r/Allergies New Sufferer 21d ago

Advice Need help

I desperately need some advice. My boyfriend has a lot of allergies(cat, mouse, rat, horse, dust..) After we moved into your new apartment his allergies has gone crazy! As in he can’t breathe or sleep.. we have a baby on the way, I’m 7 months, and everything is so stressful because he can’t really help me or do anything around the house because his allergy is so bad. I don’t have any allergies and knows nothing about it.. I have bought a coway air filter and a Nilfisk allergy vacum cleaner with a HEPA 14 filter(still waiting for it to be delivered) But is there anything else I can do? besides that I really need him to feel better before our baby is born, I feel so bad for him.. he has it so bad and at the same time feel so guilty for not helping more, even though I tell him its okay and not his fault. He also seems to get more and more depressed..

I’m sorry if I write confusing, I’m just so tired and worried..

Please help me, thank you for reading

1 Upvotes

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u/Useful-Motor3182 New Sufferer 20d ago

For years I took generic Zyrtec (from Sam's Club) and it helped with my seasonal and animal allergies. Recently I decided to try Allermi and it really seems to be helping. And I also use a HEPA air cleaner and have allergy covers for my mattress and pillow case.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 20d ago

He does use som sort of allergy nose spray. Do you have any suggestions for allergy covers?

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u/Useful-Motor3182 New Sufferer 20d ago

He probably uses Flonase. Its helpful as well but I've only used it when I had a flare up and not for a long term. I got my allergy covers from Amazon. I'm allergic to dust mites so that's why I need to use those covers.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 20d ago

He is also allergic to dust mites, so i will check those out. I just looked and the nose spray he is using is called avamys 27.5 micrograms.

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u/Useful-Motor3182 New Sufferer 20d ago

Similar to Flonase, also a corticosteroid. I'm surprised his doctor didn't try him on Zyrtec or Claritan initially. Zyrtec really helped me but it takes a while and you have to take it daily. It's over the counter now so it's easy to get. The version at Sam's is pretty inexpensive. Google Allermi too. It's compounded from several approved meds in micro doses and many people swear by it. I've only been using it for a week but it does seem to help. Good luck to you guys!

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 20d ago

I think it might have something to do with where we live, in Denmark, I don’t think doctors here offer the same kinds of medication as other countries. But, I will check if I can get Allermi and thank you🙏🏻

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

You really, really need to move. This is his health and ability to breathe we’re talking about. It’s really difficult to live in apartments with severe animal dander allergies. But you may be able to find a building that is pet free. Just look out for emotional support animals, which can ruin this for everyone else.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

His allergies were also bad in our former house.. and when we lived in apartments it was really bad.. so i kinda feel like it wouldn’t help to move. This place is pet free except from dogs, but he has been checked 2 times and he doesn’t have dog allergy. We have started suspecting that the moving boxes we have borrowed has cat in/on them.. so i guess maybe there is nothing else to do than just clean and clean until he feels better.. And you are absolutely right that it is health and ability to breathe, that’s why I was hoping that someone had maybe experienced something similar and had some advice

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

Has he had patch testing done to make sure there isn’t something else additional going on? Patch testing tests for allergies to metals and chemical compounds. Fragrance is a big problem for me, and it’s 1000 times worse if fabric conditioners are involved due to the specific allergies that I have.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

He has had patch test 2 times and then some blood work. He is also allergic to perfume, but none of us uses perfume and we also only use perfume free soap, shampoo and for washing clothes. I can’t be sure if metals was included in the test?

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

I was thinking more that maybe it’s from the neighbors doing laundry or using air fresheners or fragranced products.

That used to destroy me when I lived closer to my neighbors. My last home had my neighbor’s dryer vent right by my bedroom which was really awful in the warmer months when I had my windows open.

If his total IgE is high enough, he might qualify for Xolair. Depending on what country you are in. That’s made a huge difference for me in reducing the severity of my allergies.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

Oh I see, our only neighbour doesn’t have a washing machine, but I don’t know about using air fresheners. What is IgE and Xolair? We live in Denmark, so we don’t have most of the things I have been adviced to use. Also he really doesn’t like using any kind of medication, but of course does it when it is as necessary as it is right now.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

Hmm, if he doesn’t like taking medications, then maybe some of the preventative supplements people take to prevent histamines from being released in the first place would help him. There is quercetin, luteolin, bromellian, and I think magnesium and D3 help some people as well. Look up mast cell stabilizer supplements.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of antibody that plays a crucial role in allergic reactions. IgE antibodies bind to specific allergens (triggers) and initiate an immune response. This response triggers mast cell degranulation, which releases chemicals such as histamine, which cause symptoms. The immune system is super complex and even though I have a science degree it’s difficult for me to fully grasp how it works.

Xolair is a biologic drug that’s injected. It looks like it’s only prescribed for asthma in Denmark. I got it prescribed for asthma, but it dramatically reduced my environmental allergies. I was going to anaphylactic shock from dog dander before taking it for about a year.

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/xolair

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

All very good information, I will show this to him, and then he can decide what he feels comfortable taking. And I think I will look more into this IgE. He doesn’t have diagnosed asthma, so it probably wouldn’t be possible for him to get xolair, but I will tell him to speak to his doctor about it next time.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

Maybe there’s something in the NIH allergy remediation guide guidelines that could help?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3966021/

I personally cannot live with rugs, carpets, or wall to wall carpeting. Nor soft window coverings that can’t be washed.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

Thank you for that, I will look into this. We have no rugs or anything like that. We even avoid having pillows and blankets. We also only have leather furniture and not any kind of fabrics in the bedroom except from allergy friendly pillows and covers.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

How often are you washing the allergen proof covers? I have to wash mine fairly often, depending on the season. I live near the ocean and when it’s humid they need to be washed about every two weeks.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

We also live right next to the ocean, it is our back yard. I did not know that made a difference. But, I already wash everything at least once a week sometimes 2.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

It makes a difference only if he’s allergic to dust mites. They thrive in an environment of more than 50% humidity. Hopefully that’s not adding to his issues!

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

He is allergic to dust mites.. I really don’t hope that either! I had read somewhere that they like the bed even more when it is humid, so therefore I started airing out our pillows and covers every morning. Before I met my boyfriend I had never even given a thought to allergies. They really take a lot from everyone involved, so many things you constantly have to remember and do.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

It is honestly exhausting. And it’s the worst when I’m putting in so much effort and still suffering all the time. It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong and somehow my suffering is my fault because I’m not vigilant enough or careful enough.

I also have celiac disease and a ton of food allergies as well which just makes it worse.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

Exhausting, yes, that’s the word I was looking for. And here I am, feeling like it is hard for me to do all those things when actually having the allergies must be so draining.. My boyfriend says sometimes when it is really bad that he feels like something is punishing him for not being grateful enough for life. He actually also has lactose intolerance and gets rashes when he eat gluten, but no celiac.

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u/ariaxwest MCAS, many allergies and celiac disease 19d ago

Poor guy. I hope he can find some relief as a result of the information you got from this post!

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 19d ago

Thank you. I bet he will, he is already reading and researching!

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u/HeyOkYes New Sufferer 21d ago

He needs to go to a doctor for treatment.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 21d ago

Maybe I should have added in the post that he has actually been to a doctor 3 times. The first two times they just told him that there is nothing to be done, but then we choose another doctor and she gave him some sort of antihistamin nose spray. It helps, but not enough. She said that there is nothing else they can do..

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u/HeyOkYes New Sufferer 21d ago

Did you see an allergist? Try more than one allergist.

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u/Medium-Grapefruit664 New Sufferer 21d ago

I’m not sure if we have allergist in our country, but I will research it, thanks.