Ok, so we all have seasonal allergies at our house, even down to the dog on occasion :lol:. Dh can take any OTC allergy med and be fine. I have to take Nasonex and Claritin. Ds (7) is the one I am still trying to figure out. He gets a little sniffly, only runny if outside, but mostly just sniffly. On occasion he gets itchy eyes, but not often. He has always been more of a post-nasal drip than runny nose kid (for allergies and colds). The thing is I know part of it is a mental thing, but he is sniffing all day long. We have tried various items, but unless he has a decongestant (sudafed or other), he continues to sniffle. He does a sniff in followed by 2 out. Some times it is a full blown snort, but mostly little sniffles. That is where it seems partly mental is that once he starts, he will keep going even if you make him blow his nose. I have a call in to the pediatrician for suggestions, but thought I would ask here too. If you distract him, he does it less, but it gets very annoying. Honestly, it bothers dh and I more than ds since ds does not even realize he is doing it most of the time. I know it is not a cold because every since he was a baby, every cold is accompanied by a cough, no cough going on. A week ago, we went out of town and he was doing fine. As soon as we got back into town at a shopping center, stepped out of the car, he started right back with the sniffling. I am trying to avoid going in to the dr. as I hate going to the office if I can avoid it (no desire to have ds pick up some other virus). So, what would you recommend trying?
If u have a good insurance, I prefer going to the allergist. 1. Not as likely to catch something. & 2. They can test to see exactly what its an allergy to and tell u the time if year that's an issue, so that you can know when to start preparing for it in the future (if it's just a springtime allergen, they'll have you start your regimen just before spring to get ahead of the game.) Or if its something that could be worked with, he could try shots. We have TONS of food allergies in one kid, and we've all got some environmental issues. The super allergic kid takes Zyrtec and Nasonex year round, along with inhalers and benadryl as needed. The other kid takes Zyrtec seasonally. My hubby uses Zicam (homeopathic) seasonally. And I just tough it out probably annoying my whole family by sniffling all the time.
A subject I know entirely too much about!! A houseful of allergy sufferers here as well. (even down to the dog! LOL) I would ask the ped about a prescription allergy nasal spray. It's the only thing that works for everyone in my family. It goes straight to the source as it's sprayed up the nasal passages and since it's not an oral medication there are less side effects for little bodies. There are some reasonably priced options even if you don't have insurance. And they really do make a world of difference! If you want to try at home remedies and avoid the ped's office I suggest looking into a NetiPot. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...13733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B000ITHH86 If he can't handle a netti pot (I'm 34 and I can't handle it! but my 5 year old can! LOL) I'd go with a nasal spray-look for one that is just saline, drug free, non-addictive. Like these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...DLPHC&ref_=sr_1_2&s=hpc&qid=1332792021&sr=1-2 The point of these is to clean the pollen or other allergens out of the nasal cavity, offering some relief. The neti pot will flow all the way througha nd is therefore most effective. But, some people just can't handle it (understandably so!) so the next best option is an spray. Aresol ones seem to work best for us, but my 8 year old can't handle even those, he can only use the 'normal' spray bottle ones like these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1X8SU&ref_=sr_1_7&s=hpc&qid=1332792230&sr=1-7 Also add some local honey to your diets. The more local the better. Also try things to thin the mucous your body will produce in response to the allergens-drink lots of water, limit dairy, eat spicy foods, etc Also, anything that upsets your immune system will make allergies worse. So if you know you're (or he is) allergic to anything else, be extra vigilant about other allergies as well. Even mild allergies to foods, if you eat that food-will make your seasonal allergies worse, because your body has to fight two allergens instead of the one (pollen), so it becomes less effective at fighting the pollen because some resources go to fight the other allergen. Sign up for emails from http://www.pollen.com/allergy-weather-forecast.asp know the best days and times of day for outdoor play. (if you start a journal, you may also be able to identify which pollens you (or your child) are most allergic too. Then, next year, once you know which plants you're reacting to, you can plan to go outside on days when you're not going to react (or react as badly) to the known pollens that day. And, as bad as I hate it, durring high pollen times I have to dust extra. Including those often forgotten places like ceiling fans. And vacuum more often as well. You'll want to do these thigns while your child is not around, or make him wear a mask while you do it. (mom might also want a mask if she has allergies too!) Also, I know many people's kids dont' bathe daily (esp younger kids) - during allergy season, it helps-wash all that pollen off before bed! Plus the steam will make the nasal passages happier too! LOL The dog will need more frequent baths as well. Pollen can really sick to hair and fur-so those are the things to focus on cleaning more often. Might be a good idea to keep the dog out of the kids' rooms durring allgery season. Change sheets more often. Vacuum mattresses. etc Cold compress to the face may help. If you have a dollar tree they have lots of fun character cold packs you can use to make it fun-have your child lie down, place compresses on his face and do a read aloud. I've heard flax seed oil can help-but we haven't tried that one just yet ourselves.... Use herb carefully though. Avoid Echinacea, as it's related to ragweed so it can actually make allergies worse. Hope that helps, and know, you don't suffer alone! LOL
all I can say is GOOD LUCK. I know what you mean about avoiding the doctor's office becaue there was one we went to and no matter what the kids got a cold from going there, they had furniture and toys that could not be wipped down or sprayed....... we try to keep the doors shut when its really dusty (like yesterday)..... the palo verde trees are blooming around here, and the spanish broom..... both do us in.
A natural medicine called "Allercetin" I get it at a local natural store - I don't know if places like whole foods or such have it, we have a health store up the road from us that sells it. It's $9 for 30 tablets, which my oldest only needs to take half of a tablet once a day (they recommend 4 times a day, but she just takes it in the a.m. b/c it only really bothers her when she first wakes up). Workes wonderfully for her mild spring and fall allergies.
I haven't read all the responses, but I picked up on something else from your post. My Ds15 has Tourette's (and I'm not suggesting your Ds actually has it), and he would do things like sniffing, blinking, etc. as tics. If you notice he is doing other "habits" like that, you might want to take him to a pediatrician anyway. That way they can see if he actually has sinus drainage or if he has developed tics. Some kids just go through phases of little habits like that (what boy doesn't go through the spitting phase?! :roll: ), but sometimes it is something they can't control. Just a thought.
Thank you ladies! I knew I could count on you for some suggestions. Now, Sonita, you gave me the biggest challenge. Dusting is something I just tend to avoid. I have started getting the emails from pollen.com, at my husband's request. It cracks me up when I open it and every day says "high" and it gives a sentence telling me to expect allergies today.
Thanks Brooke. We had talked before about tourettes/ocd. We've been to the pediatrician and began the visits to rule out neurolical stuff (EEG) and we did bloodwork. Even the pediatrician agreed with OCD, still undecided about tourettes, seems less likely, but still something we are monitoring. I do believe part of this nose stuff is ocd. However, I think it is that he has the post-nasal drip/stuffy nose but once the sniffing starts, he can't stop. That is also when it turns into the very rhythmic once in, twice out. Other times, it is full on nasal clearing snorts.
Sorry for not remembering talking to you about that before. I have had quite a few moms message me about it and I evidently don't have as good a memory as I used to. :roll:
Funny you mentioned the two times out. I do this, not all the time but often, especially when I have been sick. I have asthma and contrary to popular belief, the lungs struggle with letting out air. In turn, they can't take it in properly. Because I do not always let my air out in one exhale, I sometimes let it out in two. It isn't done intentionally as much as my body is trying to rid more air so I can take in more air. I really do it after I jog, sing, or get sick. I also inhale in spurts to when my lungs are not at their best. My husband and Ems also have asthma but they do not do this. When Handsome is getting over a cold, he does the full on nasal clearing snorts and keeps doing them over and over because he said his sinuses feel stuffed. His doctor told him that what he is doing is actually irritating his sinuses by snorting so much that it causes the sensation that they are full and need to be cleared. Once he relaxes, so do his sinuses. It actually causes an anxiety because he feels like he can't breath.
I swear this worked wonders for me. I hated allergy meds, they either make me drowsy or jittery so I went to a local orchard and picked up their wildflower honey and it made a HUGE difference having some tea or toast (or both) with the honey in the morning or before bed.
