In which necessity is the mother... we'll just leave it at that.

[jesshartley]

The Valkyrie has bad allergies. They aren't constant, being mostly environmental, but they are frequent and when they get bad she develops a horrible cough - like so bad you can hear her "barking" outside of the school. It's painful, annoying (to her and those around her) and loud enough to disrupt class and get her sent home from school because neither she nor her class/teacher can concentrate.

This bout has been particularly bad. She doesn't respond to allergy meds, at all, and while they're going to start her on allergy immunotherapy shots, that's a long term solution, not a fix to what ails her right now.

We're desperate to do anything we can to help. So, this weekend we're taking the carpet out of her room and putting down laminate flooring. To do the job right (And because the paint/fixtures/shades in there are probably original to the house (circa 1960), we just finished pulling everything out of her room, and are going to paint it all, put up new shades, declutter/organize (a challenge with a 13 year old) as well as getting a hypoallergenic "bed sack" for her mattress, new pillows, etc.

My gods, this is a huge job.

Comments

[sandman-uk.livejournal.com]

you have my full sympathies, i have a persistant cough that lingers after any cold for months, drives me nuts, they havent managed to pin mine down to anything yet, hoping to have allergy testing soon.

mine is helped mildly by soothing cough syrups, mostly as they keep my throat from getting dry. hope what your doing helps her

[tonysalieri.livejournal.com]

Yikes! You are a great mother, and I hope she feels better soon! *hugs*

[generalbullet.livejournal.com]

wow, that IS a lot of work. I helped my parents do just that to help my mom with her allergies/asthma a year ago. except we did the whole house.

While a lot of work, the good news is it will help her drastically.

the other thing that is helpful is to determine whether humitidy is a help or a hindrance. when I was pregnant I had the worst allergy attacks ever. Kept me home from school for a whole month. we put a humidifier in my room and it helped TONS. however, my mom has to have a little humidity as possible. so get a de-humidifier/humidifier as is needed, because it really does work, depending on how she reacts.

[shetala.livejournal.com]

Oh, the poor thing. :(

[sabbathunter.livejournal.com]

Is the cough from post nasal drip?

Either way one thing I would recommend using is a saline nasal spray. Helps flush out the nasal passages, including allergens. That alone might help greatly.

[extrajoker.livejournal.com]

declutter/organize (a challenge with a 13 year old)

Heh. With a 35 year old, too. Hope she outgrows her clutterbuggish packrattery better than I have.

Also, hope the changes help. I'm sure the removal of the carpeting alone will do wonders. Also, does her room have a HEPA filter? I understand those are helpful for some people.

[mouseferatu.livejournal.com]

I, too, get long, lingering, earth-shaking coughs. I get them from colds, from sinus infections, from allergies, whatever. I am, in fact, fighting one right now. :-(

I have found that Mucinex DM--in its maximum allowable dosage, or in the "extra strength" formula (which is basically the same thing as max dose of the original)--actually works better than most of the prescription cough supressants I've ever tried. If you haven't tried that, you might consider it.

[newbis.livejournal.com]

I had serious allergy problems when I was younger as well. Shots plus medicine plus a massive redo of my bedroom (exactly like what you are doing) sorted me out for the most part. I would also suggest checking the AC/heating ducts for mold or other contaminate buildup and the same for windows (we ended up sealing mine off).

[winterjaye.livejournal.com]

Hiya gorgeous!

Sorry to hear about allergy problems. This is never easy to solve. have you had your house tested for molds/mildew? The stuff can fester in the walls of some houses and can cause allergic symptoms.

Here is another thing. I have a proposition for you (oh my)... blush. No, it's legit but I need you to email me so we can have privacy. smile

winterjaye@yahoo.com

[bluecrazi-angel.livejournal.com]

I can recomind an awesome Allergiest if you want to bring her up here for testing!!! Shots aren't all that bad and with them and meds it keeps things pretty much under control.

[bekki-n.livejournal.com]

Good luck to her! That laminate flooring stuff is fantastic!