hunting with allergies

[Bear Heart]

What the heck?  For the first time in my life I have allergies. Snotted up , itchy eye alergies.   Any tips for hunters with alergies?

[VictoryHunter]

Get a nasal rinse kit from the drug store. They changed my life. No more allergies.

[Bear Heart]

Is that saline?  I can picture myself sneezing after working hard on a stalk.

[Joshua Long]

Originally posted by VictoryHunter:
Get a nasal rinse kit from the drug store. They changed my life. No more allergies.

I can also attest to saline rinse working for me.

[CEW]

See a allergist, have had good results taking allergy shots.
 I used to be half dead after sitting by ragweed hunting doves and that was with taking meds.

Now it's no problem just a few sniffles.

[Centex]

Originally posted by CEW:
See a allergist, have had good results taking allergy shots.
 I used to be half dead after sitting by ragweed hunting doves and that was with taking meds.

Now it's no problem just a few sniffles.

X2 for the shots.  I am on year 2 and really notice the difference.

[Gatekeeper]

I have spring allergies (grass pollen) and fall allergies (ragweed) and I get the allergy/steroid shot in the spring and in the fall. I live in a rural area and our land has a lot of hay ground so I’m surrounded with grass pollen in the spring and the allergy shot helps me out enormously! It’s not a cure all but it really cuts down a lot of the allergy symptoms. In the height of the pollen output I still sneeze a little and get a snotty nose but it’s tolerable.

This spring the grass pollen was over the top thick! At times it looked like the grass fields were smoldering but it was only plumes of pollen rolling along the tops of the seed heads with every gust of wind. When conditions are that bad I’ll also take a 24 hour Claritin D (over the counter and non drowsy) to help with all the allergy symptoms.

I think most doctors will have you try an allergy pill first before putting you on the allergy shot. I had to push my doctor to get him to give me the shot and that was after trying several years of pills, sprays and drops.

Try Claritin D 24 hour or Allegra. Both are over the counter pills and both are non-drowsy formulas, they may do the trick for you.

Good luck.

[njloco]

Yeah, I had allergies, I went for the needle test on the arm, and they told me I was highly allergic to rag weed, roaches, and bed bugs. No problems with the last two, but rag weed I can snort and have no reaction what so ever, but If I get it under my skin then I have a problem. So I figured it out myself, it was the tree in the backyard, I cut it down and no more allergies ! It would put me in the hospital in 15 minutes with allergic asthma, almost bit the farm one time, went through that for over twenty years.

Yeah, they gave me all kinds of meds. one almost killed me, but they couldn't figure out what was giving it to me. that told me, they don't know how to cure it, they just give you a broad array of meds. and hope it works.

Not knocking all doctors, just the chemical administering ones.

P.S. Good luck, hope you get it cured, it is miserable.

In the fall the dust from gmo soy beans get me and my farmer friend as well. Long term use of some of these drugs can have some negative side effects, but even I stoop to using them when it catches me by surprise.  Last year I used some natural stuff and even with all the dust of the drought harvest I remained allergy free.

[Doc Nock]

Allergies are your immune system freaking out on natural stuff, cause the toxins in our air, water, food, etc expose us to so many free radicals, that it alters our chemistry and screws up your immune system.

I was born with allergies...almost croaked till an old Jewish doc in town said, "That boy has allergies." My mom, an RN,never heard of them back then.  

A world renown allergy research doc lived in our area. He helped me a lot but to this day, I still have them.

Not the same ones, but new ones as I aged. Between some OTC oral allergy stuff, some Rx nose squirts I do pretty well, but now I have Medicare, I started on shots again for as long as Medicare pays, I'll do it. Reduces symptoms, but I am allergic to so much, it's not like a seasonal or few item thing.

I also started some top shelf nutritional supplements that really helped, but doesn't cure or treat symptoms...just helped.

My condolences to anyone with them...

[Huntingnut]

Allergy shot. I've done everything else, nothing works as well as just getting the shot.

[KentuckyTJ]

The Claritin D works for me.

[Mike Vines]

I've been getting allergy shots since June of 2001.  In all seriousness, I'm at the doctor right now getting my monthly shots.  It got to the point in my life that I couldn't work outside in the spring/summer months.  Pretty hard on a guy that makes his living as a carpenter.

Shots sucked af first.  3 times a week to build up tolerance, then it went to twice a week, then once a week then every other week, now I'm on a monthly maintenance shot actually,  2 of them, 1 in each arm since the beginning.

It was miserable at first, but I got used to it, and glad I did it, and wish I had done it sooner.  

I won't kid you, I'm not 100% allerfy free, not even close, but at least I can go enjoy the outdoors like I never have been able to in the past (read that as prior to starting allergy shots).

[joe skipp]

Always carry Benadryl with me. I'm highly allergic to specific seafoods but when the air becomes a problem, pop in a "Dryl" and back to normal fairly quick.

[ChuckC]

Be careful and sanitary with the nasal rinses.  They could cause their own issues.

ChuckC

[Outwest]

I am on year two of a five year immunization injection program. Three shots a week.
I have been dealing with allergies for a long time.
One thing that will help is an over the counter pill called Allegra one a day and non drowsy. Takes about 4 days for them to kick in.

John

[elkken]

My wife uses the nasal rinse and swears by it, I use over the counter Zertex and it works well but can make you a bit sleepy at first. If your allergies continue I would go to an allergy Dr. and find out what is causing the allergy. I get hay fever from grass and weeds that only bothers me bad for about three weeks and gets milder as our weather warms in the summer. I am also allergic to cats and horses so if I know I am going to be around them much i start taking my allergy meds early before the exposure.

[Bear Heart]

I am trying an otc, saline, and eye drops

[Bud B.]

For me - two generic Claritin 10mg tablets a day (one wasn't enough) and nasal spray so I can  breathe. Year round. It makes my allergies manageable.

I used to be a seasonal allergic. Now it's year round.

[halfseminole]

I live and (nearly) die by Benadryl in the summer.  I'm so allergic to grass I have had EMS called if my wife's family didn't warn me before someone started cutting grass.  And that's with 5 year desensitization treatments.  My lungs can no longer handle the extra load.  In the winter, I'm fine.

My wife has agreed that we're going to plant feed plot mix in the yard.  I'm OK around it, it's just grasses that do it.  I'm even (mostly) ok around ragweed, but grasses are a serious, serious issue.  Talk to your doctor, they'll certainly have suggestions for you.