Allergies suck, and anyone that has them will wholeheartedly agree. I can go through an entire box of kleenex in a day and then some. Sneeze sneeze sneeze, drip drip drip. Sometimes it gets so bad I have to shove cotton up there just to stop it from temporarily running.
Growing up in Chicago I never really had allergies, it wasn’t until I got older that little by little they started to creep in. Soon after my move to Los Angeles in 2004 is when allergies really started to rear their ugly head. The sneezing and sniffling was brought on by hay fever, dust, smog and just about anything else that made its way into my nose. In 2007 I rescued two beautiful kitties and achoo achoo achoo. Turns out, I was allergic to them as well, but I I was already in love so I decided to deal with the sneezing and stuffiness instead.
After being diagnosed with celiac disease in 2010, wheat flour was a true irritant for my body and for my nose. A year later, I started bartending in an Italian restaurant where they made their own bread. For 2 1/2 years flour was in the air constantly, but, you have to take the jobs where they come sometimes. By 2014 I realized that I had pretty much lost my sense of smell and sounded like I was always sick and stuffed up. I would wake up sneezing, sneeze throughout the day, go to bed sneezing, it was not pretty.
Recently I made the move to Colorado and the air here is considerably more dry than both Chicago or LA. I traded in carpeting for hardwood and because its cold outside, my much smaller apartment is consistently closed up compared to LA, where the doors and windows were always open. Hence, the cat hair has flared my allergies even more, topped by the altitude and all the new allergy causing things floating in the air here.
I have to tell ya, my first month here was absolutely miserable. I should have bought stock in kleenex after all the boxes I went through daily. My nose stayed a sexy shade of pinkish-red up until recently and was always chapped from so much blowing. I was a total hot mess; that’s what my husband coined my new look.
Finally I went to the doctor and was given a 5 day prescription for prednisone, a very strong steroid that I was not thrilled about taking. After doing some research and asking about it on my Facebook page, 99% of those commenting were adament about me staying away unless absolutely necessary and even then, they urged to try and find a better solution to taking the steroid. The doctor made it seem like it was harmless while all the actual users screamed, NO, DON’T TAKE IT!!! I want to send a shout out to all my wonderful readers on my Facebook page that gave me such great advice, thank you.
The doctor also advised me to start taking Zyrtec once a day, use a saline nasal wash to rinse daily, and later, diagnosed me with an iron and vitamin D deficiency. Below would be my new daily ritual.
I realized though that the nasal wash only lasted a few days before it ran out and was going to be an expensive Walgreen’s run at $10 bucks a pop if I continued doing this daily. So, I broke down and bought a Neti pot.
The thought of using the Neti pot, I have to admit, scared me a little, but it is super easy. Inside the NeilMed box are easy to read directions, the neti pot and 50 saline packets. Total cost was around $17.95 plus tax. It is a little cheaper online and they have different pots to choose from, plastic or ceramic.
I also learned from one of my readers, and thank you Mary for the tip, it is better to take the Zyrtec at nighttime than in the morning, because symptoms are usually the worst in the morning and taking them before bed can set you up for a sneeze free day.
In the end, using the neti pot and the Zyrtec for a couple days now, I can already feel the difference and for the first time in a long time, my sense of smell is finally starting to return. I keep sticking my nose everywhere and inhaling deeply. I am sure I look like a fool but I’m too excited to care. I plan on continuing with this line of treatment and taking my supplements and being at a 100% really soon.
Different people, different body chemistry. Zyrtec works great for me and I take it at night before bedtime for higher efficiency. A Saline spray is good to have on hand but not better than the Neti Pot for thorough cleansng of bacteria.
I did have to take steroids after a bout with menigitis…only two weeks. Then I had to deal with the after effects. You will get addicted to them quickly and your body will suffer! Then your mind, too as when it is time to stop. Withdrawal ( my friend with cancer is having withdrawal) is horrendous!!
My friend in prednisone her entire life for “allegies”: dependent on them and an emotional mess.
Take Allegra instead. Zyrtec can cause vertigo
I would do something else.. turmeric is awesome. I take pills of it.. its is really helping plus you can use other foods that reduce inflammation and are good for detox like garlic and cilantro to name a few. Bone broth is awesome too. Steroids can cause other problems.. I can tell you more from family members..
Be sure to do research…it’s a very HARSH drug and can cause problems with long term use. It is destructive to tissue and you will experience intense hunger, sometimes mood swings, and weight gain to name a few.
I have had to take prednisone in the past….my sister has had to take multiple doses….they make you hungry all the time, they make you jittery and I am sure it is tough on the internal body for many other reasons and think about why they taper you off if them…..
I take prednisone every day because of Adrenal Deficiency. It can have nasty side effect in long term use. Short term should not be to bad. The side effects of mood swing and weight gain usually happen with shorten use toward the end of the dosing. . It can be a life saver with severe allergic reactions.
Prednisone is a Heavy duty steroid! I could not tolerate and it never helped my allergies! Read up on side effects, GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM and out!
Thank you so much for this post. I have been battling with allergies for a long while and was also nervous about the netipot, I will try now.