strange dust allergy

[kazak]

hello, im 20 year old male and have had a dust allergy since childhood, however over the last two years it has got dramatically worse, now whenever im exposed to a very small amount of dust(vaccuming,looking for items in basement, reading an old library book), i become sick for three or four days after exposure, headaches, nausea, skin sensivity(particularly around face/cheek), hot flushes, neck shivers, cold chills, and altered sleep pattern. In  the past if i inhaled dust i would sneeze and feel better, but now i dont even get the urge to sneeze and these symptoms listed above last for days on end after inhaling and make me feel unwell, it seems crazy but i cant research certain books in college library because they make me sick or if my mom asks me to get something for her in attic i normally make excuses beacuse if i tell her it will make me sick she thinks im insane , its the same with doctors with or anybody i talk to dont really understand these symptoms im getting.

     does anyone else ever get these type of symptoms after small dust exposure which last for this long?

[kazak]

thanks for that, it is the first decent answer that ive got after two years of wondering what is going on in my body....ive never met anyone who reacts so extremely to small bits of house dust as much as i do... i will go to gp and find out more about the condition you have mentioned

kind regards

[caregiver222]

This is an auto-immune disease, and basically, your lungs are extremely sensitive to the presence of antigens (non-self substances).

What has happen in your case is common. With additional exposures, the body becomes more and more sensitive to the antigen, and the attacks become progresively worse. It is quite possible that on another exposure you could develop what is called anaphalectic shock. You want this condition like you want a hole-in-the-head.

With prompt action (an epi-pen, prednisone and an inhaler) you will recover. The problem is that when these reactions take place it's like "falling off a cliff". Things go downhill very rapidly. You have all the flags predicting the possibility of such a reaction.

The very FIRST thing you have to do is to have your family physician prescribe an emergency albuterol inhaler. And an "epi-pen". While you have not as yet had a life-threatening attack, the next time you are exposed the situation could deteriorate. These inhalers contain albuterol sulfate and range in price from $9 at Wal-Mart to $60. Carry this with you at ALL TIMES. Most asthmatic deaths occur in people like yourself, who don't have a diagnosis, and are not prepared for an emergency.

You need to tell your mom you are not a hypochondriac and this is a potentially life-threatening situation.

You also might have the physician prescribe an emergency supply of prednisone, in 10mg tablets. You can break them in two parts, of 5 mg each. The general idea is to massively fo after an attack with as much as 30mg the first day, then taper off, 10 mg a day to 20, then 5mg for the last two days.

There are also emergency steroidal inhalers, that you use to ingest a small amount of a steroid.

Antihistamines are also sometimes helpful.

You would benefit from an appointment with an allergist. There are exceptions, but GP's are generally beyond their pay grades in evaluating these conditons.

Do not, under any circumstances do any vacuuming. Let other's do that.

Your home appears to be toxic, and it is very difficult to detoxify a house.

If you are in any area where there is dust, in an emergency, wear a mask. A true HEPA mask is very uncomfortable to wear. You shouldn't be in any areas where you require a mask, period.

You should consider taking all rugs from your bedroom, throwing out the pillows and replacing them sith special non-allergenic pillows, getting a nee mattress, and repaining the walls, ceiling and floor.

Stay out of the attic.

Sometimes, people grow out of these allergies, so you cannot assume it will go on forever. Sometimes they don't.

Avoiding situations where you encounter dust is essential.

But do go to a physician and obtain the emergency supplies I suggested.

[Dr J Singh]

Hi,

You seem to be allergic to the dust mites and remember this exposure and allergy to dust mites is much more in the clean environs of home compared to the polluted atmosphere outside your home. I will suggest the following measures:

a) Open your windows every day to air out your house, especially the bedroom. Pull back your covers before you do this. Dust mites need humidity to survive and this will dry them out.

b) Regularly vacuum your soft furnishings and carpet using a hepa-filter vacuum cleaner
Have your Mattress and carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year. Use a cleaning company that is licensed to use dust mite eradication products.

c) Those who are allergic to dust mites are allergic to pollen also. When you are outside in the market, I’ll suggest you to use masks which are used for the pollen allergies.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted. Warm Regards.