Living with allergies can both be easy and hard. It is hard
when you cannot find what you are allergic to, what you cannot avoid and what
then you come in contact often. Also it is hard when medication cannot fully
control the allergic reactions. It is easy to live with when you can find out
what it is you are allergic to and can avoid it easily, when you only come in
contact with the allergen by accident and when medication works immediately to
fully control the symptoms.
I explained in my earlier blog (Allergy
- What is it?) that when the body recognised any substance as foreign it causes
a reaction in the body to get rid of that substance. This is a reaction we want
when the invading substance is harmful like a bacteria or virus. However, if
this reaction occurs when we come in contact with what are considered harmless
substances, we call it an allergy. Over the years more and more people have
become allergic to more and more substances. I am not sure what it says about
our life styles and our food and use of chemical in daily life.
My first encounter with allergy was seeing my mother come
out in urticaria (raised red bumps that itch a lot) upon eating a Gujarati dish
called patra (made with taro leaves and besan / chickpea flour). I do believe she
used to react a bit to the sourness of tamarind. But I was little and did not
really understand except that she was given a tablet (Foristal) which was a
common antihistamine in those days in India.
At 18 I started a nursing degree and bed making, cleaning and
dusting was part of the care (unlike now when we have auxiliary workers or
aides). I noticed towards the end of the first year I used to start sneezing at
soon as I started dusting. My nose was itchy and it was just annoying. It is very
difficult to avoid dust, especially if you live in a country like India and with
a job like mine.
I used to react with breathless feeling when I used any talc
or facial powder and so I by the time I reached adulthood I had given up using
that totally. I also noticed that I would react badly to some perfumes used by
my friends and colleagues. I had to leave the area very quickly as I would
sneeze non-stop. This allergy progressed to a point where I could not use any
perfume, deodorant, any sprays for body or hair. I could actually taste it in
the back of my throat and it made me feel ill and wheeze. The dust allergy used
to constantly irritate the mucous membranes of my eyes, nose and throat and I
was having repeated infections – tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis,
bronchitis – generally needing about 3 or 4 rounds of antibiotics each year.
I visited an allergist and decided to find out exactly what
all I was allergic to. Well that turned even my allergist’s hair grey in a
second as she conducted the tests. Dust being the already known allergen she
carried out that test last. Just to let you that generally very dilute forms of
the allergen are injected just under the skin and if you are allergic then that
injection site will become a red raised weal. The size of the weal is
indicative of how allergic you are. Thus a few days later the allergist will measure
the size of the weals. This showed that there were about 7 different pollens
that I was allergic to. Now coming to dust, which was left to the last, caused
me to collapse even before the doctor has put the needle away. This is what is
called an anaphylactic shock. I needed immediate resuscitation.
In relation to this severe allergy I tried going through
desensitisation therapy but had to abandon it as even the extremely low
dilution was causing difficulty and then my allergist moved away.
Around this time I also moved to UK and the change in the
environment and the lower levels of dust made a big difference and I felt so
much happier not having to wheeze or get repeated infections. A year went by
peacefully and then wham hay fever hit me. By this time I was getting allergic
to cosmetics like lipstick and mascara which caused the skin to peel and
eyelashes to fall off. That got removed from my daily life fast. With hay fever
I was taking antihistamine daily. The season started with the first cherry
blossoms and ended when the grass died out at the end of summer.
Fortunately, I used central heating appropriately so there were
no mould issues as they also send me into a wheeze and tight chest. I found
about that allergen when I stayed at some crappy hotel which had mouldy pillows
and mattress. I had 3 showers and washed my hair before I realised what exactly
was causing the problem. Needless to say I got no sleep and had antihistamine
and inhaler a few times. During summer, life got adapted to be indoors more,
keep windows closed and use a fan to keep the room cool and also I got an ioniser
for my bedroom. They use very little energy and keeps the room free from dust
motes.
Cleaning was also something I had to think about. When we
had the old hoover with dust bags I was unable to clean the carpets as it
tended to send up dust particles in the air as soon as the bag was partly
filled. It fell to my husband to do the hoovering. However, when we got the new
bag less one I had no problems as the dust was always sucked in rather than
spread around. Any dusting had to be done with a damp cloth so as not to raise
and spread the dust about.
Also it becomes important to use the hoover on the mattress
and also sofas and chairs covered with cloth to remove dust. I also found that
I could not use down filled pillows and had to buy the hypo allergic ones. Since
more people are aware and more products with regards to mattresses, mattress
covers and pillows are made for people with dust allergies. I also changed my
open cabinets for knickknacks to closed ones so as to avoid the dust gathering
and the need to dust it often.
My sister also used to get hay fever but was mainly related
to grass pollen. She used homeopathic pills and they helped her. Whereas, that remedy
did not make any difference for me. Then one day I saw a poster for massage at
my local beauticians. So I made an appointment and during the session I found out
that she was an aroma therapist. She agreed to use specially mixed oils to help
my breathing issues due to allergy. I used to have a full body massage with the
oil every fortnight. The effect was good. Sadly she stopped coming to the local
place and it was hard to go to where she has moved her practice. However, I actually
used to buy the mixed oils from her. Finally that was getting very expensive
and I started buying and mixing my own oils. After a shower I applied the oil
all over my body and massaged it in gently. After about 6 years I found that I no
longer reacted to hay fever and actually did not need to use my inhaler either.
These days I keep handy a bottle of cypress oil (which was one of the oils in
the mix and works best for me) and use a drop should I feel that familiar twitching
of the nose and sneezing starting.
So going from, when grass ha to be mowed at least a week
before my visit to family who had gardens, I now have a garden and mow my own
grass. I used to avoid going to park but now try regularly to have a walk around
the park and see the changing seasons in nature. I find it a good exercise as
well as relaxation method to see the flora and fauna.
The allergy caused by the perfumes and deodorants are harder
to avoid as practically everyone uses them. I actually hold my breath or a
tissue over my nose when I have to pass through the cosmetic section of any
departmental stores. Sometimes you pass someone on the road and they have so
much sprayed on that you can taste it. It annoys me often but unless someone
suffers they have no idea what it is to live with this kind of allergy and so
cannot show compassion. I had to always warn people when they were coming to
see me and expected my office door to be shut for privacy or even in the
classroom that I did not want people to wear any perfumes. Those who wore some
sat by an open window generally. So you see some allergies can be managed
better than others.
Hope this helped those of you who have allergies that
manifest in respiratory symptoms. I will tackle the food allergies in the next
blog so as to keep the reading in discrete chunks.
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