While allergy shots won't cure my asthma, I am using this treatment to help me manage my asthma symptoms. Keep reading to discover more about my experience with allergy shots.
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Two months ago, I had allergy testing done and that doctor's appointment helped me to make the decision to start an allergy shot treatment plan. The reason for my allergy testing was a food allergy scare that I had several months ago. The dairy allergy, that I had discovered through an at-home food allergy blood test and through an elimination diet, became life-threatening. After having an anaphylaxis reaction to dipping my hands in milk, I had to see an allergist.
It was after that scary food allergy episode that affected my asthma, I realized that I could no longer manage asthma symptoms naturally. I needed emergency asthma medications and had to have allergy testing. The allergy testing revealed that I was severely allergic to almost every native weed and several other plants. These seasonal allergens were affecting my asthma. The doctor told me if I don't get my asthma under control, I could have COPD later in life. The allergy doctor gave me a couple treatment options and one of them was allergy shots.
Since I have been dealing with seasonal allergies for over 20 years and my out-of-control asthma for many years, this natural form of treatment called allergy shots, was an option that I needed to try. While the allergy shots would not help my food allergies, they would help with my seasonal allergic asthma symptoms. As the doctor explained, it would take a layer of inflammation off of my lungs and may help lessen my food allergy reactions.
What are allergy shots?
Below is information that I found on the Mayo Clinic Website about allergy shots. Basically, allergy shots are a treatment to get your body used to the allergies that are causing your body problems. So that your allergy symptoms will go away.
Allergy shots are regular injections over a period of time — generally around three to five years — to stop or reduce allergy attacks. Allergy shots are a form of treatment called immunotherapy. Each allergy shot contains a tiny amount of the specific substance or substances that trigger your allergic reactions. These are called allergens. Allergy shots contain just enough allergens to stimulate your immune system but not enough to cause a full-blown allergic reaction. Over time, your doctor increases the dose of allergens in each of your allergy shots. This helps get your body used to the allergens (desensitization). Your immune system builds up a tolerance to the allergens, causing your allergy symptoms to diminish over time.
So I am starting a 4-year allergy shot treatment plan in hopes that my seasonal allergies will diminish. The first 6 months of the treatment for allergy shots may be difficult and I may have some allergy reactions. I am not really sure how my body is going to react to the allergy shots but I know, in the long run, it will be good for my overall health. The allergy shots are part of my natural lung healing treatment plan.
The next 4 years will be a learning experience for me as I receive the allergy shots. The allergist created an immunotherapy treatment plan that will be best for my body. Since I have many things that I am allergic to, I will be receiving 4 shots at each visit. Each shot will contain different allergens that I am allergic to. I will be receiving the shots for allergy immunotherapy every two weeks for about 6 months for the build-up phase. Then I will receive the shots of allergens once a month for about 4 years for the maintenance phase. The allergy shots will be injected into my upper arm.
To be effective, allergy shots are given on a schedule that involves two phases:
- The buildup phase generally takes three to six months. Typically shots are given one to three times a week. During the buildup phase, the allergen dose is gradually increased with each shot.
- The maintenance phase generally continues for three to five years or longer. You'll need maintenance shots about once a month.
BEAM Minerals Supplement will help my body cells
The allergy shots will come with some side effects and some risks. The doctor has informed me that the side effects could be like my typical seasonal allergy symptoms. The doctor said taking an antihistamine medication before getting my allergy shot can reduce the risk of a reaction. There may also be some more severe reactions to the allergy shot treatment. So I will have to stay at the doctor's for 30 minutes after I get the allergy injections. If I do have a reaction, the doctor's facility will have the medicines to help me but again these risks are rare. Below are the risks that may occur.
- Local reactions, can involve redness, swelling, or irritation at the injection site. These common reactions typically begin within a few hours of the injection and clear up soon after.
- Systemic reactions, which are less common — but potentially more serious. You may develop sneezing, nasal congestion, or hives. More-severe reactions may include throat swelling, wheezing, or chest tightness.
- Anaphylaxis is a rare life-threatening reaction to allergy shots. It can cause low blood pressure and trouble breathing. Anaphylaxis often begins within 30 minutes of the injection, but sometimes starts later than that.
So I am doing several things to best prepare my body for the allergy shots. I have decided to do my exercise indoors on my elliptical, that way I minimize my exposure to the outdoor allergens which are also asthma triggers. I also have been being very careful with my diet. I have been focusing on not only eating a healthy diet but also staying away from my food allergies. That way my body is better prepared for the allergy treatment effects. I have also started taking BEAM Mineral Supplements.
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These plant-based minerals will also better prepare my body for allergy shots and help my body recover after the allergy shot treatments. BEAM Minerals are a unique supplement that aids body cells. Your body has 37 trillion cells and every single cell needs minerals to function. BEAM Minerals help your body cells perform better. Read more about BEAM Minerals HERE.
Join me on my journey with allergy shots
I will be documenting my experience with allergy shots on Mom Knows Best and on my social media channels. This experience will be all new to me so I am not sure how my body will react. I will be talking about the good and the bad of receiving allergy shots. Since I will be receiving the shots every two weeks, I may do some mini-posts after every allergy shot doctor appointment or I may do a post once a month. It all depends on my time and what I am experiencing.
When I was deciding on if allergy shots were right for me and if allergy shots could help my asthma, I found very little information from other patients. I had so many unanswered questions about receiving the allergen shots. So I knew that I needed to help others with my experience with receiving allergy shots. I remembered many years ago when my youngest son was going to have surgery for tonsil removal and not finding answers to my questions. I wrote about my son's tonsillectomy HERE. This information has helped many other parents with their questions about Tonsillectomy procedures and recovery. I look at my writing as the power of one. If I only have helped one person, then I have done my job.
UPDATE: Check out my first allergy shot appointment experience here and the side effects that I experienced
UPDATE: Do Allergy Shots Work? ~ My Personal Experience
What questions do you have about allergy shots?
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13 comments:
I hope your allergy shots treatment is successful! A good friend of mine has seasonal allergies and she suffers so much when the pollen is abundant!
I hope the shots help you! I get allergies and I hate having a constant runny nose.
I have never heard of this. My allergies are seasonal and pollen/mold related so I don't think I would try this treatment, but I hope it works out for you!
I am eagerly waiting to see how these help you. What a novel idea.
Thanks for sharing this. How often do you have to get allergy shots?
That had to be so scary. I take it that you weren't allergic to milk before? I am allergic to cinnamon. Sometimes I don't realize it is in something which can be surprising after eating it and then realizing it was in there. I hope your treatments works for you and you find relief soon.
wow! I've never heard about allergy shots but it sounds to be an awesome way to get used to allergies.
I knew that I was allergic to milk but it just caused asthma symptoms. My hands were burning so bad that I thought I would be ok dipping them in milk. Now I wear gloves if I am touching any dairy products.
Twice a month for six months and then once a month for 4 years
I didn't know they had shots! I hope they help you! My son has allergies and now I'm curious about these.
This is super intersting and will have to share this post with my boirther as he too has asthma ;) Thank you for sharing and love your blog!
My son has allergies and they told him he's going to need shots. I didn't think that was right, so I got the heavy perfumed bathroom items out of the house and he cleared right up. His instant allergies, that the dr. said needed shots were gone as fast as they came. Thank goodness. Explore all potential problems first.
Gosh, that's so scary! I hope this allergy shots treatment helps you. I need to share this with my bestie who is allergic to milk.
Everything Enchanting ❤️
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