|
The scary side of allergies...
I know this is an old thread BUT I had to put my 2 cents in as well.....
First off, if you are having trouble breathing, do not kid yourself, allergy medicine may not always help or it may be too late...your safety comes first, please get help and advice from a medical professional immediately!
My own allergy history:
Age of 2 diagnosed with many allergies (citrus, chocolate, house dust, etc.) and by age 5 diagnosed with animal allergies (dogs, cats, farm animals, etc). My animal lover parents had to give up our 2 cats and dog for my sake!
I have found over the years that my allergies have changed a lot. I am not severely allergic to many foods anymore, sometimes I get itchy hives, but these are more an irritant versus an allergy.
I am still severely allergic to cats and horses. My throat starts to swell, itch and close and I start having trouble breathing. I carry an epi-pen at all times because of this. I sadly can only be around cats for 15 minutes before my eyes itch, get red, start swelling and then within 2 hours my throat is closing and I need to leave.
Dogs are a different matter. I find every single individual dog is different to me. I have dog-sat for and been around numerous dog breeds now and I find I react differently. Its an very individual thing.
I am now living (the first time in 25 years) with an animal- a bichon/shih tzu cross. It has been good. My eyes itch and turn red occasionally and I very rarely get hives.
It sucks to have allergies but you need to learn there signs and symptoms and choose to live with or without animal accordingly. Some severe allergies are life threatening!
Thats all!! ha ha
|