This I would not have been able to pinpoint from self-diagnosis, but I think it makes sense. Mold is the biggest issue outside from July to October (though also from March to November). It grows best in humid, dark areas (think bathrooms and basements), which essentially describes my old apartment in San Francisco where it was so damp all the time, bath towels would never fully dry. It was as lovely as it sounds, and so expensive too. San Francisco is when I started having reactions.
Birch, oak, and maple, with birch being the biggest allergen. Tree pollen is highest from March to June, and most plants tend to release pollen in the early morning and around dusk. This allergy wasn’t a surprise to me, because I’ve been dealing with itchy, watery eyes and congestion in Spring since college. I know it’s tree pollen season when I start waking up with swollen eyelids.
I sort of expected this one because I get some itchiness when I let cats get too close to my face, and especially when I was volunteering as a “Cat Cuddler” at the MSPCA. My landlord is highly allergic though, so no cats for me. Otherwise, I would probably be a crazy cat lady.
Not mine. This guy lives with my parents and is now comically HUGE, by the way.
This was only a slight reaction and probably no big deal. I may test these and see if I notice anything, but mostly I’m just relieved that food allergies don’t seem to be my issue (Edited to add: I have not been tested for delayed reactions, only immediate thus far). Unfortunately, I do have some symptoms of something called Oral Allergy Syndrome, which happens when people who are sensitive to a particular pollen (usually birch or ragweed) eat fruits and vegetables in the same family and get a cross-reaction because the body mistakes one protein for another. Common cross-reactions for birch pollen, for example, include peach, apple, plum, cherry, apricot, strawberry, pear, almond, hazelnut, potato, carrot and celery. The good news is that cooking them usually destroys the proteins that cause the reactions. I noticed an immediate reaction to raw peach, watermelon, and banana (the latter two are cross-reactions to ragweed) during my elimination diet, so I’ll need to keep an eye out for that.
No, not pumpkin. Dogs! hahaha That’s hilarious.
Aaron pointed out that I started having more symptoms when we moved to San Francisco (mold) and working from home (dogs). All this time I’ve been driving myself nuts with changing soaps and lotions and detergents and eliminating gluten and other random foods, and maybe it was the puggles? I do think the products I’m using now are an improvement if for no other reason than they have much cleaner ingredients, and cutting gluten has the benefit of eliminating a lot of processed crap from my diet, but maybe the dogs are why I can never completely stop the itchy feeling.
I don’t have an exact plan yet for how I’m going to manage my allergies (that may be a follow-up post), but it feels good to know that a) I have allergies and it’s not all in my head and b) they can be kept under control through environment and lifestyle changes, and maybe allergy shots if necessary.
I do know one thing though: dogs are worth the itchy feeling.
Are there any other mold/pollen/animal allergy sufferers reading? What works for you?
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I know, right? Of all the things, I did not expect dogs. That’s going to be a tricky one…I’m thinking I may start keeping them out of the bedroom, which would at least help me out for a third of every day.
I think the juice cleanse probably had something to do with oral allergy syndrome and eating all raw fruits and vegetables (and those cross-reacting with pollen allergies). Regardless, I am done with those!
Having fairly severe allergies all my life, I feel compelled to de-lurk and offer an opinion. Keeping them out of your bedroom is a good idea, as well as removing carpeting, if you have it. Avoid grooming them yourself and work at keeping their skin super healthy because it’s usually the dead skin cells, not the actual hair, that causes an allergy reaction. You can’t completely avoid it but you can minimize.
The nasal saline rinses are a tremendous help, especially after being outside or cleaning. You can mix up your own from salt and baking soda so you know what is in it.
If you continue to be miserable though, desensitizing shots really do help. They can be expensive and time consuming but make a difference. I’ve had three multi-year rounds of shots over my 44 years and my top allergies have changed with each round. In my case, it turns out I have other immune system disorders that have contributed to the allergy response but I think I’m the exception to the rule.
You also may notice that the dogs don’t bother you so much when you don’t have the extra layer of pollen (for instance) going on as well.
Thank you for commenting, Cindy! Your suggestions are really helpful. We have a door and porch off of our bedroom that we’ve been using to take the dogs outside at the request of our landlord (his wife says the dogs make her pollen allergies worse, which I doubt because they don’t go anywhere near her apartment, but whatever) and I think that’s exacerbating my allergies. We (thankfully) don’t have carpeting, but we do have area rugs, so maybe I should re-think those.
So happy to hear that you’ve figured out your allergies! It’s too bad about the reaction to dogs, but you’re right, they’re worth it 🙂 I’ve heard from several people that consuming raw local honey regularly throughout the year helps with the pollen allergies. I was going to say lay off the dairy but then I remembered you don’t consume any! In my experience it always worsens allergy symptoms.
Mold was a huge issue in every apartment I resided in while I was in Seoul. Korea has very humid summers due to monsoon season and it was a constant, never ending battle with mold. I found that sunlight, fresh, moving air as well as a dehumidifier made a big difference.
I’ve heard that about local honey as well. I had been doing nettle infusions and taking quercetin for a few weeks when things were at their worst, but I stopped taking them so my testing would be accurate. It seemed like that was starting to have an impact, so I’ll be resuming those now. And yeah – no dairy for me! Veganism aside, my stomach hates it!
It’s definitely good to know! I’m also glad I found out while we’re renting so we can make sure to keep certain things in mind when we buy, like no carpets or damp basements (things I would avoid anyway, but now no exceptions!).
Glad you have answers. More will come as you keep working with this. I have oats allergy and also ragweed – they manifest differently though. Now you have me curious if the 2 are related. In the meantime keep up all the healthy inputs and work through 1 thing at a time. It will be worth it.
Thanks for the encouragement, Sally! I don’t think there’s a connection between ragweed and oats…the handout I received (from Beth Israel Hospital, by the way) lists the following as possible cross-reactions for ragweed allergy: Banana, Melon, Honey, Cucumber, Zucchini, Watermelon and Chamomile.
I have the same allergies!! My dog is not supposed to sleep in my bed, but we love to cuddle (and she is short haired)! 🙂 I was on the weekly allergy shots a couple of years ago, but feel that my allergies have actually decreased in severity since becoming plant based.
I completely understand the dogs in the bed thing. We let Honey sleep in our bed until last year, when we got a new mattress and another puggle to keep her company. 🙂 Funnily enough, we replaced our old mattress because it was giving me allergy problems which I attributed to dust mites, but I now know I’m not allergic to dust, so it was actually the pet dander that was the problem!
P.S. Your etsy shop is adorable!
I’m happy you found some answers. With regard to allergy management, I have had a lot of success with nettles and quercetin. Using a neti pot or another nasal irrigation system can rinse some of the pollen and other particles away and easy allergies, but they’re not great for people who are prone to fungal sinus issues (which I have had in the past), so I don’t personally use them. That said, doing inhalations of peppermint oil and/or tea tree oil (the way you’d inhale Vicks Vapor Rub) in the morning helps me to clear my passages before the day starts, greatly reducing symptoms later in the day.
Thanks, Gena! I have the nettles and quercetin, per your recommendation (and the nettle infusions did grow on me…a little). 🙂 Do you take these supplements year-round, or only during (and maybe immediately before) allergy season? Obviously, my dog allergy is a year-round thing, but I’m wondering if there are any negatives to taking quercetin and nettles without breaks.
Great idea to use peppermint/tea tree oil like Vick’s Vapor Rub! I’ll have to try that!