Allergy advice??

lisasha3 · Nov 13, 2006

So....just had an allergy screen done last week at my mothers office and yup...you guessed it - cat allergies. They are mild right now. For those not familiar with allergy screens - they test you at 5 different concentrations. Cat came up around the 3/4th concentration. I'm not bothered at home at all for the most part. The only thing that sets me off is if I stick my face in my little tabby's fur. But I really need to rub my face on her. that's fine for now, but I'm just wondering what people out there with cat allergies do to help keep them at bay and so they don't get worse. My mothers office recommended a few things that make sense, but one of those things was locking them out of the bedroom - which I'm not ready to do. So - looking for some suggestions. What do others do? More frequent laundering? cleaning more frequently? allergy shots? do you just live on allergy medicines?

Thanks!!

oh - and this thread appropriately follows my last one huh? (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho....php?t=105429). I have cat allergies, so what's the first thing I do? take in another cat.

Which I don't dare tell my mom about. She's not a big cat fan any more and her reaction to every problem is - it must be the cats. You have to get rid of the cats. Ummmm...NO.....not gonna happen.

natalie_ca · Nov 13, 2006

Were you tested for anything other than cat allergies?

The reason I ask is because allergy testing is not always accurate.

Back in the mid 90's I went and had testing for allergies and the doctor I went to asked me while he was testing on my back if I was a vegetarian and I said "no". He said I should be.

When he was done he handed me a prescription page full of foods/things that I was allergic too, and it covered both sides of the page.

Beef, chicken, port, fish, seafood, rice, carrots, celery, onions, milk, wheat, mushrooms, etc. etc. etc.

A dietician that I went to see told me that list is absurd and to "drink water and breathe air", because there weren't very many foods not on the list that I could have!

Back in 1999 I went to see another allergist on the advice of the doctor in the occupational health office at work. According to this new allergist I have what is called "Dermatographism", where lightly scratching the skin causes hives to form on my skin.

So it stands to reason that when the other guy was pricking my skin with a needle he was irritating it and causing the hives to appear, and that it wasn't the substance he was testing that I was allergic to at all!

After that incident I don't put a whole lot of faith in allergy testing.

blueyedgirl5946 · Nov 13, 2006

My husband is allergic to our cats. At first, we only had one inside cat. We added another one and he began having problems. It took us a long time to figure it out because his mother had just died. We thought he had a cold that wouldn't go away. He was so depressed over his mother's death, we just blamed it on his immune system. When we figured out what it was, we banished the cats to sleep elsewhere at night. He tried allergy meds, and room ionizers and special air conditioner filters. We finally had to install a pet fence in system on our fence and put the cats outside. Since then he takes no meds and the cats have adjusted well. They are confined and no other animals can get where they are. In fact, now they would be miserable if they had to live inside all the time. It is the only thing that worked for my husband. I hope you find a solution. The allergy is here to stay.

lisasha3 · Nov 13, 2006

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Were you tested for anything other than cat allergies?

The reason I ask is because allergy testing is not always accurate.

Back in the mid 90's I went and had testing for allergies and the doctor I went to asked me while he was testing on my back if I was a vegetarian and I said "no". He said I should be.

When he was done he handed me a prescription page full of foods/things that I was allergic too, and it covered both sides of the page.

Beef, chicken, port, fish, seafood, rice, carrots, celery, onions, milk, wheat, mushrooms, etc. etc. etc.

A dietician that I went to see told me that list is absurd and to "drink water and breathe air", because there weren't very many foods not on the list that I could have!

Back in 1999 I went to see another allergist on the advice of the doctor in the occupational health office at work. According to this new allergist I have what is called "Dermatographism", where lightly scratching the skin causes hives to form on my skin.

So it stands to reason that when the other guy was pricking my skin with a needle he was irritating it and causing the hives to appear, and that it wasn't the substance he was testing that I was allergic to at all!

After that incident I don't put a whole lot of faith in allergy testing.

Yes I was tested for many other items as well and I'm with you about not putting "alot" of faith in it. I had one done back in 87' and things have changed alot since then, I'll give them that much, but it still isn't 100%. Thing is, my allergies that popped up immediately in the screening (on the second dose) were in fact allergies I knew I had and were very bad. The ones that popped up later on I don't put much faith in because none of them have bothered me. But - with that said - I do unfortunately notice a reaction when I stick my face near my little tabby girl. At this point in time, I have to really touch her to get a reaction (meaning I really need to get the dander on my face to have problem). I guess what I'm looking to do is to take the right steps so my allergies don't get worse. Allergies can over time get worse and it would break my heart if I developed real problems to my cats. I'd like to take some steps now that people use to assure they don't get worse.

gailc · Nov 13, 2006

I thought on another TCS forum it mentioned wiping your cats down daily removes lots of the dander.

lisasha3 · Nov 13, 2006

Originally Posted by GailC

I thought on another TCS forum it mentioned wiping your cats down daily removes lots of the dander.

really? I'll have to do some searching. Maybe there's another post about this somewhere that I missed.
Thanks!

gingersmom · Nov 13, 2006

My mom is allergic and has two cats. She keeps them out of her bedroom at all times, and this is the ONLY way that she is able to keep them in the house.

She can't have them in her lap for longer than a minute or two, and also keeps them out of the clean clothing.

She CAN pet them a little bit, as long as she doesn't rub her eyes afterward.

So it is possible!

neetanddave · Nov 13, 2006

Pffft. I just take a Benadryl and get on with mine. No sneezing will get me to get rid of my fluffalorium.

Allergy advice??

lisasha3

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natalie_ca

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blueyedgirl5946

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lisasha3

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gailc

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lisasha3

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gingersmom

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neetanddave

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