[TheJudoChop]

yea the sterile saline wash works well, you can also buy it in bottles and squirt a good amount in each nostril a few times a day.

[greg]

Yonah try using the prescription med called Zyrtec. It works very well and does not seem to cause any problems with alertness. Just a suggestion from your friendly forum RN

[ff123]

YMMV. Zertec (cetirizine HCl) makes me drowsy, whereas Claritin (loratadine) does not.

[yonah]

I think with any drug YMMV, because everyone is different. Ironically enough, my allergies seemed to be getting a little better this week (except for yesterday when I forgot my pill).

I was having some vision problems since late may and I went to get my eyes examined. The doctor took one look and told me that my eyesight was being affected by my allergies too. She gave me an eyedrop (patanol? requires a prescription here in the US) that has been helping me a bit.

My sinuses were so bad at one point that I thought that I was having some sort of brain problem - like a stroke or something. Thankfully the doctors tested me out and discovered that my MRI only revealed inflamed sinuses - go figure.


If things last through july, I might just see either an allergist or an ENT.

[Armlock]

Had sinus surgery two years ago-- the best thing I ever did. I understand that results are very variable but I got great results. You should talk to your ENT.

[ptnippon]

See an allergist. You probably need to be taking maintenance drugs. So many people wait until their allergies are out of control to do anything. Allegra, Claratin along with decongestants, and maintenance drugs like Intal, Singular, can make a huge difference. Keep your sinuses irrigated to try and prevent infection. My cousin is an allergist and he claims maintenance is the key to prevent full blown attacks from happening.

[Wisconsinite]

I WISH my sinus problems were due to allergies or just seasonal. I live in what has been referred to as the "sinus belt". Any time there is a change in the weather, I get a sinus attack. (Pounding headache, dizziness, nausea). I can tell when there is a storm approaching, similar to when an arthritic person can tell when it will rain. So far, the only thing that relieves the symptons is Triminicin. I have tried everything else over the counter with NO results. The saline solution treatment has helped my husband, but has had NO results on me. Keeping as active as I can has helped to keep my head draining. On bad days, I just take LOTS of hot showers. Moving away is not exactly an option just now. 28 years and a pension is not exactly something you sneeze at. (Not nowadays.) He will be elegable to retire, hopefully if things do not change, in about 3 yrs. With aging parents who need our help, we will probably be here for a while. (Thank God for hot water and shower massage.

[Sampo]

For me low-carb diet helped to get rid of allergy

[LongInTheTooth]

Sampo, on Jun 23 2005, 02:51 AM, said:

For me low-carb diet helped to get rid of allergy

Hi,

Glad to hear you found something that works for you. Were you tested for food allergies and what did the tests uncover? A wheat allergy perhaps?

[yonah]

Sampo, on Jun 23 2005, 06:51 AM, said:

For me low-carb diet helped to get rid of allergy

Sampo,

Interestingly enough last July I hit 230 lbs (105Kg) I decided it was time for a change. So in august, 4 weeks before my 30th birthday, I started the South Beach diet and returned to Judo after 7.5 year absence. Now I am about 190-195 lbs (~90Kg) for the whole winter I felt great - but since late march/early april I feel like sh*t because of my allergies.

I just feel like I've aged a lot this year. And in some Ironic twist, I feel that I was better off when I was fat :)

[Sampo]

LongInTheTooth, on Jun 23 2005, 02:58 PM, said:

Hi,

Glad to hear you found something that works for you. Were you tested for food allergies and what did the tests uncover? A wheat allergy perhaps?

I wasn't tested.
I don't have any special food allergy. But like many other people when I cut especially grain away from my diet I feel a lot better.