Tried everything, still terrible allergies

[lecorbeau5]

Hi All,

I am not sure what to do anymore. I've moved to a foreign country and I have had terrible reactions to what I assume are airborne allergies since March. My eyes are VERY red and stingy almost all day + recurring runny nose. The nose is better after some sprays I got, but my eyes get so red and bothersome that it has affected my social life---I literally just don't want to go outside anymore! In the last few months I've been prescribed Aerius, Telfast + Allegra, Tafen, Claritine, Xyzal, etc. but my allergies are still raging.

What do you recommend?

Also, I will be spending all summer on an Mediterranean island (with a dry climate). Will my allergies improve at all? Thanks!

[bsmsl]

It is possible to be allergic to the pollen and not the grain or fruit.  I can eat pork with no problems.  If I am anywhere near a hog or pig I will get quite ill with respiratory symptoms.  No pot bellied pig pets for us.

However, some people do have cross reactions with the pollen and grain/fruit/edible parts of a plant.  Ragweed is cross reactive with chamomille, cucumbers,and a few other things I can't think of right now.  Someone allergic to ragweed who drinks chamomille tea could havea serious problem.

God bless.

[lecorbeau5]

haha, it censored P R I C K test

[lecorbeau5]

Took the ***** test, and it turns out I'm highly allergic to ryegrass, and moderately allergic to wheatgrass, olive trees, the common weed plantago major, and corn.

But this all strikes me as odd because I REGULARLY consume rye bread, wheat-based breads and beer, olives, and corn to no effect. My doctor seemed to suggest that I was only susceptible to it when it was an airborne allergen.

Your thoughts?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Actually the only treatment of allergy is avoiding the cause and anti-allergics. You need to consult an allergy specialist and run the RAST test or a skin test to diagnose the cause. Then possibly avoiding the cause could help.
If you are living in a hot and humid climate check for mold in your house and work environment. Often mold spores are the culprit.
Yes, moving to a Mediterranean island may help if the allergens are not found in that area. If you benefit by going there for a month, then definitely there is something in your area that’s not suiting you—pollen, spores, animal dander etc are common causes.
Consult an allergy specialist. Take care!

[bsmsl]

Hello and welcome to the community.

So sorry you are feeling so badly.

I would start with a sinus rinse and eye wash.  For the sinus rinse, I prefer a rinse bottle, but I don't know if you will be able to find one there.  A netti pot will work.  I use contact lens saline solution in an antique eye wash cup to wash my eyes.  I usually follow that with a good OTC antihistamine eye drop.  I like Zaditor.  

You may benefit from seeing a doctor and getting a nasal steroid spray and nasal antihistamine spray.  Those really help my nasal allergy symptoms.  Also, there is an OTC nasal spray here called NasalCrom.  It contains cromolyn which is a mast cell stabilizer.  Basically it stops the allergic reaction at the source, the nose.  It has to be used every four hours though.

My personal experience is that I would feel better on the island - fewer pollens to contend with.  I feel amazingly great on cruises, but they have no plants.  Everyone is different though.  You may find that the dry climate is just as irritating.

I hope that helps you some.

Keep us posted and have a great holiday.
Take care and God bless.