I'm Going To Wear A Surgical Mask In Order To Keep My Cat!

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wombat

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Hi guys,
So basically, I suddenly developed a really bad allergy to dust and my beautiful, loving, fabulous cat. The insides of my nose swell up and I can't breathe. Basically tried everything (air purifiers, keeping my cat outside the bedroom, medication, Nasonex, etc), but I've found that the only (and I really mean the ONLY) thing that is guaranteed to work for me is wearing a surgical mask around the house and to bed. It's really effective at keeping allergens away from my nose.
Right now I'm trying to get accustomed to it and slowly becoming more comfortable wearing it around the house, and will have to do this for a couple of months at least- the long term plan is that my family (i live with my family) is going to move into two separate apartments in the same building/estate, and my sister will take my cat, so I can continue to feed him, play with him and love him. I could really use some well wishes and encouragement from you guys! It's going to take some adjusting to, but if it means I can keep him, it's worth it
 
dustydiamond1

dustydiamond1

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wombat said:
Hi guys,
So basically, I suddenly developed a really bad allergy to dust and my beautiful, loving, fabulous cat. The insides of my nose swell up and I can't breathe. Basically tried everything (air purifiers, keeping my cat outside the bedroom, medication, Nasonex, etc), but I've found that the only (and I really mean the ONLY) thing that is guaranteed to work for me is wearing a surgical mask around the house and to bed. It's really effective at keeping allergens away from my nose.
Right now I'm trying to get accustomed to it and slowly becoming more comfortable wearing it around the house, and will have to do this for a couple of months at least- the long term plan is that my family (i live with my family) is going to move into two separate apartments in the same building/estate, and my sister will take my cat, so I can continue to feed him, play with him and love him. I could really use some well wishes and encouragement from you guys! It's going to take some adjusting to, but if it means I can keep him, it's worth it
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foxxycat

foxxycat

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I used to see an allergist and they wouldn't do the shots because I was already exposed to that allergen but I wonder if it would work? I used to get allergy shots for all the rest of the stuff I was allergic to-4 groups of shots...Took about a year or two to go through the series=I still break out in sneezes but not as bad now. I hated summer as a kid-before noontime was the worse time.


I know some cats I am more allergic to. My Honeybee has super long hair and I hardly sneeze around her..pumpkin face has short hair and a TON of dander and I sneeze all the time around her-I will try that trick with the mask-I love laying my head on her-she loves it too-makes her purr super loud. I hope you can find a resolution that works for all!
 
arouetta

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I once read that over time a person will become less allergic to their personal pet, simply because exposure does the same thing as allergy shots.

I do wonder though how much of the allergy is triggered by dust, and how much by the cats? Did they test for dust mites separately, and are you allergic to those? According to allergy testing I am allergic to cats (dear god I never want allergy testing again). But I'm also allergic to many other things and in practice the fan my husband must sleep to is what wakes me up with a horrible sinus headache at 3am. When I don't deal with the fan, the cat sleeping on my pillow has a lower chance of triggering said headache and it's not as bad when he does.

The ENT I saw that figured out I had allergies praised allergy shots to the high heavens, even though I had the allergen source snoozing on the couch and under the coffee table. So other doctors may be willing to do shots. Definitely get a second opinion.
 
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