When my son was smaller, we lived in Seattle and Olympia, WA. He had a fair share of Asthma attacks and we thought they were bad, but eventually things improved as he got older.
Now his is 24 and lives with us in Las Vegas, NV area and functions pretty well, but has had three terrible attacks that to me and him were much worse than when he was a child. There are so many triggers here we didn’t have in Washington. Yes, it’s dry, so the summer is better for him but when it turns dry and cold, and we’re in the house more, he has these terrible, almost killer attacks.
We spray for bugs all the time and seem to have them almost eliminated but we do have pets. He really shouldn’t be living with us (we got the dog after he grew up as our daughter had never been able to have a dog). Now he’s back and it’s tough for everyone.
Anyway, I’ve been exploring the idea of a better climate for him. We have lots of pollen problems here too and that surprises many people because you’re in a desert and don’t think it will be that much of a problem. So I’d sure like to here of some other experiences. — S.M.S., Nevada
[Originally posted to AllergyNursing.com on December 2, 2003]
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Those of you thinking of moving to Nevada or Washington, take note!
You may want to consider that constantly spraying for bugs, and any other cleaning products, sprays, etc. might be exactly the reason why your son’s asthma is so much worse! Indoor, environmental toxins can be huge triggers for allergies and asthma attacks.
Good point. Pesticides are not listed as an allergy trigger by many of the best resurces such as the American Lung Association here:
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22591
But the item above does go on to say that pesticides can harm your lungs (See under cockroaches). Definitely they are not good for any of us, and especially those who suffer from asthma and allergies.
I notice the dates on the above comments are dated, but I wanted to reply in hopes of helping someone as well. I lived in Oregon all of my life, developed Adult Asthma. We moved to Nevada soon after as I thought the climate change would help..it made my allergies worse!!. I have seen so many visits to the hospital, and feel sick all year long. Nevada is sunny, but the desert is so dry, and the Sagebrush, Rabbit Brush, Junipter are everywhere. The wind blows almost daily, I cannot keep up with the dust in my own house. Don’t move here if you think a climate change will help. I would love to move, but its not possible.
Yvonne, of course your comments are helpful. Thanks for posting! While climates may change over time, it is a slow process. Allergy-related climate info is not as readily outdated as the technological advances of treatment.
People come here from all over the internet, and comments on Allergy Climates and Seasons continue to help others regardless of date. Now your comments will live on to help others, also!
Lois