Bird
Rest in Peace
Allergies are peculiar things. I don't normally have a problem, but my wife takes Zyrtec year round, like Skyco, and we've both been known to take an occasional Benadryl.
Sinusitis, allergy's worse doing what I like!
- Thread starter irwin
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Spiveyman
Platinum Member
Finally!!! Something on TBN I may be qualified to comment on. I'm not a doctor or anything like that I but I do have a ton of experience with this topic (as opposed to all those others I comment on 
)
I am allergic to September, badly! I used to get sinusitis every time I had to mow all summer long, but September would flat put me out of commission. I've tried every paper filter I could find. I hate those things, very uncomfortable, HOT, and they don't seem to help me at all. (Sorry not to have a better answer on that front.) I've even considered getting a SCBA mounted on my tractor!!! I figure the only way I'm breathing freely is if I supply my own 99.99999999% clean air. I've worked in a Class 100 clean room with HEPA filters (like in the Intel commercials) and still sneeze my head off in Sept., so a Cab tractor isn't likely to help me either. Tried Allegra, very expensive and only worked a little for me, claritin works about as good as M&M's, all those others mentioned here as well. Benadryl pretty much knocks me out which makes it hard to keep the rows straight while mowing.
Last year my dad told me about Alavert. It may or may not work for you, but I start popping one of those a day in mid August. It takes a while for it to start working in your body - it's not an immediate cure like Benadryl. But once I have that in my system for a few days it makes a huge difference for me. And, on top of that I carry the Children's Chewable Benadryl in my pocket. When I feel a sneeze coming on I can pop a couple of those in my mouth where ever I am. They will take the edge off of the allergies but won't make me sleepy. I have made it through a very bad September (Yay!!!) doing that this year with hardly any allergic reactions, sneezing... etc and have not been sick once. I posted a thread about using my BB, and each night I worked in weeds as tall as my tractor starting out. Pollen galore! I probably popped 4 - 6 benadryl while out there each evening working, but I was able to to it without being miserable.
Good luck!
) I am allergic to September, badly! I used to get sinusitis every time I had to mow all summer long, but September would flat put me out of commission. I've tried every paper filter I could find. I hate those things, very uncomfortable, HOT, and they don't seem to help me at all. (Sorry not to have a better answer on that front.) I've even considered getting a SCBA mounted on my tractor!!! I figure the only way I'm breathing freely is if I supply my own 99.99999999% clean air. I've worked in a Class 100 clean room with HEPA filters (like in the Intel commercials) and still sneeze my head off in Sept., so a Cab tractor isn't likely to help me either. Tried Allegra, very expensive and only worked a little for me, claritin works about as good as M&M's, all those others mentioned here as well. Benadryl pretty much knocks me out which makes it hard to keep the rows straight while mowing.
Last year my dad told me about Alavert. It may or may not work for you, but I start popping one of those a day in mid August. It takes a while for it to start working in your body - it's not an immediate cure like Benadryl. But once I have that in my system for a few days it makes a huge difference for me. And, on top of that I carry the Children's Chewable Benadryl in my pocket. When I feel a sneeze coming on I can pop a couple of those in my mouth where ever I am. They will take the edge off of the allergies but won't make me sleepy. I have made it through a very bad September (Yay!!!) doing that this year with hardly any allergic reactions, sneezing... etc and have not been sick once. I posted a thread about using my BB, and each night I worked in weeds as tall as my tractor starting out. Pollen galore! I probably popped 4 - 6 benadryl while out there each evening working, but I was able to to it without being miserable.
Good luck!
I have had "grass" allergies on and off for 20 years. Most years I can deal with it with some loratidine (claritin) through spring. This year I went 3 days without sleep due to congestion and finally saw the doc. He switched me to allegra (fexofenadine) which gave me moderate relief within a few days. Nasonex too, but ultimately that didn't seem particularly effective. My insurance won't pay for allegra, so that was $80 out of pocket for a month.
OP
irwin
Veteran Member
Spiveyman said:
Hey Tim; I guess I'm allergic to September in the fall, and May/june I'm...
HEY! What is this!!! the most human friendly climate, and I'm walking around with a head like a block of wood, being a mouth breather!!.. (not just you D7E)..
BobRip
Elite Member
dmccarty said:I'm lucky that pollen does not bother me. But I don't like it at the end of mowing or brush cutting when I'm coughing/spitting black goo. I bought a $35ish "gas" mask at the hardware store for some remodeling I was doing. Its the kind with two cylinders on the side.
I found that this thing was somewhat comfortable. I could actually work in the thing where as the cheap N95 masks really restricted my breathing. The N95's would leave me huffing and puffing just getting on/off the tractor.
The only downside with the "gas" mask is that I set a pretty sight wearing it, eye protection and worksaver hearing protection with the antennae on the side.
Later,
Dan
I use the same or similar mask and it works. I highly recomment it. Prior to that I would get a sinus infection every time after mowing the yard. With it I don't. I also use a salt water nasal spray every day or even twice a day. Sometimes I use a steroid nasal spray. Minimal side affects.
Speaking of saltwater spray- I've tried a Neti Pot and it can work wonders on nasal problems and on a cold. Especially a cold that has all that mucus flowing down your throat and making it sore.
It takes some practice to get it right with one but it can work wonders.
Here is Wikipedias article on it- Jala neti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Be sure to pick up some non-iodized salt if you get one, the iodized can burn a little. You also need to play with the temperature and salt concentration a little until you find what feels best for you. I found my Neti Pot at a local health food store
It takes some practice to get it right with one but it can work wonders.
Here is Wikipedias article on it- Jala neti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Be sure to pick up some non-iodized salt if you get one, the iodized can burn a little. You also need to play with the temperature and salt concentration a little until you find what feels best for you. I found my Neti Pot at a local health food store
Soundguy
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My wife just got one of those and loves it... I tried it.. but am not fond of it.. though i do use the saline nasal misters.. etc.
soundguy
soundguy
Spiveyman
Platinum Member
LMTC said:
HA!
Maybe it's a placebo! I can't account for why one worked and one didn't, but all I know is that the Alavert seems to make a difference for me. Maybe it's the delivery mechanism? I use the dissolve in mouth kind, not the swallow kind. Same with the benadryl - perhaps the local-ness makes a difference?? I'm not a doc, I just know what's worked for me.irwin said:
Yeah, tell me about it. I love the fall, just when the temps start to drop a tad, I can drag out my first flannel of the season, football is in full swing, and I can't freaking breathe!!! I have "normal" allergies all year, but September just seems to kick my tail! Ragweed and Timothy grass. I did an allergy test, the kind where they put serum on your skin, then go down the line poking holes in you and the one's you are allergic to swell up a bit. The grass bump was so big it overwhelmed the ones around it so that I had bumps on the side of the big grass bump and it infected the little needle thingy - they whiped it with alcohol in between each dot, but didn't do a good enough job, so everything down line from grass was huge. Kind of freaked out the nurse. That was fun.... but anyway.....
Salt - I got this advice from my granny (the same one who eats poison ivy in biscuits so she won't break out all year) she said take a palm full of salt and lick it when you are in an allergy fit. I tried it, not sure what it really did for the allergies because the salt was so strong nothing else really mattered. Maybe that was the point.
