If you are considering allergy shots as a treatment for your seasonal allergies and other airborne allergens, then you are at the right place. A year ago I started allergy shots and it has been quite the learning experience. Keep reading to discover my experience with allergy shots.
It was sixteen months ago, that I had a severe dairy allergy reaction that left me struggling to breathe. It was a scary experience that even my husband did not know how to handle. That was the wake-up call that made me realize that I could not manage my food allergies and asthma on my own. So I made an appointment to see an allergy specialist.
When I made the doctor appointment to see an allergy doctor, I also made an appointment to get allergy testing and an asthma breathing test. At the allergy testing place, I did a breathing test and then allergy testing. The allergy testing was done on my back with the nurse poking my back with serums of all different allergens. From pets to plants to grass, trees, weeds, mold, dust, and food, these were all placed into my skin. When the testing was done, the nurse said my back was angry. All I want to do was itch my back.
Then the doctor went over my allergy and asthma history and the results of my tests. The doctor showed me all the things that I was allergic to. I was allergic to almost every weed, grass, tree, and plant in New Mexico. I was also allergic to dust, cats, dogs, cockroaches, mouse urine, and wheat. The milk and soy allergies that I discovered through a food allergy blood test, did not show up on the testing as I had not consumed those for 3 years. Strangely, the mold that I have been allergic to my whole life, did not show up on the testing. After telling the doctor about having mold in my house 4 months ago, she said that my body may be overloaded with mold sickness and that can cause it not to show up on tests.
The allergy and asthma doctor gave me the bad news
The doctor told me that my asthma was out of control and I needed to get it in control or I would have COPD later in life. The doctor wanted to prescribe asthma medications but I was reluctant to take prescription medicine for asthma as I did not want to experience the side effects. I had been managing my asthma symptoms naturally for several years with good success with natural asthma treatments. I tried my son's asthma inhaler many years ago but it did not open my airway. This natural breathing inhaler works best when I am having an asthma attack.
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The doctor suggested allergy shots
The doctor then told me about allergy shots as a treatment for asthma. The allergy shots would help with my seasonal allergic asthma symptoms. As the doctor explained, it would take a layer of inflammation off of my lungs. That would help with my asthma.
Unfortunately, there was no treatment option for my food allergies but decreasing inflammation of my lungs could help with the asthma symptoms from my food allergy reactions. The doctor prescribed an epi-pen for my food allergies. Thankfully, I have never had to use an epi-pen.
While I have had several accidental ingestions of my food allergies, a double dose of Benadryl has helped. I have learned the symptoms of a food allergy attack ~ coughing, mucus overload, and my voice changing ~ to administer Benadryl. If I am going somewhere to eat, I bring my emergency food allergy medicine kit with me.
My emergency food allergy medicine kit contains
~ 2 epi-pens
~ Clearlungs
~ Benadryl
~ Claritin
~ Olbas Inhaler
~ Olbas Lozenges
~ Nasacort Spray
~ Portable Nebulizer when traveling
My experience with allergy shots
I did not say yes to allergy shots at my first doctor's appointment for allergies as I had to do some research first. I wanted to hear about other people's experiences with allergy shots. While I found plenty of medical information about allergy shots, I found very few people experience info related to allergy shots.
The medical sites said that allergy shots are safe and listed the side effects of allergy shot treatments. I also read that a rare side effect of allergy shots was anaphylaxis and possible death. That right there scared me but my husband reassured me that the allergy place would have the medicines to handle that.
Allergy shots update after a year
I have completed a year of allergy shots and it has been a wild ride. I like to compare the side effects of allergy shots to a roller coaster. The allergens of the allergy shots are injected into your body and you have side effects like an allergy attack as your body gets used to the allergens. Every day the side effects get better and eventually go away. Then you get your next treatment and it starts over again. That is my life right now!
Allergy shots have 2 phases, the build-up phase, and the maintenance phase. I am still in the build-up phase of allergy shots. While most people can complete the build-up treatment part of allergy shots in 6 months, my severe asthma made the doctor select a year build-up. I still have a couple more months due to some side effects that I experienced from the shots.
While the side effects were not life-threatening to me, they were bothersome. I have experienced itchiness in my arm, a sore arm, and asthma breathing issues. It took me a while to learn what to do and not do on the day of my allergy shot appointment The day of my allergy shot and the day after are always tough for me. Check out Allergy Shots Tips For Fewer Side Effects to learn more.
I had to stop eating wheat
A month ago, I had to stop eating wheat. As the levels of my allergy shots go up, it can be compared to being exposed more to the items that I am allergic to and this can cause my body, especially my lungs to be more inflamed. Last month, I noticed that an hour after I ate something with wheat in it, my asthmatic cough would start. It was on Christmas, after I ate a meatless roast made from wheat, that I had a bad asthma attack. Thankfully Benadryl calmed it down. So now wheat has been added to my food allergies.
While wheat showed up on my allergy shot panel a year ago, it never bothered me. The doctor said it may be a temporary allergy and I am hoping that I will be able to eat wheat again in a couple of months when my build-up phase is done. So now my food allergies include dairy, soy, mushrooms, and wheat. Eating out at restaurants is a challenge.
Do I recommend Allergy Shots?
So the question is do I recommend allergy shots? The answer is yes! While the allergy shots have been hard for me due to my asthma, I have been seeing improvements in my health. I am able to recover faster from an asthma attack and some airborne allergens don't bother me as much. I used to not be able to be in the same room with someone wearing a chemical fragrance without having an asthma attack but now I can be near them for a couple of minutes.
I am also able to do intense exercise. A couple of months ago exercise was hard and I had to take lots of breaks but now I am able to run on the treadmill for 2 minutes at a fast speed. The exercise is helping my lungs get stronger. I know exercising with asthma sounds strange but exercise is good for those with asthma. These Ten Tips For Exercising With Asthma sure do help.
My son is also receiving allergy shots and the only side effects he has had is the typical seasonal allergy symptoms like sneezing, sinus congestion, and a runny nose. The goal of the allergy shots is to get the body to tolerate the allergens and eventually not be allergic to them. That can happen after the build-up phase. So I will update you on that in a couple of months.
Products that I recommend for those with allergies and asthma
As a person who has been dealing with allergies and asthma for way too many years, I have tips and products that have helped me and I love recommending them to others. I have made many improvements in my home over the past couple of years and they have helped with my allergy symptoms.
Things to do if you have allergies and or asthma
~ Replace Carpet with tile or vinyl. The carpet holds in dust and allergens plus it is hard to keep clean. Tile floors are so easy to clean.
~ Remove Shoes inside the home. Your shoes are dirty and they could be covered with pollen or grass.
~ Close Windows on windy days or days when the air quality is not good and stay inside. Check your air quality here.
~ Buy an Air Purifier to help keep the air inside clean. An air purifier is an investment for your health. Don't buy the cheapest air purifier as they may not work well. Also, make sure to buy the correct size of air purifier. If the room that you want to clean the air in is 1000 sq feet make sure to buy a purifier made for that space. I have done my research on air purifiers that work best for allergies and I purchased this air purifier. I like that this air purifier has a sensor that automatically adjusts filtration and it is quiet to operate. I also like that it has three filters to get those small particles.
Products that I use to help with my asthma and allergy symptoms
~ Clearlungs
~ Benadryl
~ Claritin
~ Olbas Inhaler
~ Olbas Lozenges
~ Nasacort Spray
~ Portable Nebulizer
The past couple of years has been a learning experience with healing my body. From discovering that I had asthma to discovering that food allergies were making my asthma worse to starting allergy shots. Then there was discovering mold in our home to mold remediation services. I am learning what is best for my body. While I will never be 100% cured of my allergy-induced asthma and food allergies, I am learning how to manage them so that they don't take over my life. My body is healing from lung trauma and my lungs are getting stronger. Make sure to check out some other posts that I have composed about my body's healing process.
~ How to Naturally Heal Your Lungs From Trauma
~ 7 Effective Ways To Clear Mucus For Better Breathing
~ Discovering Food and Plant Allergies With Home Testing
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