Asthma? No. Allergies? Oddly enough (odd because I sometimes eat TONS of peanut butter) I am sightly allergic to peanuts. Maybe I made myself allergic? *shrugs* And I'm allergic to this type of medicine... And I love chocolate, but lately when I eat dark chocolate (like, take the first bite) Ill sneeze. Lol.

I have rinosinusitis (sp?), too. So I have an...interesting cough, and my nose can be clogged a lot, you know, cold symptoms. Fun!

Yes for both... My asthma isn't as bad now as it used to be, but my allergies seem to be worse for some things and better for others. I'm slightly allergic to cats, but it really only bothers me if I'm already sick. I'm allergic to grass pollen, and a few other plants I can't remember... (I think ragweed may be one) Except for winter (which is cold season) I seem to always have a hint of allergies, but it's the worst in grass season. I also suspect I'm slightly allergic to some kind of insect cause if I get bit by it the bite swells up a ton... though it's never been life threatening. On the bright side though no food or grass allergies... When my rabbit shed it bothered me a bit, but I don't know if I'm technically allergic to rabbits, I was never tested. (And even if I was I'd probably still own them since it's not that bad)

As for my asthma- I've lost track of how many times I've had pneumonia, because of it. When I was little I was out of school for a week or two nearly every year until I got into 7th grade. Once my mom was helping my class with a Christmas program too, and I was so excited about it, but then I had to stay home because I came down with pneumonia, but I still got to help mom prepare for it.

Asthma runs on both sides of my family... Dad's even had relatives who've died from asthma attacks!

I am allergic to cats and that is about it. The thing is cats are so cute especially kittens and I can't be around them for more then 5 minutes. What happens is that my nose gets itchy and something else that is very hard to explain but my nose fires up. IDK what I breath through my nose is very hot.

I have rinosinusitis (sp?), too. So I have an...interesting cough, and my nose can be clogged a lot, you know, cold symptoms. Fun!

I know what you mean. Rhinosinusitis is the word you are looking for. The Rhino bit is from a Greek word to do with the nose, just like in a rhinoceros. Sometimes it is hard to get one's head around the Medical terminology.

I've had asthma all my life, since I was a baby. I stopped breathing once during an asthma attack on my 18th wedding anniversary. That was twenty two years ago. I tend to be worse in La Niña years. I am allergic to tobacco smoke and on our wedding day we had to defer the bridal waltz because I didn't have my asthma inhaler with me. My bridegroom and the best man had to go home to get it. For anyone planning to get married, a pocket in the wedding dress would be a good idea or maybe attach the asthma inhaler to the wedding bouquet?

What would have been the best solution in your opinion? I think the point of asthma is not to let it spoil too much the life you have.

I like the idea of a asthma inhaler attached to a bouquet. A very subtle way of using it Everyone will just think you're sniffing the flowers!

That said, I don't have asthma (thankfully), nor any allergies, so I guess I don't really have much to offer this thread. For those of you allergic to cats, dogs, etc, have you ever been around "hypoallergenic" animals like goldendoodles/labradoodles/poodles/chinchillas, and if so, did you find your allergies were not bothered by them?

Dust and polyester. Nasty stuff. I work in a used bookstore and most of the time I love it, but whenever I work in the back I feel sick for pretty much the rest of the day because dust collects back there. I cough and sneeze a lot during high winds too cause of all the dirt and dust blowing around.

Polyester also makes me sneeze and it makes my skin itch. Not cool. It is so hard to find bedding without polyester in it. At least most pillows have a hypoallergenic poly fill now.

My skin is also allergic to some kinds of metal. Some necklaces leave the skin on my neck irritated. I got my ears pierced once, but the studs made the holes crusty so I took them out and haven't put them back in. Friends have I suggested I try silver studs to see if that helps, but I hate needles so I don't want to get poked again unless I know it will work.

Though not allergic to them, I had a reaction to raspberries when I was three. I ate so many at one time, I got almost a hives-like reaction. Now I eat them more carefully(but they are really good. )

My cousin is allergic to cats, and we have some. A few years back, he started having trouble breathing, and my dad and my uncle had to take him to the E.R.

One of our cats is allergic to a lot of cat litters. He would breath very loudly, and sneeze up... large, gross mucus globs. Yuck. Then, we found out he doesn't sneeze with Tidy Cats.

I've got regular allergies to dust and chemical/fragrance sensitivities. Dust always causes me to sneeze or have a runny nose. Fragrances and fragrant laundry products and scented fabric softeners tend to also cause me reactions. Especially in my lungs and throat. I suffer lung pain and I also get headaches if I've been exposed to just a smidgeon of them in the air. The chemicals in scented laundry products and scented fabric softeners as well as musk and perfumes are one of the worst inventions of modern humankind. The stuff in them is flammable and petroleum-based....which is why they tend to linger in the air so long after application.

http://www.livescience.com/5034-toxic-c ... eners.html

*Also there is a technical distinction between immune system allergic responses and sensitivities. Allergies provoke an IgE immune response and sensitivities are not necessarily allergic responses. Explained a bit further in linked article below:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/allergies ... ivity.aspx

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features ... ry-assault

Anyway I seriously commiserate/sympathize with you all who have either
or both

I just wish I was only allergic to one thing. I would love to be allergic to just cats.

Thank you Stateofgreen for the link to that article. I did not realize the differences in allergies.

I moved south when I was about 12 and learned the wonders of allergies. After being laid up for a week with a sinus headache, my mom hauled me off to an allergist who gave me the requisite allergy shots. Apparently, if the spot where the shot was inserted, turned bright red you are allergic and if it goes away, you are not allergic. All 50 of mine turned mildly red.

The allergist says that I am a little bit allergic to everything. Cats, dogs, hay, grass, dust, pollen of every kind. But I am not allergic enough to receive an allergy shot. So when the air pressure changes or the wind picks up the dust, or the pollen starts coming off the trees and flowers my sinuses get aggravated, providing me with the equivalent of a low-grade migraine.

On the plus side, being this sensitive to air pressure changes usually means I'm as good as the weatherman in predicting oncoming storms.

daughter of the King, your job sounds great apart from the annoying allergies!

I'm allergic to some medicine and, also, in spring I get really bad allergies. I don't know to what, though. I think it's just seasonal allergies. And, too, dust.

I have asthma. It's set off usually from any sort of prolonged exercise, but sometimes I get it randomly and I'm not quite sure what sets it off. Usually taking Advair every morning and night keeps me from having any attacks, however sometimes I'm careless and forget to take it.

About 6 months ago, however, I got an asthma attack that didn't go away with an inhaler or even a nebulizer. An hour later it got to the point where I could barely even walk and I had to go to the hospital. I'm not really sure what triggered it. I'm in Boy Scouts and sometimes we go on several-day backpacking trips in the middle of the wilderness, and I'm scared to think what would happen if the same sort of attack happens when I'm miles and miles of hiking away from civilization.

waggawerewolf27 My bridegroom and the best man had to go home to get it. For anyone planning to get married, a pocket in the wedding dress would be a good idea or maybe attach the asthma inhaler to the wedding bouquet? What would have been the best solution in your opinion? I think the point of asthma is not to let it spoil too much the life you have.

Yes, unfortunately allergies/asthma can often come at the worst time. Hmm, an inhaler attached to the bouquet sounds like a good idea. Or maybe you could have had one of your bridesmaids hang onto it for you (isn't that the kind of stuff a bridesmaid should bethere for? )

stateofgreen, your information of sensitivities vs. allerigies is interesting. How about food intolerance? As I understand food allergies are an immune system response where antibodies percieve certain foods to be a threat to the body. On the other hand, a food intolerance is a digestive system response when the body is unable to digest/breakdown certain foods.

Earel Alquawen, being allergic to everything sounds pretty awful. I had a friend who had a similar problem. I'm glad you are managing though.

MinotaurforAslan, stay safe during your trip! Maybe you can speak to your doctor about it before you go away.

I usually use Claritin when I have an allergic reaction and it helps a lot. My allergies have also gotten better since we changed the carpet in out house to hardwood.

I had no allergies until the spring I turned 42 (Douglas Adams fans, take note ). Then, allergies to tree pollen and cats sprang into full force. So I take Claritin a few weeks each May and when I visit friends with cats (though my responce to individual cats varies widely). And it seems cats know I'm allergic to them.

Blegh, I have allergies and stuff (well not asthma, although I do own an inhaler). Pollen, dust, sometimes with dogs and cats (depending on how much it's all over the furniture ), and all that trees stuff basically gives me trouble. But I get allergy shots now so it really helps a lot. Basically with shots I don't notice my allergies unless it's a really bad day, which isn't *that* often but when it does it's pretty annoying.

Out of curiosity, does anyone use the neti pot/saline nasal rinse? I've been using it for two years now and it works pretty good (except for the really bad days)