My son has been suffering from seasonal allergies for over 2 months now.

He has been to the doctor 4 times in the past 2 months.

First visit was because of allergies. Second visit was because of allergies (they said to switch medications). Third visit was for a medication check (required by law for his ADHD medication). And fourth visit was for a sinus infection brought on by seasonal allergies.

I am at my wits end this allergy season.

This morning he woke up with red, puffy eyes. Seasonal conjunctivitis. Great.

We are all supposed to go to a 4th of July festival in our city - he has been so looking forward to it for a while now. And I know if we don't take him (which we shouldn't) he is going to have a fit!

And I can't take him with red, puffy eyes.

I got him some Similsan for the pink eye. Which seems to be helping. But his eyes are still puffy and slightly red.

I have HAD IT with allergies this year!!! I am having the same troubles, just not as bad, as him.

An 11-year old with allergies is no fun. Especially when doctors seem to be either dumbfounded or just dumb as to how to control them.

Nose spray, Zyrtec, decongestant - he is taking all of it. And I feel like I am drugging him.

Has anybody ever taken their child to an allergest for seasonal allergies? His doctor has not recommended one for him, but I am ready to step up to the plate and attempt to find one if I need to. (My insurance does not require a referral for specialists).

HELP!!!

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"Yesterday my life was duller, now everything's technicolor!"

Wash around the eyes with baby shampoo works like a charm

I would take him to an allergist. He needs to get his allergies under control so he can feel good & be a kid.
jmho
Judy

Definately take him to an allergist. My DD was terrible from birth with all kinds of stuff, came home from the hospital with otitis media. She finally after being sick ALL the time at 3 saw an allergist and she is terribly allergic to a lot of stuff. She did allergy shots for 6 years, continues iwth her zyrtec- well the new zyzal, singulair, nasonex and her nebulizer as needed. It is a horrible way to live. She is 11 also and doing a lot better. I felt terrible for her. I am a RN and took her to the allergist and he asked how long has she been hoarse, I said that is her normal voice!!

Give it a try. You could really improve his quality of life.

I vote for an allergist too. I went to one for years with good results. I went for weekly shots for years, year round. In the meantime, talk to your pharmacist about it. They understand medicine much better than the average doctor does. See what he or she suggests you do until you can get in to see the allergist. One thing I suggest is that the allergy pills, if they are the long acting kind, be given at bedtime. Also limit outdoor activities in the early morning hours and evening hours. Have him shower and change into clean clothing when he comes in for the night so that he transfers as little pollen to other things in the house as possible. A lot depends on what he is allergic to. Some things are easier to avoid than others. If you have a dog or cat, I think there is a spray that keeps their dander down and that can help also.

Without a doubt, you need to take him to an allergy specialist! Our local ENT docs have a specialist from Duke that comes in three days a week and I see him. At 11, he is old enough for allergy testing. The will test for outdoor, indoor and food allergies. We've had to get air purifiers, dehumidifiers and I am getting two allergy shots every two weeks (I was getting two shots twice a week--4/week) but am finally at the every other week now (thank goodness). I can definitely see some improvement. There are kids in there getting shots that are as young as 5 or 6 (bless their little hearts!). I was getting sinus infections every couple of months, keeping a constant headache, itchy/watery eyes, etc. I recommend an allergist 100%! I have learned over the years (this is my second time on allergy shots--did it 18 years ago for 3 years and my immunities to the allergens lasted for nearly 14 to 15 years!!) that you don't get rid of the allergies, you can just make the symptoms less severe. I still have a scratchy throat from time to time and some fluid behind my ears but I haven't had a sinus infection in 5 months (knock on wood)!

Find a GOOD allergy doctor (not just ENT-ears, nose and throat) and let him/her examine him and determine if he needs to be tested or just find the "right" medicine that will work for him. If it is just seasonal, they may not want to test him but I would definitely take him to be checked out. Good luck and I hope your lil' guy feels better soon!

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Mom to a beautiful 15 year old DD and my handsome little man who's 6!

~~~GO DALE JR!!~~~

He is doing much better today. Thank goodness it rained (or is misting heavy) last night and still is.

His eyes were so puffy and red yesterday. He was a mess.

Today his eyes just have a very faint pink tinge - you can barely see it unless you are close to him - and they are not puffy at all.

Frickin' pollen!!!

I will be able to call an allegist on Monday to see how long it will take to get an appt.

In the meantime : Zyrtec, eye drops, nose spray, and decongestant as needed.

Fun, fun, fun!!

Thanks everyone!

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"Yesterday my life was duller, now everything's technicolor!"

I don't have any advice for you----just sympathy. My 9 year old has never had seasonal allergies until this year and boy did she get them horrible!!!!! I feel so bad for her. It took us a couple of weeks to get her straighened up from them. Good luck!

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Melissa
SAHM--the toughest job I will ever love

Glad he's feeling better today. But, not to "rain" on your parade or anything but I was under the impression that rain was good-washed away the pollen. In fact, I was told it's not. It causes MORE pollination!!! That stinks, doesn't it!?!?

Glad you decided to call a specialist. You'll be glad you did! Hope he keeps improving. It stinks for him to be so sick over summer break!

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Mom to a beautiful 15 year old DD and my handsome little man who's 6!

~~~GO DALE JR!!~~~

Having dealt with allergies for probably 45 years now, I can tell the rain can help with pollen temporarily. But if you are also allergic to mold then it can be not so good. I have also found that you can not miss a dose of meds. It's much easier to stop the allergies before they start than try to stop them after they have taken hold.

I have terrible seasonal allergies and so does my DD. We went to an allergist, but since I have no insurance, weekly shots were out of the question. DD takes zyrtec as needed depending on what is in bloom.

Recently we started using the Neti Pot (it's a saline nasal wash). We got it at our local drug store and it works like a charm. Especially if I've been in the yard (allergic to grass) or cleaning out closets (allergic to dust also). As soon as I'm finished with my tasks, I mix up a pot and take it into the shower. I find it to be kinda messy so I just do it in the shower.

It looks crazy, and that's probably why I had it for 6 months before I tried using it. I really wish I wouldn't have waited so long. It just flushes all of the allergens out. Sometimes you can see the gunk! So gross!

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Kristee
Kritter0114@aol.com

"Hold on, let me check....YES! I do have a coupon for that!"