So can you really just develop serious allergies over night?!??!?

Hi All,

I'll try to keep this from turning into a rant, but to be honest I'm feeling pretty crappy and I'm pretty sick of it (no pun intended.)

So Saturday June 23 I went to my friend's house to hang out (double checked in my text messages for the date). On my way there I started feeling really bad, scratchy eyes, runny nose, etc etc. I used to live in Michigan (now in the Metro DC area for 6 yrs..) and I had very mild allergies when fall would hit, so I recognized my symptoms to be allergy related. I have never had a problem with any allergies since I have been living in VA. I was worried that maybe I was sick, but I have no other symptoms and nothing I'm taking seems to be helping.

Now here we are 2 weeks later and I have been severely ill every day due to what seems to be allergies. I tried about every OTC allergy medication I could find and Zyrtec D was providing relief for a few days, but now it only works for about an hour and then my symptoms seem to come back worse than before. Its incredibly frustrating as I am sure some of you know, my eyes are constantly watery and so itchy, swollen when I wake up. My nose is in a perpetual flip flop between completely stuffed and running off my face.... sigh. I'm going nuts here.

Unfortunately I am in between jobs, and no insurance so a doc is out of the question right now. Other than the job situation which began over a month ago, there have been no major changes in my life, I haven't started anything new, eaten anything new, or tried any new products.

Its at the point where my more paranoid side is screaming that there is something wrong with the outside, since my body completely freaks out when I'm exposed to it. I cant even play with the dog without being careful because if I touch my face or breath too close to her I'm off into a fit of sneezes.

Has anyone else developed any allergies like this out of nowhere? Does anyone have any clue why this is happening? I know you all aren't doctors but any advice or information is appreciated. As of right now I'm exiled to the indoors esp since the 100 degree days seem to make it worse....

Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

~Jai

ETA - I forgot to mention that ibuprofen has been helping too. Maybe something to do with inflammation?

Yes you seriously can. You can also take something like tylenol (as an example) every day of your life without any side effects, then take it the next day only to wind up in anaphylactic shock.

My mother in law is 70, and just developed a severe cat allergy out of the blue. It can and does happen.

I can't really offer advice other than to tell you to keep taking the meds since you can't see a doctor. I am in the same position money wise for a doctor as you are....but you should see one just in case it is something else as soon as you can.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Well that really blows.... Thank you for such a direct answer though I appreciate it!!!

It could be a common Summer cold ... or, it could be a serious allergic reaction ... or, a precurser or onset of flu (not flu season though right?) ... or ... ad finitum.

Now, the eye ITCHING you mentioned is what caught my attention. Once, I had both eyes (eyelids etc., not the eyeballs) get massively huge, red, dry and itching like crazy. I kept putting vaseline (to sooth and it didn't) and neosporin (in case it was bacterial) on it ... and those were the WORST things I could have done for the condition.

I saw a doctor about two weeks later and the nurse was lecturing me as to what a dum (you know what) I was because I had an emergency room condition and shouldn't have made a doctor appointment (which takes 2 weeks to get an emergency doctor appointment here.)

Turned out to be an "extreme Steven's Johnson" something or other and it was treated with steroids and cortisone. I still have no idea who Steven Johnson is ... but, I'm supposed to tell every doctor I see about the fellow.

My point is, it could be nothing ... it could be something. Tell you what, walk into a clinic and see if they usher you away from the other patients. That'll give you a better idea.

P.S. Yes, Stevens Johnson has something to do with allergies as far as I know - and I never had any before that.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Hi There,

Summer cold you say?? I don't believe I've ever had a cold in the summer so I'll hafta check that out as a possibility.. I'm guessing its not the flu as I'm free from the aches/pains/fever/fatigue thank goodness.

In regards to the clinic thing, I don't really look too scary (or sick however you wanna call it) except for when I first wake up. Then my eyes are all red and puffy. Otherwise it just looks like I've been yawning all day. I would go to the doctor but I'm sure the allergy tests aren't cheap...

Thanks so much for your input and I'm going to research this guy/disease to see what I find.

reply to post by AnonyJai


Doctors always want to go too far anyway. You'll have to fill out questionnaires about everything you've ever eaten, everywhere you've been, everything you do. And then they'll probably do some kind of scratch tests, and then give you a prescription for some expensive prescription-only medicine (specific to whichever Big Pharma whore was last to visit their office).

Here's some info about Alternative Medicine cures you can try. At least they're all harmless--and probably even healthful--in the event they don't help:

Natural Allergy Remedies

Originally posted by AnonyJai
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

... I don't really look too scary (or sick however you wanna call it) except for when I first wake up. Then my eyes are all red and puffy.

First wake up only? Look up Pink Eye aka conjunctivitis and if it has "itchy" as part of the symptoms ... there are over the counter meds you can get. Ask the pharmacist.

reply to post by Ex_CT2


Thanks for the link I'm looking it over now. Hopefully something works, I'm pretty much past the point of thinking the allergy drugs are going to do any good.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


I thought with pink eye it stayed red? I'll check it out.

Appreciating all the leads to follow everyone, seriously I have to get to the bottom of this.

Originally posted by AnonyJai
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

seriously I have to get to the bottom of this.

Yes you do!

seriously

Your eyesight could be at risk. Also, medicating with the wrong medication can make things worse, instead of better.

PS - wash your bed linens and wash your hands and everything you touch. Wear clean night clothes (if you wear them that is) every night. Use a face rag and/or towel only once - then toss it in the laundry too. Cross-contamination and re-contamination will prolong conjunctivitis if that turns out to be what it is.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


I'm pretty sure they can test for pink eye at the quick clinic so I'll try to go tomorrow...

Thanks for your help

ETA - About the medication, that was worrying me a bit as well since the symptoms seem to get worse after an hour or so... good catch something else to consider.
Thanks again!

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Looked up a little more on the Stevens Johnson syndrome, and I really hope thats not it. The symptoms don't quite match up but you never know.

Anyway thanks again for letting me know!!

reply to post by AnonyJai

I'm allergic to everything, and none of those OTC meds work for me.

You may have always been allergic to something, you just never have had an encounter with it to produce a reaction.

Have you added or changed any of your soaps, laundry detergent?
Even changes in your diet can spur reactions.
Have your heater vents cleaned and filters changed, and clean areas where mold could grow.

When Im reacting I put my face in cold water, and drink a lot of water to get some relief, and wait it out.

Sorry to hear its so bad for you.

reply to post by Observationalist


Hi, thanks for your reply! No changes in diet or new products like soaps or anything like that... And I think they cleaned the vents out back in March when they did some work on the apartment so idk? It makes sense that it could just be something I was always allergic to but I can't think of what that may be...

I'll definitely try the water trick when it starts getting bad again, seems to be up and down today.

Going to get some sleep but thanks again everyone!!! I'll check back in tomorrow.

One of my friends in the Army (many years ago) woke up one morning with one side of his face paralyzed. It stayed that way for 6 months, and then one morning he was fine. He had to wear an eye patch on that side during the paralysis. Yep, things can definitely happen overnight...

Two of my adult children have suffered from pollen allergies this year like never before. My son has always had pollen allergies to some extent and my daughter had none, until this year. This year it seems the plants are cranking out some stuff that is really irritating. They've both spent a full two months sneezing, blowing their noses all day and night, unable to sleep because they can't breathe. They have both had innumerable nosebleeds too. They also tried OTC antihistamines, but they were pretty useless. We were in Paris for a week in May and they got some Sudafed PE or some such, but it turns out that it's been outlawed everywhere else, apparently. When we came back to Helsinki and the stuff ran out, they were back to suffering. They are still snuffly even now. It's a bad year.

Funny thing is that I grew up with unbearable allergies to pollen as well but I haven't had more than a few sneezes here and there. I would have though that I'd succumb as they did, but apparently it's not to be. Suits me to the ground.

I grew up in the Pacific NW. I never had any allergies. In my 20's, I moved to Phoenix for a year. In that year I was sicker than I have ever been, before or since. I moved back to the PNW, and now have allergies for every single season.

Yes, it does happen.