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allergy mystery
I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? My question to rabbit owners is: is all hay a problem for those with confirmed weed skin test allergies, or does pure Timothy work for you (assuming you test negative to grass allergies)? Background for those interested: I'm presently trying to figure out why someone who's lived with me for over year now (6 months of which with no allergy or asthmas symptoms at all) has only recently developed allergy symptoms in the house as well as a reemergence of asthma that had been dormant and non-problematic for about 6 years. As for environmental changes in the household over that year: -The onset of symptoms also roughly corresponds to the time some new hay (for house rabbits I've had the whole time) was brought into the house that contained ragweed. Which makes sense, as her only confirmed allergy from a skin test is to weeds. -The onset of symptoms started when the kitten we adopted was about 8 months old, with several months of new kitty in a problem free setting. She's never shown sensitivity to any other cats. She's tested negative to cat allergy. The cat has never been outside. When the weed allergy test came back positive, we were relieved that the newish kitty appeared to be off the hook. These surprising test result prompted me to scrutinize the new hay, and when I found ragweed in the stuff, I thought I had the mystery solved. I removed that hay from the house entirely, and everything in that floor where the hay/rabbits are was vacuumed 3x with a filtered vacuum, completely cleaned out the shopvac and replaced the filter with anew one, dusted and wiped walls like mad. Also about the same time, ragweed season ended here according the allergist. Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common. Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house. I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ |
#2
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Rabbits & birds don't bother me at all. Cats are death. I go into shock!
When I was a kid, I had no allergies. They developed after I took up bike racing, and never went away. Pumpkin seeds cause my throat to close up. Almost died there too. Pumpkin pie? Delicious! My favorite. Go figure. Todd H. wrote: I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? My question to rabbit owners is: is all hay a problem for those with confirmed weed skin test allergies, or does pure Timothy work for you (assuming you test negative to grass allergies)? Background for those interested: I'm presently trying to figure out why someone who's lived with me for over year now (6 months of which with no allergy or asthmas symptoms at all) has only recently developed allergy symptoms in the house as well as a reemergence of asthma that had been dormant and non-problematic for about 6 years. As for environmental changes in the household over that year: -The onset of symptoms also roughly corresponds to the time some new hay (for house rabbits I've had the whole time) was brought into the house that contained ragweed. Which makes sense, as her only confirmed allergy from a skin test is to weeds. -The onset of symptoms started when the kitten we adopted was about 8 months old, with several months of new kitty in a problem free setting. She's never shown sensitivity to any other cats. She's tested negative to cat allergy. The cat has never been outside. When the weed allergy test came back positive, we were relieved that the newish kitty appeared to be off the hook. These surprising test result prompted me to scrutinize the new hay, and when I found ragweed in the stuff, I thought I had the mystery solved. I removed that hay from the house entirely, and everything in that floor where the hay/rabbits are was vacuumed 3x with a filtered vacuum, completely cleaned out the shopvac and replaced the filter with anew one, dusted and wiped walls like mad. Also about the same time, ragweed season ended here according the allergist. Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common. Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house. I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ -- 8-) Professor :-P Merlin & ;-) The Jump |
#3
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"Todd H." wrote in message ... I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? [...] After reading your post, I wonder about a few things. 1. How recently was the allergy test done? It is really common for someone who is allergic to one thing to become allergic to several more over time. Did he test the person for dust and mold? Some allergists don't. 2. What do you feed your cat? 3. What do you do for a living, and what does the allergy sufferer do? 4. Where do you live and what is the vegetation like around your house? 6. How old is the house and what sort of ventilation system do you have? Central air, gas heat, etc? (Depending on how long you had the hay products in the house and how often you clean, the stuff might still be around. Old houses have more cracks and crannies where things can lurk, too.) Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. This is the part that gets me. Could he/she be parking near some vegetation she is allergic to, or walking through it on the way to the house? Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common. Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house. I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. No, the cat is not the source of the allergy if your friend had a skin test that tested negative for cat and the cat does not go outside. Incidentally I AM allergic to cats--my strongest allergy, as far as the skin test indicated--and I live with two. Like your friend, I use Clarinex (actually in my case Claritin) and like your friend I have developed asthma and use Advair twice a day. I do not suffer at all as long as I take my medicine, though I know everyone is different. It really sounds like your friend may be allergic to dust or mold. |
#4
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With inimitable style, Todd H. posted:
I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? Hi Todd - as we've discussed - I'm allergic to most things - but only negligibly to cats (of which I have two). Was a surprise for me as we had cats and if I played with them (touching) I DID get itchy sneezy eyes. I was diagnosed with "hay fever" as a little kid. Suffered for years during ragweed season -- as an adult I would miss work on really bad days over a 3-5 week period twice a year. I moved to shots for years and then just quit when claritin etc came out and started using it and flonase (nasal corticosteroid) seasonally. It worked fine for the seasonal stuff. My personal observation is, when I've become allergy sensitive for some reason (season, exposure, whatever) - it seems like even things I'm only SLIGHTLY allergic to set me off or add to the problem for a period afterwards. I'm wondering if the animals/hay sensitized your gf to the seasonal ragweed...and perhaps now, coming off the ragweed season, your gf is still sensitive to the animals and perhaps microscopic ragweed pieces in the air? Is she any better in the room with the hepa filter or no difference? Good changing the filter on a/c...perhaps should have the ductwork cleaned? Carpets cleaned? I told you earlier, I was having some allergy problems when I'd come home and figured hay/rabbits in the bedroom were the culprit. Hadn't thought about it, but I'm not so much now...and nothing has changed in the house. I wonder if perhaps whatever was in the air has abated with the cooler weather and so, I'm less sensitive overall now, so the critters/hay aren't setting me off... The other thing is, allergy symptoms can emerge over time after exposure to an allergen. Your gf may be allergic to hay/kitty but it's just taken this long for the sensitivity to build to the level where she is no longer tolerant. :-( I hope you sort it out. Allergies are miserable stuff, and it can be a real needle in the haystack sort of search. Sympathies! Laurie |
#5
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I'm allergic to all my pets. When symptoms strike, they are very difficult
to beat back down again. By then my body has built up a high level of histamines. As they slowly work their way out of my system, it only takes a small amount of allergens to push me back over the symptom threshold. Antihistamines are good for preventing the build up of histamines, but are not so hot for getting rid of them once you already have them. You need to take the antihistamines at the first hint of trouble and keep taking them for a while even if you seem to be better right away. It will take a while for your girlfriend to eliminate enough of the histamines so that she won't be so easily knocked over tha threshhold. To speed it up, try to avoid as many allergens as possible. Most people are allergic to a number of things, some more severely than others. The effects are additive, so you should try to eliminate every other allergen possible. I had a slight response to feathers, so the feather pillows went bye-bye. I had a strong response to dust mites, so the bedroom carpet got ripped out. The bedroom door is kept shut, and the room has allergy filters on the incoming air registers and an air purifier. This gives me 8 relatively allergen-free hours per day. It's enough to keep me symptom free most of the time. For me, getting rid of the pets isn't an option. I'd get allergy shots if I had to. OTOH, I don't have asthma, which I understand can be scary serious. -- Sue, Flurry, and Max http://home.nycap.rr.com/safrench/ replace x with sc to reply "Todd H." wrote in message ... I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? My question to rabbit owners is: is all hay a problem for those with confirmed weed skin test allergies, or does pure Timothy work for you (assuming you test negative to grass allergies)? Background for those interested: I'm presently trying to figure out why someone who's lived with me for over year now (6 months of which with no allergy or asthmas symptoms at all) has only recently developed allergy symptoms in the house as well as a reemergence of asthma that had been dormant and non-problematic for about 6 years. As for environmental changes in the household over that year: -The onset of symptoms also roughly corresponds to the time some new hay (for house rabbits I've had the whole time) was brought into the house that contained ragweed. Which makes sense, as her only confirmed allergy from a skin test is to weeds. -The onset of symptoms started when the kitten we adopted was about 8 months old, with several months of new kitty in a problem free setting. She's never shown sensitivity to any other cats. She's tested negative to cat allergy. The cat has never been outside. When the weed allergy test came back positive, we were relieved that the newish kitty appeared to be off the hook. These surprising test result prompted me to scrutinize the new hay, and when I found ragweed in the stuff, I thought I had the mystery solved. I removed that hay from the house entirely, and everything in that floor where the hay/rabbits are was vacuumed 3x with a filtered vacuum, completely cleaned out the shopvac and replaced the filter with anew one, dusted and wiped walls like mad. Also about the same time, ragweed season ended here according the allergist. Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common. Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house. I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ |
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On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 13:00:53 GMT, Professor wrote:
Rabbits & birds don't bother me at all. Cats are death. I go into shock! When I was a kid, I had no allergies. They developed after I took up bike racing, and never went away. Pumpkin seeds cause my throat to close up. Almost died there too. Pumpkin pie? Delicious! My favorite. Go figure. i like almond butter. i have a can of organic almond butter that i mix with preserves and smear on bread and eat. on day i come home and see that about 1/3 of it is gone. my b/f was hungry and ate it. for the rest of the day he complaining of itchy feeling in his throat and had all the symptoms of an allergy attack. at least his throat didn't swell and he didn't suffocate! -L |
#7
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"Mary" writes:
"Todd H." wrote in message ... I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets. My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? [...] After reading your post, I wonder about a few things. 1. How recently was the allergy test done? It is really common for someone who is allergic to one thing to become allergic to several more over time. Did he test the person for dust and mold? Some allergists don't. The allergy skin test was done about 3 weeks ago. Negative to molds, dust mit, grass, cat, house dust, dog, trees, feathers. Positive skin test only to weeds. 2. What do you feed your cat? We're about 1 bag into Purina Cat chow, a recent switched from Science Diet Kitten food now that he's putting on some fat and is essentially full grown. I've seen low allergen type foods but am skeptical as to whether it's just marketing or if it actually does something? And now that you mention it, I'm pondering whether there's a timing correlation to the food switch at all, or if it's just perhaps coincidence. 3. What do you do for a living, and what does the allergy sufferer do? We both work at home doing computer stuff. 4. Where do you live and what is the vegetation like around your house? Single family home, Chicagoland, suburbs. Leaves have almost all fallen here. 6. How old is the house and what sort of ventilation system do you have? Central air, gas heat, etc? (Depending on how long you had the hay products in the house and how often you clean, the stuff might still be around. Old houses have more cracks and crannies where things can lurk, too.) It's a 30 year old 2-story with forced air gas heat, and regular filter changes. Ducts have never been cleaned or sanitized, but I've also read that that sort of thing may not help allergies as much as those providing the service would make you think? Or is there actual value to that? The carpet that's left in the house in the basement and the master bedroom is in need of replacement, but none of it's ever been wet or anything. Hardwood everywhere else. Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. This is the part that gets me. Could he/she be parking near some vegetation she is allergic to, or walking through it on the way to the house? Yeah, it gets me too. :-) About 15 feet of concrete sidewalk lined by grass and a flower bed of some perennial bushes, and now dead annuals separate the driveway from the front door. If you go in through the garage door, it's nothing but concrete. Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common. Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house. I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. No, the cat is not the source of the allergy if your friend had a skin test that tested negative for cat and the cat does not go outside. Incidentally I AM allergic to cats--my strongest allergy, as far as the skin test indicated--and I live with two. Like your friend, I use Clarinex (actually in my case Claritin) and like your friend I have developed asthma and use Advair twice a day. I do not suffer at all as long as I take my medicine, though I know everyone is different. It really sounds like your friend may be allergic to dust or mold. The mystery continues as she's been tested for those as well, so I guess the cat is equal game for blame as the dust and mold. The finished basement (which features the cats quarters, the bunnies, the hay, and is carpeted) is where she is most sensitive. Laurie's mention of sensitization currently makes the most sense here--perhaps her sensitization due to the now-past ragweed season is lingering on. Hrmm. And more interesting is today's experiment whereby young kitty has been confined to one room downstairs for the day. Oddly, this seems to have helped a great deal, even without medicine. Neither of us wanna give him up, but it looks like a test of having him stay with a friend for a few days might be in the cards, and I've got a suspicion we might need to find a new home for him. :-\ Which of course stinks as he's quite cute (though no longer this small/cute): http://toddh.net/photo/tigger.jpg Thanks to all who've shared their experiences, and all who might still. It's a head scratcher. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ |
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My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies,
yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems? I'd say yes. I had a boyfriend with bad allergies and asthma. I got rid of all carpeting, all drapes, all fabric furniture, put in wood/tile/linoelum, vertical vinyl blinds, leather/wood furniture. I would light mop instead of sweep vaccuum so it wouldn't get kicked up in the air. I had three cats. I wiped them down with moist wash cloth before boyfriend came over. I wouldn't let them in the bedroom or on the couch where he sat. He was fine for months until one night he was miserable. The next morning I found cat fur all over the pillow he slept on. Seems kitty snuck in there. I washed everything and he was fine again. Another time he was sick again. Then I saw that the cat laid on a sweater that I had drying then I put the sweater on. Also, keep your windows shut and use an air purifier. Never open the window. Wipe down furniture instead of dusting so you don't kick it up. Generally if people are allergic to one thing, they can also be sensitive to mold, mildew, dust, dander, pollen... |
#10
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Karen Chuplis writes:
Gosh what a cute pic. Did you give him a bath? In case some of the ragweed is stuck in his fur and triggering it? We haven't fully bathed him, but have wiped him down with some of that anti-dander or some such solution that's supposed to help. The ongoing experiment of today of keeping him confined and out of the rest of the house is going well.... my gf hasn't even taken any meds today and is doing very well. So, perhaps this whole histamine level, sensization, and removing her from all allergens possible for a time is paying some dividends. We shall see. We just got our first frost here which should really put the nail in the coffin of the outdoor allergens. We shall see how this progresses! Tigger appreciates the kind words on his cute pic. That was his first day home, and he was bathed by the shelter the day before--we saw him when he was in the drying cage and he looked like a drowned rat. :-) The next day we took him home and snapped that photo of him at peak fluffiness. Poor guy was a mess though--took him straight to the vet from the shelter to deal with respiratory issues and worms and such. Sometimes you really do rescue them from the shelter! Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ |
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