In Missouri USA, spring is springing. Some trees are starting to bud. Some early plants like daffodils are flowered. As much as I love fungi and mold, they do not love me in return! This is the start of one season, the other is Autumn, in which my immune system goes into overdrive. The other morning I woke up with a pound heading, painful sinuses, what seemed to be buckets of post nasal drip slipping down my esophagus, and resulting nausea. The headache and nausea are tricky situations. I am pretty immobile when the headache and nausea are that bad. The nausea will not go away until the pounding headache goes away....but it's difficult to take ibuprofen which works very well for me because of the nausea. So, I slowing sipped a morning coffee and and slowly ate toast with a bit of peanut butter. Caffeine (in moderation) is known to help headaches, the toast helps settle the stomach, and a little pop of protein can also help alleviate nausea. I forwent my second cup of coffee for herbal tea with echinacea. And I was finally able to take ibuprofen. It took about 2 hours for the headache and nausea to go away - but it did. And I was able to carry on with my day. Albeit at a slower pace (because the sinus pressure did not go away). So, I am curious, do you have a wellness routine that works for you when you feel your immune system going into overdrive?
I take my pills.. they keep me alive. I make sure I keep on track od doctors visits including well checks.. shots and stuff. I go for walks with Neelix to keep blood pumping. In summer I swim in parents pool. I also eat lots of fresh veggies from farmers markets. I drink tons of water and make sure to wash my hands. I tell nasty germs I don't need them in my body. (Sounds werid but it may work) and I drink oj and make sure I get enough vc and vd in my body. Sleep is also important.. I like naps.. neelix likes. Naps.. we do naps..
When I feel a sore throat coming on I drink spearmint tea because my husband's coworker swears by it. Usually it helps, but the last time I got sick it didn't.
I take a daily Zyrtec year round since my main allergy is mold and that can be a factor any season. Actually I take the amazon version which is some ridiculous quantity for next to nothing compared to Zyrtec in the store. Years ago I went through immunotherapy shots, which didn't eliminate my allergies (we moved out of state before I finished the series), but did dial them down enough that I don't get anywhere near as bad as I used to. Something is bad right now in Chicago so I head things off with a Sudafed for a day or two. I just have to keep things from settling into my sinuses... if I let that happen, it's all over. Not necessarily an allergy thing, but for nausea, I swear by ReliefBands. I splurged on the Sport rechargeable one when it was on sale because I have issues with motion sickness sometimes. I have had it over a year now and I can't imagine life without it. I have only used it for motion sickness, but my daughter had a sinus thing that made her nauseous and she borrowed it for a few minutes and it took care of the nausea. It works quickly and doesn't put any more meds into your system if you have something else going on. We head to Missouri tomorrow... so I'll keep your post in mind as we pack! Won't be forgetting the Zyrtec or Sudafed!
I do pretty well with Nasonex and Zyrtec in getting through allergy season. For stuffy sinuses, lately I have been drinking (believe it or not) hot water. Hubby makes fun of me but I can't drink too much tea or it upsets my tummy -- but a hot drink is so soothing, so hot water it is! I thought I made it up but someone told me that it is very common to drink in China.
Between grass/seed/pollen and general dust allergies, i was pretty stuffed inside and outside, the rain grounding pollen would always make me feel slightly better and while i hate humidity, it is kinda the same, so i was bouncing btwn anti-histamines mostly because they would only work for a little while - i'd have to switch btwn active ingredients every few weeks or they seemed to stop benefitting me, but longterm anti-histamine use really isn't good for anyone, (another long and ongoing story), but anyway our species of birds are also really dusty (feather wax on new feathers that when they preen and shake goes everywhere) and DH had sinus surgery in the middle of Jan but hasn't really had any improvment, i had the same in my 20's and meh. So I bought an airpurifier late-Jan after looking at various brands and the spec's of them and looking at what other 'bird people' have said - it's been interesting to see what makes it go into hyperdrive, (whenever they fly basically) but especially now they are staying with my inlaw's with our bathroom renovations at the moment. Getting rid of the carpet in our bedrooms also helped me a few years back but it comes down now to how often i pull everything out of the bedroom to vaccuum blinds and under the bed and the mattress etc. Good luck!
@tkradtke Holy smokes on the Relifeband!!! I did not know that thing existed. It's on my to-buy list now...for the hubby who gets motion sickness when sitting in a vehicle too long. I'll try it too of course. Missouri weather...rained all day yesterday but it's in the 30's and 40's for the molds are tampered down just a bit. When the temperate increases, it's going to be baaaaaadddd! Thank you for the info Tracie! I seriously want that watch er band.
I had not thought of this for my house. That may be a worthwhile investment for the bedroom. Thank you!
Honestly whenever there is change of seasons, I usually get a little run down for a few days. I tend to have to have earlier nights/more sleep, nourish myself with soup and easy to eat food and if I'm feeling a bit "cold" like, take a few days of my acute asthma inhaler because every time I get sick 9/10 it will end up at my chest so any preventative I can do I will. When I was down with COVID last year, I was using my acute asthma inhaler for a good couple of weeks as I just couldn't catch my breath properly, it did ease eventually though.
Year round I take the generic Zyrtec and the generic Flonase. I wake up with allergy symptoms but then they go away once the morning dose kicks in. My allergies are: the seasonal pollen plus dust and maybe pet hair. For sure grass, if it touches me I break out in an itchy rash. Ditto perfumes and candle smells (the artificial scent ones bother me more than the essential oil based scents) - throat closure/headache or rash if I touch it. I can't be in the same room with a burning Yankee candle. Avoidance it best for me.
Claritin every morning and Benedryl at night. The Benedryl helps with my allergies, but it also helps calm down my coughing which is due to allergies and the Lisinopril I take to lower my blood pressure.
About 3 years ago I finally went to the allergy doc (after my hubby begged me to). My allergies had gotten so bad year-round that I pretty much never stopped coughing and never got a good night of sleep. I tried everything - air purifier, special sheets, keeping our house as dust free as possible, taking over the counter meds, natural remedies, etc. Nothing worked. It was bad. Turned out I'm extremely allergic to dust, mold and so many outdoor allergies (specifically ragweed - so bad!). I started shots and 3 years later I am like a new person. It rarely bothers me now. I'm down to just having to get a shot once a month and actually have an appointment next week and I'm thinking I might almost be done with shots. Yay!
oops! Hit post too soon. Lol! The ReliefBand is life changing. I wear it on every flight… sometimes I turn it on, sometimes I don’t. But it’s great knowing it’s always an option. We go to Disney fairly often and for the first time in years I can ride everything… even back to back. It’s amazing. The other reason I went with the sport is that it can attach to my Apple Watch so I only have to wear one thing.
Upset stomach - ginger tea. Headache - peppermint massaged into temples and top of forehead. Start of flu/cold season - Thieves oil massaged into feet. Ragged cuticles or finger cuts - tea tree oil For a healthy immune system, I add tumeric and garlic to many meals. I have cinnamon/stevia toast 2-4 times a week (keto non-wheat bread) and plain yogurt with blueberries 2-4 x wk. I drink green tea every evening.
I'm getting onto the Green Tea bandwagon. I am seriously addicted to caffeine in the form of coffee in the morning...but thinking about replacing coffee with green tea. Research shows green tea can even reduce the bacteria that cause dental caries https://www.nature.com/articles/srep19710 I drink lots of turmeric based teas...turmeric + ginger and turmeric + cinnamon are two of my favs. I have not heard of Thieves oil...will do a little digging. Big fan of the yogurt + blueberries too! I often do a smoothie with those two ingredients + spinach and banana (to add sweetness).
Gosh - thats a tough allergy to have. It could make it difficult to go to malls or even some peoples houses.
@ArmyGrl I could not survive without coffee. I sleep like crap (have for over 20 years) so coffee is a necessary part of my day, usually 4-6 cups throughout the day and then I switch over to green tea and flavored water the rest of the day. Thieves oil is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, eucalptus, lemon and rosemary, all great immune boosters. I used to get mine from an essential oil company but now get it at a local vitamin store. I just rub it into my heels when I go to bed in the winter, for a few weeks, when flu season hits and also for a few days when I feel run down.
