Now I have to wait another decade to get a cat
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Oy vey. I’m never getting a cat; it’s just not in the cards for me. Why, you ask? Because my oldest kid has asthma and is allergic to cats but you probably already knew that.
These days my middle kid is flirting with asthma. It’s definitely not as severe as my oldest kid’s but it’s questionable and that is why we visited my old buddy the allergist. It seems my middle kid occasionally feels like an elephant is sitting on her chest and when that happens puffing on the oldest kid’s inhaler seems to help.
Sounds like an open and shut case, right? Wrong. Her symptoms are not consistent, I cannot find a trigger of any sort and I’m wondering if the inhaler is having a placebo effect on her. The doctor agreed but did not discount her tight chest so we left with a peak flow monitor, a spacer and an inhaler.
That was almost it until he looked up her prescription history on the computer and discovered the pediatrician had prescribed Flonase nasal spray in the spring. “Does she have allergies?” he asked.
“I’m not sure; she sneezes a lot in the spring.”
“Let’s do a scratch test before you leave,” he said.
Have you ever had a scratch test? It’s not really a scratch. It’s more of digging-a-needle-in-the-skin-and-then-scraping-it-back-out test. Four rows of six on her back.
The results came back like this: allergies to all trees, leaves and pollen which is why she sneezes a lot in the spring. The next row on her back showed up as dust mites. And row three was the domestic cat. Damnation.
So in addition to never having a cat again, I now have to worry about dust mites making a shanty town in the bed skirts. I also need to buy a few mattress covers for two mattresses and two box springs since she shares a room with her younger sister who, as of yet, is not allergic to cats or dust mites.
Now that I’m going on a shopping spree maybe I should break the bank and buy some satin pillowcases while I’m at it. Although those things are pretty slippery, aren’t they? I don’t need her sliding out of bed in the middle of the night, banging her head on the floor and spiraling into an asthma attack.
I’ll just keep using cotton pillowcases and wait for those dust mites to trigger an attack.
At least then I won’t have to deal with a concussion.
Tags: Things that are definitely not cool, Things that get on my very last nerve, Things that require my sarcasm
Bummer.
I was a sickly kid, but I outgrew all of my serious allergies. (Though cats were never a problem. We always had a bunch) So at least when they come back from college, all of your cats won’t bother them.
You should have planned ahead! I just saw a study about how cat allergies are generally diminished if you have grown up with them, but not if you acquie them later. Bummer, dude. At least if you get cats after they move, you won’t have to worry about them moving back in with you.
I didn’t know that, Heidi. Explains why cats were about the only thing I wasn’t allergic to as a kid.
I have the same allergies, and then some. It’s not too difficult to keep dust mites down. A steamer really helps!
On the subject of cats. Most of my family have a reaction to red/gingah cats (including me) but any other colour is fine. I have yet to discover why red cats cause most cat allergies, but they definitely appear to, even if they are a tortoiseshell, with a tiny amount of ginger. It was only when we got our red point that my allergy started (21 years ago) We still have her, and I still have a reaction to her, while I can snuggle my head in Sukie’s tummy (all black) with no problems at all. Most people who come into our home have a reaction if they cuddle Livvie (the red cat), yet have no problems with the others.
It might be an idea, once the subject has died down, to produce test situations and just take note of her reactions. I’d hate to think of you being catless :)
Babs (beetle) recently posted..Blogging from my iPad
CG, get a dog. Get a 10 pound dog who is housebroken and full grown. Put a bell around his neck and nickname him “Pussy” and you won’t even realize it’s not a cat.
Linda Medrano recently posted..Turning Tricks Is Not the Same As Doing Tricks
I had a cat allergy that was severe enough that I felt the elephant-on-chest shortly after I adopted my first cat.
Many years later I found out that the foods I eat determine just how bad I will react. If I avoid wheat and dairy, I don’t notice any symptoms from living with four cats (and a dog). But if I go off the diet, the asthma, running nose and congestion come back.
The typical allergists that I’ve visited didn’t treat or test for food allergies. So I’m on my own. I use Sudaphed, Benedryl to deal with acute flare-ups, and an herbal supplement of Quercitin & and Stinging Nettle for longer term help like in the fall.
Good luck!
Square Peg Guy recently posted..Blog Update
Dear CG, we just bought all the covers for the bed where my 3yo sleeps, including covers for the pillows and doona(kind of like a comforter except it goes inside a cover before going on the bed). Made a massive difference, and well worth every penny.
Oh man. That stinks. Allergies suck. Big time.
meleah rebeccah recently posted..I Am In Love
So sorry about your inability to have cats. Allergies do suck! Hubby is allergic to the outdoors in the spring, but modern drugs keep his suffering now to a minimum. Thankfully he is NOT allergic to cats!
That sucks. I love my cats. I picked them over kids!
Nora Blithe recently posted..The 23rd Carbohydrate
There are hairless cats, but I’d have to agree with Chandler from “Friends,” they do look a bit inside out.
tokenblogger recently posted..So a couple of my blogmates are having a trial separation…
Ohhh I’m sorry! She would never make it in my house.. cats and dust. That is awful! My middle child has reactive airway… I am grateful it isn’t worse, so I feel for you!
Katherine recently posted..Homemade Peanut Butter Is Not Worth It
We’ve always had cats. Our oldest was diagnosed with asthma but we didn’t get rid of our cats. We do sequester the cats in the basement at night and keep them out of the bedrooms so that their fur and dander don’t get on the bedding. What it comes down to here is that if the nose stays away from the fur, it’s OK. Doctors always scowl at me when I tell them this.