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6998. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:31 AM the 6999. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:41 AM millennial 7000. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:15:52 AM yeah! 7001. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 2:53:49 AM Wrongwrongwrong on allergists. They work, but you have to be patient. It takes around a year of shots to get full effects, and I was reading on MSNBC or Yahoo one just the other day that shots are 85-90% effective. They certainly were with me, and I have paid a dear price for stopping them because I was so busy. I also suffered needlessly for literally decades after moving from west Texas to AR and suffering allergies until my infections were chronic. My brother got pneumonia over his and that's when he finally did something, including the nasal surgery, which is and ENT thing. Mine haven't gotten that far, but I may get the surgery one of these days. I think if I will get back on my shot regimen and stay I won't need it. The shots go about 3-4 years. They aren't a lifetime treatment.
Congrats on the millennial, Thoughtful! 7002. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 2:56:42 AM The problem with most people and allergists is as with most people and other doctors and specialists. They don't do what they're told and then bitch about their treatment. 7003. wonkers2 - 4/16/2007 4:30:22 AM An ENT doctor told me surgery might help, but I didn't go for it. Sometimes those guys are like asking the people at a transmission shop whether your car needs a new transmission. 7004. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 1:30:53 PM This article reviews a number of meta analyses on allergy shots. Overall there does seem to be some improvement for some and it would seem to be cost effective for those who experience improvement.
From the summary of international studies:
The mean reduction in disease severity was 40%. Patients with allergies to grass pollen or cats were most likely to respond to specific immunotherapy.
But the article also says:
As these results suggest, successful outcome with specific immunotherapy requires careful patient selection.
So it is not a slam dunk. Especially since it depends on correct test results to target the specific allergens. And that would seem to be a problem. So many people I know find they're allergic to *everything*. And you don't know if the shots will help until you are well into treatment.
But hey, if it feels good, do it. My point was that, from the doc's point of view, it is a very lucrative business that keeps patients coming back again and again, with no permanent cure, and no chance of late night emergency calls that other docs experience. 7005. wabbit - 4/16/2007 2:29:22 PM Speaking of coughs...
7006. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 5:19:01 PM I went for my first colonoscopy. Nothing wrong but just at that age where it is advised.
The only thing that really freaked me out was the fentanyl. It blew my short term memory. I have no memory at all of the recovery room or getting dressed or talking to the doctor about my test results, or the drive home. Hubby tells me I was quite lucid and quite myself, but I have no memory of anything. He also told me I went home, called the other dr office for more test results and got them, but I have no memory of ANY of it. I don't remember anything until after I ate my lunch.
That is just tooo weeeird! 7007. concerned - 4/16/2007 5:27:04 PM Turns out that the BPM I have started taking is only responsible for less than half the drop in BP I mentioned previously. I guess the moral of the story is that I should get more aerobic exercise. 7008. thoughtful - 4/16/2007 6:38:02 PM How can you know that? 7009. arkymalarky - 4/16/2007 10:55:49 PM Wonk,
I'm like you wrt the surgery. The thing about the surgery is that if you have allergies it works for a while and then your sinuses will go back as bad as before eventually. A colleague is a perfect candidate because he has obstruction but has been tested for allergies and isn't allergic to anything. Another friend had the surgery but let her allergies get out of control and is now considering doing the surgery again. Bro controls his allergies with an antihistimine and no shots, and has had the surgery once, but he also had a deviated septum, so it worked for him. For me, the only thing that has worked has been allergy shots plus a DAILY antihistimine. You can't skip doses. It's not for symptoms, it's to prevent them. I really really really hope not to have the surgery, but Robert's the one to ask about it here. He had it not terribly long ago.
Hey Robert! How was that? Is it still working for you?
Allergy shots work, BUT along with taking the right measures, which for me means some home and classroom adjustments, some of which are a pain, but all of which have helped tremendously, and a daily antihistimine. If you do get clogged or start with the crud, take something like Mucinex as opposed to a decongestant, ALONG WITH the antihistimine. I'm also on a nasal steroid.
Especially since it depends on correct test results to target the specific allergens. And that would seem to be a problem.
Allergy testing for severe allergies, which is where most people are going to be miserable enough to finally go to an allergist, are very clear. Either you react or you don't. Once they know, the treatment is designed specifically for your allegeries and the degree of severity. You take the shots 3-5 years, not permanently. A daily antihistimine can handle mild stuff, and even major stuff for a while. It also may do well for seasonal allergies, if you take them DAILY during that season.
My brother told me when I felt bad enough I would deal with my allergies, and he was right. You finally get where you can't stand it any more, especially here in such a high-humidity environment, then you go and get the treatment, get impatient, finally start feeling human, and kick yourself repeatedly for the years of misery, weeks of antibiotics at a stretch (I wouldn't ever do that--Bro did four months' worth once, which was ridiculous), OTC meds, etc etc. For me, the breaking point was waking up gushing blood from my nose after it had been bleeding daily for months, and when my GP did an exray and saw how bad it was in my sinuses, that's when he sent me to an allergist. That's the same GP who died last fall who'd been treating me since I was a young teen. Enough was enough.
So the first step is a DAILY antihistimine that works and Mucinex, then go from there. 7010. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 1:00:45 AM Took my first dose of thyroid meds today, and I know it's most likely my imagination, but I seem to feel a little less like crap already.
7011. wonkers2 - 4/18/2007 1:14:11 AM I think I was told I have a slightly deviated septum which could be improved by surgery. I've probably had it forever because I've never broken my nose. I've had it for a long time as well as my yellow teeth which were pointed out to me not long ago by my dentist who offered whitening. I told him I have no plans to audition for a Hollywood movie role. I'm comfortable dying with my yellow teeth and slightly deviated septum. 7012. thoughtful - 4/18/2007 1:17:33 AM interesting that you have both allergies and hypothyroidism. Both relate to the immune system and it is very common for people with thyroid problems to have other immune disorders.
You could feel better from the hormones pretty quickly, so you probably are feeling better.
7013. robertjayb - 4/18/2007 1:27:05 AM The septoplasty to correct my deviated septum was nine years ago. Apart from the bypass operation it was the best medical money I've ever spent. Only one bout of bronchitis since. Before I regularly had sniffles turning into head colds turning into bronchitis and near pneumonia. Some really miserable episodes. 7014. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 4:43:12 AM That's what Bro said about his, and his was the same main problem. He had allergies, but the deviated septum was the culprit of his chronic misery. It kept anything from draining properly and he just got repeated infections. It's definitely worth looking into. 7015. arkymalarky - 4/18/2007 4:45:27 AM You're right, Thoughtful, and auto-immune stuff does run in my family, with Mom's lupus, and Bro has vitaliago (sp), as did my granddad. Bro's also had Reiter's Syndrome. 7016. arkymalarky - 4/20/2007 12:45:10 AM More "fuel" for debate 7017. Wombat - 4/20/2007 2:28:08 AM Before my wife's septoplasty, she would get several sinus infections a year, and she snored like the Queen Mary's foghorn. Afterwards, sinus infections are rare, and now she snores like Tommy the Tugboat's foghorn.
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