Allergies & Asthma

How effective are allergy shots for people with a severe cat allergy?

I am marrying my fiancee in approximately one year’s time and he is severely allergic to my cat. We are looking into allergy shots. I was wondering if anyone knew the effectiveness of allergy shots and, assuming that they work, how long do you need to take the shots before they begin to work?

Allergy shots can be quite effective, but he may not get much better after being on the shots for only one year. It took two years before I could any improvement at all from allergy shots and five years to get the maximum benefit.

How can i keep my asthma under control?

Ive had asthma all of my life. I’m an active 15 year old girl doing PE for GCSE but recently my asthma has become so much worse and going for the tiniest jog will start it off. Any tips?

1Call your doctor. When you notice that you are experiencing symptoms, such as difficulty in breathing, especially during the fall or spring, increased coughing, sometimes with phlegm or mucous production, and feelings of tiredness or exhaustion, call your doctor and make an appointment. Your doctor will perform several tests, such as the lung function test, to determine the percentage at which your lungs are functioning. He may also order allergy testing to find out if your symptoms are related to allergies
http://www.ehow.com/how_4424723_keep-asthma-under-control.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art
4 MORE STEP

What’s the difference between an allergy and a reaction to something?

Last night I had to take my little boy to the emergency room. The nurse asked if he had any allergies. I told her panadol makes him throw up. She said that’s not an allergy, just a reaction.

Isn’t an allergy just the bodies way of reacting to something that doesn’t agree with it?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Allergy is an immune system response, an adverse drug reaction isn’t. The consequences are so similar that the real world difference between the two is mostly just that avoiding a drug is a lot easier than avoiding all the usual traces of an allergen. (It isn’t technically ‘proper’ to say ‘drug allergy’; you should say ‘adverse reaction’ even though just this week I’ve been asked, again, by Dr.s, am I allergic to any drugs…)

How do I avoid an asthma attack after exercise?

I am 20 years old and have never had asthma. The last few times after my soccer games I have been coughing a lot, but today I had an actual asthma attack where I couldnt breathe, I had a lot of pressure on my chest, and I couldnt stop coughing. My brother has really bad asthma so I used his inhaler and I sat in the bathroom with steam from the shower and it went away. Is there a way for me to avoid having asthma after exercise? I normally never have asthma.

You need to see your GP who might refer you to a specialist and have an asthma treatment plan done immediately. They’ll do a series of lung tests and then probably put you on a preventer. After being on that for a couple of days you should be fine to exercise but if you still feel out of breath try taking a few sprays from an inhaler before you work out and after if you need it.

Hope this helps

How long does an allergy test usually take?

I have to go for an allergy test tomorrow morning at 9:30. They are doing the arm test, not the back test. How long do these tests usually take, assuming they do find something you’re allergic to?

The back test usually takes a couple hours. The arm test takes about 15 minutes to set up, a couple minutes to administer and 15 more minutes of waiting to see if anything shows up. Depending on what shows up (how many positives you have) will determine what they want to do. Inhalant allergies - they usally recommend allergy shots
Food/latex/work exposure allergies - avoidance
I’d say you’ll be there about an hour.

How much does it cost to treat feline asthma?

Ive watched youtube videos and it seems to match what my cat is doing. My cat has been having symptoms for 3 weeks now.
I am going to bring him to the vet just wondering what tests they will have to do, and how much is costs to treat the asthma.

They generally will do two things: one is to test for heartworm (as that can cause a cough that is just like the one that asthma causes) and two is to do an xray of the heart and lungs. That will help them diagnose asthma. If it is asthma, they generally prescribe an oral steroid that will reduce the inflammation and that helps with the cough. The steroids are cheap, actually. Sometimes a bronchiodilator drug is prescribed as well, depending on the severity of the asthma. In most cases it’s a fairly easy to manage condition.

How does someone develop an allergy to something?

When do you develop an allergy? Is there a certain point in time where you develop them? What could determine what allergy you might have?

Thanks!

You are not necessarily "born" with allergies. Some allergies are "acquired" such as being allergic to penicillin after taking it many times. I have recently been diagnosed as being allergic to phenoxyethanol, an ingredient in cosmetics, and I realize I have been using several products over several years that have that as an ingredient. The same overexposure concept applies to food allergies also. You could have been eating strawberries all your life, then one day, suddenly, have a reaction. The immune system is what is causing this and you could find lots of info under that topic for more details.

Here’s an excerpt from a site explaining allergic reactions for nail techs to watch for in their clients!

"Irritant Contact Dermatitis can develop after a short, heavy exposure or a repeated or prolonged low exposure to a substance. The appearance of irritant contact dermatitis varies considerably according to the conditions of exposure. For example, an accidental contact with a strong irritant causes immediate blisters. Contact with a mild irritant may only produce redness of the skin. However, if the irritation continues, small lesions or sores appear on the reddened area; afterward, crusts and scales form. The skin damage usually heals a few weeks after exposure ends if no complications have arisen (no infections occurred)."

And…I hope you never have any!!!

How long should you be on steriods for asthma?

I’ve been on steroids for my asthma for 7 years. I feel a little bit better than before I was on them but ive gain a lot of weight. Am I on it for too long? My doctor says no.
I also asked my doctor about other options and she said there were no other options.

One of the main side effects of steroids is weight gain. Your doctor most likely has you on steroids because he feels your asthma cannot be adequately controlled with an inhaler alone. If you are concerned about the side effects you’re experiencing, I encourage you to talk with your doctor about other treatment options for your asthma.