When I moved to Japan some years ago I got sick with persistent pneumonia-like symptoms. Saw a couple doctors, did the usual antibiotics cycles, etc., no effect. I was coughing blood because my lungs and throat were raw, and on few couple occasions I did so hard enough that I vomited. Sounding like a barking hell hound and extruding bloody vomit is not a good way to make friends or segue a pickup line, if you were wondering.
Around 6 months of This, I had a doctor’s apt with a new doctor that probably lasted all of a literal minute where he explained he had the same effect from allergies when he moved there and prescribed Claritin and an extra pillow when sleeping. I cleared up in days. Glad I didn’t have to leave, I had a blast living there.
@j37hr0@Kyeh actually that’s basically correct. Some kind of pollen or microbial airborne dickpunch that was endemic to Japan; one of the girls I went with who had a rougher go than I had to leave a few months in because her throat kept swelling shut.
Different parts of the world all have their own uniquely hateful local flora/fauna/virion/bacteria/ contaminates that are 100% foreign to your body. Or even different states if your country is large like the US. Accordingly, make sure when planning to visit a foreign country that you get any regional vaccines that aren’t administered in your country, like the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine when visiting southeast Asia. An no matter what country it is, unless you are living there, never, ever drink the tap water.
Holistic medicine tip: Eat local honey - farm fresh stuff, not processed or otherwise mutilated. You can get it at farmers markets. A spoonful a day or so. All by itself, not dissolved in hot tea or coffee or anything. Apparently, it acts almost like allergy shots - increasing your resistance to the local pollens a bit at a time. I’ve done it and it appeared to me that it helped. And I really don’t think it hurt.
@accumulator Local honey as immunotherapy is a bit of a myth. See the pollen that makes you sick from allergies is white and very light - it generally comes from grasses and trees. The plants that produce this pollen depend on the wind to disperse the little plant sex parts (plant penises? it’s the male part that flies in the wind). They don’t depend on traditional pollinators like bees. Now, on the other hand, honey is produced by bees that frequent plants with heavy, yellow, and waxy pollen. These plants rely on insects to assist in their sexual escapades. These heavy waxy pollens are generally not the ones that cause an immune system response. The chances of duplicating the effects of immunotherapy are slim as the pollens used to make the honey aren’t the pollens to which people are generally allergic. That being said, honey has great antimicrobial properties. So, if you had any germs causing problems, the honey may have knocked them out and made you feel better. Then of course there is the placebo effect to consider.
Your last sentence sums it up perfectly - it won’t hurt and it’s surely tasty on toast. And don’t get me started on the cross-reactivity between elm and birch pollen and many common fruits.
Uncle Mike and his relaxed robe wearing standards after a few beers at last year’s family Independence day gathering? So that was ‘pollinating’?interesting. Ah the circle of life.
Well…I have allergies to all sorts of things. When Spring and Autumn hit, OMG! Migraines! Hives! Constant cough! Asthma! Long, hard sneezes! And so on…by far, the best time of year for me is winter. The dead of winter. -20 degrees.
@haydesigner Yes, mine are annoying. I have to sleep with a humidifier in the colder months to avoid waking with sinus headaches. When they trim the bushes around here, the whole complex smells like onions and my sensitive sinuses don’t enjoy it.
Less than lethal. I might look into shots, just because I’ve heard good things, but getting a slightly deviated septum surgically fixed a few years ago was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Didn’t get rid of my allergies, but it did resolve the perpetual sinus infections from the allergies.
@Mavyn
I get constant sinus infections that will go into my lungs and turn into upper respiratory infections and takes me forever to get better from. I was told when I was little that I needed that surgery but I’ve always been to afraid to get it done. Don’t they basically break your nose? What is the healing part like? Is it painful, how long?
@Star2236 No, they didn’t break my nose. They cut cartilage and removed tissue in my sinus cavity, but my nose didn’t change. I was walking around right after, but only short distances. Normal activities took about 2 weeks. Very little pain, just took a bit to heal so it didn’t bleed. But I went from sinus infections every 2-3 months to only 2 in 5 years, and non-impact bloody noses nearly daily to non-existent, so it was worth it.
@Mavyn
Can you ge more specific about normal activity? Also was is an open surgery as opposed to laparoscopic? I have a blood clotting disorder and the last open surgery left me with a stroke.
@Star2236
I had surgery on. Wednesday. By Thursday/Friday, I could get around the house, including a flight of stairs, but I couldn’t be upright for long, maybe 1-2 hours. I drove myself to the follow up appointment on the next Monday. By a week out, I felt ok to do most stuff, but it was 10 days before I could do the mile walk from the parking lot to my office.
It was not open surgery, but it isn’t really internal, either. It’s not like cutting you open to get to organs/joints. I have spoken to a few people that have had sinus surgery more recently, and things have changed. They were all back to normal within a week.
I don’t know if I suffer from allergies so much as being exposed to a fine, irritating dust that is the ridiculous level of pollen in this area. I think if I was actually allergic, I would swell up and pop.
They aren’t really seasonal if they’re every season.
@ZeroCharisma Mine too. I feel your pain.
@chuckf1 @ZeroCharisma Same, but they do get worse during certain seasons.
When I moved to Japan some years ago I got sick with persistent pneumonia-like symptoms. Saw a couple doctors, did the usual antibiotics cycles, etc., no effect. I was coughing blood because my lungs and throat were raw, and on few couple occasions I did so hard enough that I vomited. Sounding like a barking hell hound and extruding bloody vomit is not a good way to make friends or segue a pickup line, if you were wondering.
Around 6 months of This, I had a doctor’s apt with a new doctor that probably lasted all of a literal minute where he explained he had the same effect from allergies when he moved there and prescribed Claritin and an extra pillow when sleeping. I cleared up in days. Glad I didn’t have to leave, I had a blast living there.
@rogerbacon What were you allergic to, do you know?
@Kyeh @rogerbacon sounds like they were allergic to Japan
@j37hr0 @Kyeh actually that’s basically correct. Some kind of pollen or microbial airborne dickpunch that was endemic to Japan; one of the girls I went with who had a rougher go than I had to leave a few months in because her throat kept swelling shut.
Different parts of the world all have their own uniquely hateful local flora/fauna/virion/bacteria/ contaminates that are 100% foreign to your body. Or even different states if your country is large like the US. Accordingly, make sure when planning to visit a foreign country that you get any regional vaccines that aren’t administered in your country, like the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine when visiting southeast Asia. An no matter what country it is, unless you are living there, never, ever drink the tap water.
@j37hr0 @rogerbacon Huh, interesting - I’m glad you were able to get something to cope with the symptoms!
I heard they sucked so I didn’t get any.
Holistic medicine tip: Eat local honey - farm fresh stuff, not processed or otherwise mutilated. You can get it at farmers markets. A spoonful a day or so. All by itself, not dissolved in hot tea or coffee or anything. Apparently, it acts almost like allergy shots - increasing your resistance to the local pollens a bit at a time. I’ve done it and it appeared to me that it helped. And I really don’t think it hurt.
@accumulator Local honey as immunotherapy is a bit of a myth. See the pollen that makes you sick from allergies is white and very light - it generally comes from grasses and trees. The plants that produce this pollen depend on the wind to disperse the little plant sex parts (plant penises? it’s the male part that flies in the wind). They don’t depend on traditional pollinators like bees. Now, on the other hand, honey is produced by bees that frequent plants with heavy, yellow, and waxy pollen. These plants rely on insects to assist in their sexual escapades. These heavy waxy pollens are generally not the ones that cause an immune system response. The chances of duplicating the effects of immunotherapy are slim as the pollens used to make the honey aren’t the pollens to which people are generally allergic. That being said, honey has great antimicrobial properties. So, if you had any germs causing problems, the honey may have knocked them out and made you feel better. Then of course there is the placebo effect to consider.
Your last sentence sums it up perfectly - it won’t hurt and it’s surely tasty on toast. And don’t get me started on the cross-reactivity between elm and birch pollen and many common fruits.
@accumulator @allergycheryl
Uncle Mike and his relaxed robe wearing standards after a few beers at last year’s family Independence day gathering? So that was ‘pollinating’?interesting. Ah the circle of life.
Well…I have allergies to all sorts of things. When Spring and Autumn hit, OMG! Migraines! Hives! Constant cough! Asthma! Long, hard sneezes! And so on…by far, the best time of year for me is winter. The dead of winter. -20 degrees.
@AuntMean67 me too. 3 migraines in the past 5 days. Pollen, any/all scents and the sun are my enemies!
Annoying?
@haydesigner Yes, mine are annoying. I have to sleep with a humidifier in the colder months to avoid waking with sinus headaches. When they trim the bushes around here, the whole complex smells like onions and my sensitive sinuses don’t enjoy it.
Horrible but I’m outdoors anyways. OTC antihistamine are my buddies.
@f00l I highly recommend moving indoors!
@tinamarie1974
But that would be such a sacrifice!
@f00l I don’t know, I am fond of air conditioning. Although the dog would be THRILLED
My allergy season begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st.
Allergies, no. Mood swings, used to be. Covid-19 made Winter hibernation depression last ALL YEAR LONG.
Not sure if the question means “to what degree do you generally sufferer from them?” (pretty badly) or “how are they currently?” (not so bad)
Less than lethal. I might look into shots, just because I’ve heard good things, but getting a slightly deviated septum surgically fixed a few years ago was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Didn’t get rid of my allergies, but it did resolve the perpetual sinus infections from the allergies.
@Mavyn
I get constant sinus infections that will go into my lungs and turn into upper respiratory infections and takes me forever to get better from. I was told when I was little that I needed that surgery but I’ve always been to afraid to get it done. Don’t they basically break your nose? What is the healing part like? Is it painful, how long?
@Star2236 No, they didn’t break my nose. They cut cartilage and removed tissue in my sinus cavity, but my nose didn’t change. I was walking around right after, but only short distances. Normal activities took about 2 weeks. Very little pain, just took a bit to heal so it didn’t bleed. But I went from sinus infections every 2-3 months to only 2 in 5 years, and non-impact bloody noses nearly daily to non-existent, so it was worth it.
@Mavyn @Star2236
@Mavyn @Star2236
I’ve had sinus surgery twice. (Not deviated septum prob afaik)
Both times that got me 5-10 years of being mostly free from sinus infections.
Outpatient day surgery, no biggie. Sleep afterwards for a day, or not even that. Some people go to work then next day.
Then back to life.
FWIF, I seem to have certain foods sensitivities that may make sinus probs far worse. I’m experimenting w this.
@Mavyn
Can you ge more specific about normal activity? Also was is an open surgery as opposed to laparoscopic? I have a blood clotting disorder and the last open surgery left me with a stroke.
@Star2236
I had surgery on. Wednesday. By Thursday/Friday, I could get around the house, including a flight of stairs, but I couldn’t be upright for long, maybe 1-2 hours. I drove myself to the follow up appointment on the next Monday. By a week out, I felt ok to do most stuff, but it was 10 days before I could do the mile walk from the parking lot to my office.
It was not open surgery, but it isn’t really internal, either. It’s not like cutting you open to get to organs/joints. I have spoken to a few people that have had sinus surgery more recently, and things have changed. They were all back to normal within a week.
@Mavyn
Thanks for the information
I don’t know if I suffer from allergies so much as being exposed to a fine, irritating dust that is the ridiculous level of pollen in this area. I think if I was actually allergic, I would swell up and pop.
Seventh level of hell torture