Allergies

[Stickerbunny]

So after last threads suggestions I tried to get boyfriend to use benadryl decongestant and a sinus rinse. He used like 1 tablespoon of water for the sinus rinse and said he didn’t want to waterboard himself (uhm… I tried it and it isn’t painful or uncomfortable at all, but ok…). And he won’t buy decongestants because he “doesn’t believe in being ID’d for allergy and cold pills” - ok….

He got wal-mart brand claritin non-drowsy 24 hour pills. And they are not working (though it has only been 2 days). He has developed a night time cough from the mucus and post-nasal drip. I have cleaned the house and covered the hay (leaving only a bit out for buns, refilling as needed) and done their bedding etc. We have an air purifier running in the bedroom.

Anyone have any suggestions for Mr. Stubborn? 

[jerseygirl]

Maybe he’d be more comfortable using a saline spray instead. We have one here that has eucalyptus in it. Not sure what’s similar in the US. You could possibly make up your own.

Do you have a pollen filter on the purifier?

[Bam]

What is he allergic to? Your bunnies?
Antihistamines are best for temporary use, like when you are visiting with someone who has an animal you’re allergic to. But if it’s not working one bit (the claritin I mean), maybe it’s not allergy he has? There are other over-the counter antihistamines, I use cetirizin and it works better for me than claritin does (I’m allergic to cats.)

If the allergy has caused inflammation of the mucuos membranes, then he needs cortison in some form, preferably as a nose-spray. There are many over-the counter types which shouldn’t requiore id. But if his lungs are affected, he could need to inhale cortisone as well and that he’d need a doctor to prescribe.

It’s not healthy to go around with an untreated allergy because it exhaust the immune-system so he’ll be much more vulnerable to diseases.

[MoveDiagonally]

My husband has terrible grass and pollen allergies and when he was on prescription medication it was like magic, but he’s been stubborn about going back. If he’s allergic to the hay it could be the type. My husband can’t around Timothy Hay, if he handles it it literally leaves red marks on him. But for some reason Oat and Orchard don’t affect him as badly (He occasionally gets the sniffles around it but nothing too bad).

The generic 24 hour pills help a bit but he seems to have to take two of them to get much relief. The brand names seem to work A LOT better than the generic but they are expensive. He also eats raw local honey and says it helps but I’ve read conflicting information online about it’s effectiveness. I get frustrated because he tries all this stuff when he knows what works, the prescription, so I don’t follow how he medicates himself for his allergies as much these days. I’ll ask him when he wakes up if he has more tips.

Bam – I’m not sure where Stickerbunny is but in my area (I’m in Oregon, USA), some decongestants can only be purchased with a prescription from a pharmacist. It’s supposed to keep people from using it to make meth. I think other areas have ID policies too for the same reason.

[Bam]

Goodness MD, I meant regular low-dose cortison nose-spray, nothing with pseudo-ephedrine in them at all! I don’t think those kinds would do anything else but remove the symtoms, whereas cortison would help cure the inflammation. I meant stuff like Flutikason. There are other kinds. Not expensive and I can’t see any reason why an ID would be required since it’s not abusable. I find flutikason helpful against my allergy, both against congested nose and runny eyes.

Stickerbunny, if it’s the timothy hay the boyfriend is allergic to, then you need to get rid of it. For some reason timothy is extra allergenic. much more so than most other grasses. Or get the oxbow hay-cubes, if your bunny will eat them. (mine wouldn’t). They are dust-free and very practical. But your bunnies would do fine on other-than-timothy-hay is my guess.

[MoveDiagonally]

Oh! Haha, I honestly forgot which drug they were regulating. I’m going to make my husband read what you posted earlier and try to convince him to re-up his prescription. It’s frustrating when the men-folk are stubborn. I’ll ask him if he’s any of the low dose cortison nose sprays too! I’m piggy backing advice off of Stickerbunny’s thread. >.>

[Beka27]

What is his relationship to the buns like? Are these types of reservations normal for him, does he truly not like taking medication? Or does this seem like an underhanded way to “force” the rabbits out?

I’m not sure of the whole story, so I apologize if this was mentioned elsewhere.

Where are they housed? Can they be moved further away from the “main living area”? And do you know if the issue is the rabbits or the hay?

[Stickerbunny]

I have no idea what he is allergic to really, since he won’t see an allergist… it’s either bunny fur, bunny urine or bunny hay. We’ve tried orchard, oat, timothy and brome though so if it is hay it’s a general hay allergy. I asked him to test himself for allergies before we ever got them, but he was all like “I am 37 years old, I know if I am allergic to something and I have no allergies! Stop asking.” … *sigh* Yeah these stupid reservations are normal for him. He wouldn’t even buy me cold medicine when I sent him out one time when I had a cold cause the store wanted ID. Any decongestant here requires ID, even sudafed… some stores are even IDing for nyquil. They put you on a state run registry so they need your address, valid photo ID and think they want SS # as well (and he doesn’t want to give all that to the wal-mart or walgreens employees). I can check out the nose sprays, but if it is anything like a cold medicine, probably would be ID required.

They are in a bedroom, all to themselves. There are two windows in their room I have opened and I put a towel under their door to block as much air contamination as I can. There is a wall between them and any area he accesses on one side and two doors and a hallway on the other. Short of plastic wrapping their room, I don’t see a way to stop contamination anymore than that.

As for his relationship with them, he usually plays with them. He was letting Powder sneak out into the living room since he likes to do binkies more out there, so that may have aggravated the issue if it is an allergy to them. But, Powder used to live in our bedroom and had hay and even slept in the bed so I am kind of wondering if it’s something else… he never had more than a slightly clogged nose when the rabbits were practically in his face all day. He says if he goes outside it clears up and returns when he gets back in the house. We have no plants or anything though.

I did find a giiiigantic hole behind our washing machine (where something had chewed the wall out) and our lovely landlord had left our crawl space open to who knows what. But, I haven’t noticed any thing in our house… there was a cat under the bathroom at one point but he ran away when I tried to help him out.

[Beka27]

Hmmm… Could it be something environmental in the house then, like mold?

[Bam]

The meds I mentioned are nothing like sudafed and nyquil. Both sudafed and nyquil has pesudoephedrine in them. From what I gather it’s possible to cook meth from pseudoephedrine. although you’d probably need quite a lot. But thats why you need ID. You can’t cook anything out of nasal-spray cortisone.

Allergies can develop at any time in a person’s life, so being 37 and allergy-free is no guarantee that it stays that way. (The allergy-freeness of course, the age most certainly won’t).

Hope you can find out why he has the symtoms he has. If it’s mold it’s bad, because it doesn’t always reveal itself to the eye, you may need a mold-dog to detect it.

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By Beka27 on 06/22/2013 02:39 PM
Hmmm… Could it be something environmental in the house then, like mold?

Honestly, without him going to see a doctor it could be anything. :s Rabbits and bird are not showing any respiratory issues, which usually a parrot would be sneezing to mold before a human would even notice. I dusted and such yesterday though and did the baseboards… but the carpet could be hiding mold underneath it.

[LBJ10]

Saline nasal spray shouldn’t require an ID. It’s just saline. I use that stuff for congestion.

You know, he really should go see an allergist. Or even just a regular doctor. If over the counter stuff isn’t working, then he may need something stronger.

I do take Benedryl myself, but I also take a prescription inhaler (Dulera).

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By LBJ10 on 06/22/2013 11:32 PM
Saline nasal spray shouldn’t require an ID. It’s just saline. I use that stuff for congestion.

You know, he really should go see an allergist. Or even just a regular doctor. If over the counter stuff isn’t working, then he may need something stronger.

I do take Benedryl myself, but I also take a prescription inhaler (Dulera).

 

He has a saline sinus rinse, but he won’t use it, he says putting saline up his nose is waterboarding himself. Is a saline spray something a lot different? 

As for the doctor… that is a battle that will never be won. He won’t even go for broken bones.

[Roberta]

Oh this sounds soooooo much like my EX, Mr Beautiful…. D was a member of and the poster boy for an internationally well known male review. (Yep, a Male stripper, worked as a drainer between times) We met through our mutual interest in body building. But seriously, he was and probably still is a human being but his body was a temple !!! No Drugs, No Prescriptions All Natural…. I would quite happily have strangled him when he had Man Flu instead I scoured health food stores till I found a natural range of products he would take.
Thing is many people assume allergies are airborne, I now know that wheezing and coughing for me is caused by wheat, not smelling it but ingesting it. (So sick of the legends in their own lunch boxes who tell me what they know about allergies then take offense when I asked to see their qualifications, I’ll stick with my university trained, knowledgeable doctor thanks) I find Telfast helps a lot with all allergies, as it is Fexofenadine, also safe for people with high blood pressure. Another product I found really good is Sambucol, made from Elderberries. Both are available in the supermarket. Peppermint tea is great as an additional treatment and helps clear a lot of the muck out of the stomach that gets involuntary swallowed.
Unfortunately if he has developed a sinus infection he is going to have to have antibiotics…. If he doesn’t he is going to really feel the pain.

[LBJ10]

Posted By Stickerbunny on 06/23/2013 01:43 AM

Posted By LBJ10 on 06/22/2013 11:32 PM
Saline nasal spray shouldn’t require an ID. It’s just saline. I use that stuff for congestion.

You know, he really should go see an allergist. Or even just a regular doctor. If over the counter stuff isn’t working, then he may need something stronger.

I do take Benedryl myself, but I also take a prescription inhaler (Dulera).

 

He has a saline sinus rinse, but he won’t use it, he says putting saline up his nose is waterboarding himself. Is a saline spray something a lot different? 

As for the doctor… that is a battle that will never be won. He won’t even go for broken bones.

It’s called Simply Saline. It comes in a can and there is a tip on the top that you stick up your nose. Push it down and a mist of saline gently goes up your nose. It isn’t uncomfortable at all.

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