May 04, 2010

Achoo!!!!

All winter long I anxiously await for the arrival of spring. Snow is just not my thing. I want to be able to sit outside, go for a walk or send my girls into the backyard to burn off some of their preschooler energy. I always forget that spring means seasonal allergies.
I am a long-time allergy sufferer. I've been tested and the tests always show I'm allergic to dust and mold. I still say the tests are wrong because whenever the TV weather reports talk about high tree pollen, I'm miserable. Regardless, I'm suffering and so are the girls.
It has been incredibly windy here lately. How do you tell four 4-year-olds that even though the sun is out, they can't go outside? You don't. We take walks around the neighborhood. We decorate the driveway with sidewalk chalk. We run around the backyard chasing bubbles (the wind is good for that, at least!). Then at the end of the day, we are all congested, sneezing and some of the girls have runny noses and eyes.
I've brought it up with our pediatrician. She thinks they're too young to be tested for allergies. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to have to push the issue a little more. So far over-the-counter remedies help... or at least help them sleep. But I feel like I'm just treating the symptoms. I would much rather find out what specific allergies they have and work on finding a better solution.
So, anyone out there have children who suffer from seasonal allergies? When did you have them tested? What course of action have you taken?

10 comments:

Sadia said...

Hmm, I'd push it. Jessica, Lucas and I all suffer from seasonal allergies, although Lucas' symptoms are the most intense. I talked to the doctor about Jessica, and he said that if Benadryl was managing her symptoms without too much drowsiness, to stick with that. If it gets worse, we're to try over-the-counter kid Zyrtec (I think). If that still doesn't work, he'll give us a recommendation for an allergist.

I don't understand the philosophy of "they're too young to deal with their discomfort".

Christina said...

Our doctor told us the reason they don't test so early for allergies, is because they could test one day, and they would allergic to mold. And the next week, not mold but trees, ect. I guess when they are this young, they don't always stick around, and so the testing could be for nothing. I just got my allergies tested at 30, and am basically allergic to everything, except mold. And one of my daughters has bad allergies. She is on Singulair (I am too) and we give her non drowsy Claritin (2+) and she seems to be feeling a lot better. Try the Claritin, and maybe talk to your doctor about Singulair? We both have been feeling much better. :)
Sorry for the novel!

Kisha said...

I have never had allergies at all, but this year we all got them-my girls have had lots of luck with non drowsy children's Zyrtec! Best of luck!

Quadmama said...

I need to look into Benadryl. I didn't want to give it because of the drowsiness, but since I've been giving them OTC meds before bed time it wouldn't be an issue.

Cherie said...

We had our son tested at 2 by an allergist--even though he had lots of postive responses, she shrugged it off because he was "too young."

That was soooo not true. We found a doctor who did test him and take it seriously--come to find out my little guy has multiple severe allergies and needs to carry an epi pen. He also takes claritin.

My advice would be to find a doctor who will do an Ige and and Igg allergy test. Those results are pretty definitive.

Quadmama said...

I definitely need to talk with the pediatrician again and let her know how bad it is.

Anonymous said...

It could be freshly cut grass - not only the grass, but also all the other things you stir up when you cut the grass.

Quadmama said...

That definitely bothers me. I made the girls go inside the other day when our neighbor started mowing. They were NOT happy with me.

MaryAnne said...

Oh, good luck with this! I get allergies, but not this bad (so far, knock on wood). And so far they seem pretty mild in the kids also.

reanbean said...

I have horrible allergies and am pretty sure that Tiny does as well. But I've also been told that my kiddos are too young for testing. I hadn't looked in to any OTC medications yet to help with the discomfort. Perhaps I should have some on hand just in case the symptoms get worse as we head into summer.

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