Environmental Allergies

[momto2js]

I am looking for some resources for kids with severe environmetal allergies. I can find all sorts of information for how to deal with the tree nut allergy but that is easy, you can avoid foods. However, my son has severe reactions to oak trees, mold, and variety of other things that are impossible to avoid.

At this time he takes an adult dose of 2 different allergy meds and needs 3 breathing treatments a day to keep his asthma under control. If we visit someone with pets I make sure to pre-treat this additional meds and treatments before we go and then we keep it short. We used to travel and stay with family all over the country and now we stay only at pet-unfriendly hotels. His best friend has a dog and most of the time the kids now have to play at our house because he get sick if he is around the dog for too long.

His reactions range from a runny nose and watery eyes to facial swelling and weezing, headaches. If you recognize the onset of a reaction early and treat with more meds he fairs OK but if I'm not there and it is not treated early it takes a long time and a lot of meds to calm his body down. He is 5 and will start Kindergarden next year. How on earth do you manage all of this when he is out of the house in a moldy building 7 hours a day??

Does anyone have any ideas about groups for parents with allergies that are not limited to food.

 

[BusyMom2Three]

I feel for you. My DS who is now 7 started showing signs of environmental allergies at 4. From 2-4 he had many ear infections as well. He is allergic to cats, dogs, dust, and many other danders and airborne allergens. I was a wreck for the 1st year trying to figure out a plan for him and worrying about him. He was always coughing and wheezing, especially when he was sleeping; he had dark circles; if he got a cold, it usually became a sinus infec, whereas my other kids would be over the cold in a couple days. At first, he was on 5 meds (inc his asthma inhaler and a nasal spray).

Now he only takes Claritin once a day. These are the steps I took.

We have wall-to-wall carpet, which is a breeding ground for dustmites, and dust particles contain all environmental allergens. I had read that since children spend half their day in their room (sleeping) that it is a huge help to put wood floors in his room. Another friend did this, and our ped allergist affirmed it was a good move. We bought wood laminate flooring from Home Depot that clicks into place and my husband installed it in his room. It was $500 but you can get cheaper ones that prob would have only been $300.

Where we have carpet, I have a vaccum w/ hepa filter bags, and we vacuum at least twice a week and dust surfaces prob 3x a week w/ a wet cloth. He also goes in a diff room when we do this (it takes 30 min for it to settle after).

I also bought an air purifier for his room (on Amazon after reading tons of reviews). It was only about $40, I think, and has a filter you can vaccum rather than replace. It works best if you keep his door closed. We used to but no longer do.

We removed all needless stuffed animals b/c they harbor dust mites and other allergen particles, and keep all other hard toys in organized bins with lids, and books in his closet.

I removed his blinds and just put up washable blackout curtains (to keep sun out in the early morning). His are a cute denim material, and I wash them in hot water at least once a month.

I bought zippered (very important) mattress and pillow covers and wash his bedding in hot water every weekend.

He never goes in a house with animals at this point. In fact, he doesn't want to because he knows he'd be miserable like he was before.

I buy the highest rated Filtrete furnace filters and replace them once a month. I also bought cheap filters that you cut to fit and put in the floor vents that blow your air and heat into the room (a pack was about $3 at Home Depot). And, unfortunately, we never keep windows open. I also got rid of houseplants b/c they grow a ton of mold spores and also collect dustmites.

I keep Allersearch ADMS allergen spray on hand (it is at least $17 but lasts me at least a year). It neutralizes environmental allergens. You can spray it on things that have gotten allergens on them. Did you know animal dander is like glue and does not wash off easily, and it takes up to 4-6 months for it to not cause a reaction? So if someone comes into my livingroom who has animals and sits on the couch, I will just spray down the couch when they leave, for instance. I know it works because the ped allergist rec'd it, and I have severe dust allergies that make me asthmatic, but if I spray this on blinds before dusting them or on curtains before I take them down, I no longer have a reaction. http://www.natlallergy.com/prod/1657/allersearch-adms-allergen-denaturing-spray-by-alkaline.html They also have a mold spray--good for bathrooms.

I also bought the Allersearch Allergen Detergent so that if older DD goes to a friend's with animals, I will make sure to put her clothes right into the wash with that detergent to eliminate the dander. http://www.natlallergy.com/prod/1296/allersearch-allergen-wash-laundry-detergent.html

It prob sounds like a lot, but my DS was sooooo bad, and my ped said all this work has def paid off. And once you get the products, it is not really much work. My DS is ready to try allergy shots now, so he may even be able to go to people's houses with animals and be okay in the near future! He only has an inhaler on hand for emergencies now, and only takes 1 Claritin pill everyday (not even an Rx). Good news also: my ped said when people dev environmental allergies at a young age, they very often outgrown them.

Also, you can request an allergy cleaning be done of your room at Disney. If my DS slept in a bed with other people's animal dander, he would have woken up with golf ball eyes. They will wash all bedding, curtains, even the shower curtain in hot water, dust the whole room, and even steam clean the carpet. Disney can be awesome!

Hope this all helped you! Best of luck. It will get better. I found that once I got him under control at home, he tolerated being at school just fine, but I was really worried.