What do you moms do when you kid has really bad allergies?

[Anonymous]

My child has had nasal problems almost all year long, like drainage and really bad congestion in the nasal walls of the nose. She was born in Florida and never had such bad allergies. I was considering tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy because her speech sounds so muffled and unclear for a 4 year old girl. I give her prescription nasal spray and occassional cough syrup, but i don't want to give her otc medication each day and opt for surgery just because she lives in this area. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I would live her OTC allergy meds before I'd give her cough syrup. Have you made an appointment with an allergist? I'd take her to a specialist and figure out what exactly she is allergic to. It could be something in your home. Either way, I'd involve an expert before I'd use internet to solve this problem.

[Anonymous]

I agree with consulting a specialist. Be weary of shots. My husband was given them starting at age 7 and eventually they realized they stunted his growth. He would probably be a few inches taller. Be aware this is a possible side effect of shots.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend an ENT. My son suffered for years before we had his adenoids out--great health ever since.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried saline spray and a humidifier in her room at night? This helps my DS who always seems to have a stuffy nose. And also visit an allergist to get some skin tests done. Your DD could just be allergic to dust mites rather than having seasonal allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried saline spray and a humidifier in her room at night? This helps my DS who always seems to have a stuffy nose. And also visit an allergist to get some skin tests done. Your DD could just be allergic to dust mites rather than having seasonal allergies.

Which humidifier do you use?

[Anonymous]

My kid has really bad allergies. At his worst, he needs albuterol and flovent for allergy induced asthma, two different prescription nasal sprays (one for every day use and one as needed for emergencies when his eyes swell shut), and Allegra. He has also used Benadryl for what was believed to be an allergy induced rash and he has been on Singulair which didn't really help.

Right now, he uses the nose spay and takes allegra every day. This seems to have his summer allergies under control. As we enter fall, what we believe are leaf mold allergies are sure to start up. Who knows what we'll be dealing with at that point. This year has been worse than last year. DS is 4 yrs old.

We used our cool mist humidifier all last winter, but you'd be crazy to use one in this hot and humid weather!

At some point we will see an Allergist to try and identify exactly what is causing the allergies. All the guessing is what bothers me most. I feel like we just throw medicine at him. I'm not ready to do shots yet for some of the reasons PPs have mentioned.

I don't really have any advice. Just commiserating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried saline spray and a humidifier in her room at night? This helps my DS who always seems to have a stuffy nose. And also visit an allergist to get some skin tests done. Your DD could just be allergic to dust mites rather than having seasonal allergies.

Which humidifier do you use?

Vicks cool mist. I got it from Target.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard about allergy shots stunting growth. Does this also apply to the sublingual drops?

[Anonymous]

Year-round allergies are usually a sign of interior allergies (mold, dust, etc). Take her to an allergist to see what she is allergic to.

Some actionable tips:

1. Avoid all antimicrobials -- don't use antibacterial hand soap, toothpaste with triclosan, or anything containing sensitizing chemicals (parabens, etc) like shampoo, conditioner, etc. These sensitize people to developing allergies and it's thought that this is what's responsible for kids having so many allergies nowadays.

2. Get a good whole-house filter that's rated for allergies. Get a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter and use it semi-daily to keep interior dust to a minimum.

3. Get a good HEPA filter for in her room at night.

4. Get allergy covers for her bedding (mattress and pillows).

5. If she's allergic to mold DO NOT use a humidifier! If she's not, then go ahead and use one.

6. Allergy shots work and they do not stunt growth (that's seriously not even possible -- I'm not sure where PP came up with that one! -- allergy shots contain tiny amounts of the protein that people are allergic to, so that their immune systems become acclimated to them and don't react strongly anymore).

7. A modern antihistamine like zrytec will probably help with symptoms better than narrow-focus treatments like steroidal nasal sprays.

Good luck! This area really is terrible for allergies and having them (especially severely) is no fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard about allergy shots stunting growth. Does this also apply to the sublingual drops?

I would check with an allergist regarding this claim. Even if true, medicines have changed significantly over the years. I took allergy shots for years (since age 4) with no effects on my growth.

[Anonymous]

While controversial, we found relief through homeopathy. I was a non-believer myself but the other things we tried did not give he same relief. Good health using this approach. ER visits with asthma and migraine (apparently complications of allergies) before then.

[Anonymous]

Other suggestions:

Probiotics - preferably one with not so many added, unnecessary ingredients
Gluten free diet - definitely helped my year round snotty nose child
Neti Pot flushes - I started all my kids when they were 2.5 or 3 yo.