Allergic to a room in my house?

There is a room in my house that I seem to be allergic to. It is a new occurrence since we’ve had this house for 7 years. Whenever I go into this room, within the first 30 seconds, I start to get headaches, sinus pain, throat (gland?) pain on the sides of my neck, and bad ear aches. I even have reflux issues if I am in the room for over an hour. This is my home office so it’s a room I need to be in. I don’t see any signs of mold and have even done one of those OTC home mold tests purchased at the local hardware store (I don’t know how accurate they are). I can’t for the life of me figure out what the problem is. I do know that when I take allergy medicine the symptoms are lessened but still there. The OTC allergy medicine allows me to work in the room. Still, I need to find out the problem. If it is not mold, then the only other thing I can think of is animal allergies; since I think squirrels are living in my roof (Unfortunately there is no attack space above this room for me to inspect). Could this be the problem? I am open to any suggestions.

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, welcome to the forum, your symptoms are strongly suggestive of allergic manifestations secondary to IgE and release of histamines. The important cause of such allergies can be seen with environmental exposure to year-round, usually indoor, allergens such as dust mites, animal dander (in your case it can be squirrels), and molds.

You need to get house maintenance to inspect the roof and need to seal the walls properly and even animal and pest control can help. It is very important to rule out the triggering factor. This avoidance of the triggering factor will free you from the allergies. Otherwise you are well aware of the symptomatic therapy. I suggest you to consult allergy specialist. Take care and regards.