ChocolateBabz

The dude was pretty bad all last year, maybe a little better during the summer months. I started off thinking maybe it was a cold, then maybe allergies so I tried the usual advertised allergy stuff. When he finally piped up 'Mum I can't deal with this anymore it's driving me crazy' I knew it was time to go get it seen to. He is worse in the morning at home and says he sneezes all day long at school. He did his first sinus rinse last night no problems - rather him than me, I could feel myself starting to gag on his behalf - urrgghhh.

ChocolateBabz

Hubby's super duper pain meds after his surgery last year were $5 a tub but this nasal spray is $27 - no rhyme nor reason to any of it.

scrubbedexpat097

It's because we live in allergy capital USA...another for Houston



Do you have a humidifier? It sometimes helps.


We all had bad allergy problems when we first moved here but over the years it lessened and lessened. I guess we got used to it.

Hope he gets to feeling better soon

Sally Redux

I think they do in the UK - my brother gets loads of allergies and they tried everything, I seem to remember him getting shots. I know he got acupuncture on the NHS.

'Healthcare' over here is just a racket. Not only is the financing for it corrupt, you never know if you actually need treatment or are just lining someone's pocket.

ChocolateBabz

That's exactly how hubby feels. As he said if the nasal spray works why bother with the $350 allergy test and then 6 months or so of allergy shots. My view was so that dude is 'cured' and no longer needs to take any medication. Of course hubby countered with 'Yes but after six months he might still not be 'cured' and still need medication/nasal spray' - arrghh....

I also can't get round telling the doctor 'No that's OK we won't bother with the tests until we see if the nasal spray works'. I was brought up just doing what the doctor tells me no questions asked. I suppose I need to change the way I think and start treating them like any other service provider.

Sally Redux

Difficult isn't it? The tests could be useful to see if the specific allergen can be isolated.

My son had a similar problem and it was found to be grass which was the main problem. He seems to have grown out of it to some extent now (18).

penguinbar

Have you looked at Costco or Target? They both have very good prices for medication. In fact it was cheaper for me to get my medication at Costco than through my prescription plan! Some plans will cover acupuncture if your plan covers chiropractics and the acupuncturist is in a chiropractors office. The same with massage.

ChocolateBabz

56 (yes 56) skin pricks and he is allergic to...drum roll please...nothing!!!

Could be non-allergic chronic rhinitis or sinusitis so she has given him some anti-biotics (hmm maybe we could have done that before the $300 allergy test) to see if it clears up. If not lets do a CT scan and some surgery - for a runny flippin nose and sneezing. Anyway lets add another $47 bucks to the total so far for the meds. Don't know what's going on with our prescription plan this year!

scrubbedexpat097

Do you have a humidifier for his room? It helps a lot to keep the air clean.

Also have you been buying any of the OTC nose sprays for him? If you have it may be making it worse.

It might also be a time thing...eventually he may get used to what is in the air. That is what happened to M. He had terrible allergies for the first few years that we lived here and then they just stopped. Hopefully your dude will do the same

Do you have a deductible on perscriptions? It is usually seperate from medical deduction.

Michael

Actually that is not bad knowing that. If he was allergic to mold and you had a mold problem in your house, you may have to tear out all the walls or move. So which would you rather have, a $500 doctor bill or a $100,000 home repair bill or you could always take him out in the woods in the back?

ChocolateBabz

No no OTC nasal sprays, we just went through the usual OTC allergy meds before going to see the doctor. It's weird as he was OK up until this year, my eyes on the other hand have been itchy since we moved here but a drop every other day sorts me out. I was sure it was gonna be the cats even though we have had them for almost 3 years now.

Fingers crossed the anti-biotics might do the trick. The nasal rinse and spray from the doctor have helped a bit, at least he can breathe through both nostrils although he is still sniffing and sneezing.

I am checking our prescription plan as it looks like we didn't have a deductible in previous years but we are paying 100% of cost so far this year. There is a good chance hubby got an e-mail informing of this but it has been lost in his 'sea of red' as he call's his e-mail inbox haha!

You know I think the medical thing is my biggest headache from moving here - I don't even mind doing my tax return compared to figuring out our medical stuff!

ChocolateBabz

True, as I said before if it had been the cats I am not sure who would have been 'relocated'

augigi

It's $100 to see your PCP in the office? That's outrageous. It's $5 for a checkup and $20 for a sick visit for me.

Antibiotics are generally tried before allergy testing I thought. You can def get chronic sinus infection that goes on and on and can do damage so if it doesn't go away the CT may be worth it. Let's hope it's not necessary though!

penguinbar

I agree. A $100 co pay with a PPO?

clarissageo

I was told that a spoon of locally produced honey every day works wonders for allergies.

I hate honey though, so I just throw Mucinex DM down my neck when mine kick in.