm sure that's hard)... if symtoms get worse (and I doubt they will with all of the precautions you're taking).. you can always go to the DR. AND, as you said, kids grow out of these things!
I think your son will be fine - I never took any medicine for it as a kid. My mom didn't treat it as something alarming or to be afraid of - she just sat with me until they went down. The hives went down in a few minutes to an hour and I would be okay. Sometimes slowly introducing myself back in from the cold helps prevent them - meaning I don't go from hot environment to cold or vice versa - the body of someone with this allergy can't adjust that quickly to temperature change that is why you get the hives. If I get them now - rare - I take a benadryl but only if they are bad.
I have found for me that eliminating dairy products really helped my hives - soy too. I drink Almond milk by Diamond brand. I have a little dairy but I think this contributes to my hives so I don't have too much.