Iowa, Colorado, North Carolina
I’m from Iowa and suffered mostly at the end of summer from allergies. Other than that, had two septoplasties, one, at age 15, and the other at age 20.
I moved to Colorado in 2002 and, after a few months, realized my nose could not handle the dry climate. (I lived in the mountains at about 9750 sq. feet) I had dry, irritable, and painful nasal passages almost constantly for a year and a half. One ENT said I had major erosion in my nose and must move to a different climate, while another said it wasn’t quite that bad, but to continue using nasal sprays and a triple antibiotic ointment on and in my nose to retain moisture.
We moved to North Carolina last year in search of humidity to alleviate my constant suffering. After living here the first few months in the summer, my nose completely healed and didn’t seem to have too many allergies, although I was still blowing my nose a lot and applying moisturizer. Winter came, and the dry heat indoors brought all my symptoms back with a vengeance. My nose was completely raw again, along with constant nasal drip and irritation.
I got a humidifier which ran 24 hrs in my bedroom all day and didn’t seem to make any difference. Once the weather was consistenly warm for a week straight, with the windows open and the warm air, my nose healed up almost completely again. The next week got cool again, and my nose is right back to where it was. I feel out of my body, imbalanced, and, not to mention, look like a freak.
An ENT here said to keep using the antibiotic ointment and to use a nasal spray which helps prevent a runny nose. The nasal spray seemed to dry my nose up even more and the ointment acts as my only temporary relief, which I’ve used almost constantly for two years straight. I went to an allergist and am apparently allergic to most trees, weeds, grasses, along with my cat and dog. I am now keeping my cat and dog out of my bedroom completely and am hoping to heal again soon.
I am in constant search of a new location to live more normally, where I’m not suffering all the time. The spring here is horrible for my allergies and I don’t know if the humidity is the best idea or not. The only time in my life that I was completely free of allergy symptoms was when I studied abroad several months on a sub-tropic island on the Indian Ocean.
I feel as though I need a year-round warm climate so as to avoid my indoor suffering. I don’t react well to artificial heating and air-conditioning, so I feel living on or near the coast would be beneficial so that I may have windows open and free-flowing air at all times. The salt-water is also very therapeutic. I’m at a loss and so frustrated. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
Thank you so much! — BW, North Carolina
Posted by JW by way of AllergyNurse:
In response to BW from North Carolina,Iowa and Colorado. I have had the same exact experience with my health. I had major sinus surgery at age 45, with another turboplasty two years later. I have to use antibiotic ointment in my nose much of the time. I live in a cold environment in Albany, NY, and when the heat comes on the winter time, I resign myself to the fact that I will be sick until May or June. I am resistant to many antibiotics. I can not use steroidal nasal sprays, because they cause nosebleeds. I irrigate with salt water, and baking soda, and Netti Wash Plus by Varcho Veda from the Himalayan Institute (PA). Most of all I have worked in an enclosed building for 20 years (3 different buildings-all enclosed with no option to open a window). The ONLY relief I get is fresh flowing air. I am looking for a place to relocate, and I was thinking about North Carolina, but I too need a place where I do not have to shut up the windows and turn on the heat. I am just over 50 years old, and I am at the half-way point of accepting the fact that I will have to leave the job and place that I call home just to accomodate this damned illness which I have come to call a disability. I have had frequent infections and I have been able to associate the frequency with the amount of time I spend in the enclosed building. I find that climate is also a factor. How do you interview for a job and ask “Do the windows open in my office, or not? If not, I can’t take the job. People will think I am nuts, so I try to envision how I would get around that issue on the surface, knowing that in reality I can not get around it and I would have to deal with it in trying to make a decision. This condition is physically and emotionally devestating in many ways. I am truly tired of it, but I also have a family to think of. I have been at a desperate loss of what to do, where to go, …how to make it in general. I truly empathize with you,and your description of what you have experienced greatly matches what I have experienced. It is not the same thing as asthmatics would experience exactly. JW
Comment by AllergyNurse — February 25, 2006 @ 10:10 pm
I have suffered from sinus problems for many years. I have had two sinus surgeries and have been on antibiotics so much that I have a compromised immune system. I have recently been on a six week regime of intervenous antibiotics, with a pic line and administered the meds myself, with a weekly visit to my infectious disease doctor. I live ouside of Atlanta, GA and also give myself allergy shots each week: one for pollen and one for environmental allergies. I have become so much worse in the past six years since living here. I have also had two IGG infusions to boost my immune system. It is all very discouraging and hard to maintain a quality of life. I am an active woman in her 50’s and really try not to let this rule my life. My husband has retired so where would be a better place to live? My doctor said Boulder, Colorado. Any suggestions? Good luck to all sinus sufferers because nobody understands how awful it can be.
Barbara Rose
Comment by Barbara Rose — December 29, 2006 @ 6:14 pm
I moved to Boulder from chicago, Illinois and since I have moved here my sinuses are a constant problem the air is so dry here that I can’t keep my nose from crusting up, gettng sore and nose bleeding. I hope to use this sesame oil that I found on the itnernet to alleviate this problem and a new humidifier as well. I think it will have to be an expensive one. I am even considering an air filter to go with it. I hope this combination works. I also only suffer when I can’t get fresh air. Hope this helps someone. The company for the Sesame oil is Youth strategies and I should be getting it in the mail soon.
Comment by deborah Gooding — January 24, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
Last year I purchased a Medisana HAH1500AMP Ultrasonic Personal Humidifier with Armomatherapy
. During the winter, I keep it on the headboard of my bed. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased another to use near my computer and recliner.
I purchased a third one this year to take to work. Already everyone is fascinated with it. It’s simple to fill, requires no filter and no special cleaning, cuts off automatically when empty, and has a beautiful blue dome light for night.
The doctor I work for often recommends the over-the-counter Ponaris nasal emolient for dry, crusting nasal symptoms with bleeding. He recommends that Ponaris or similar products not be used for more than a few days at a time. Check with your doctor if you are having serious nose bleeds. But for small amounts of nasal bleeding associated with dry crusting, Ponaris may do the trick.
Comment by AllergyNurse — January 24, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
BW - A common observation among readers of this website is that living near the ocean helps them, more specifically the coast of
Southern California. Have you spent any time in the San Diego area? Locating in an apartment or home as close to the ocean as you can get might help. It worked for me. I need very little heat or A/C because the weather is mild year round. And the ocean breezes are wonderful for sinus problems - some moisture without allergens. TBS.
Comment by TBS — January 26, 2007 @ 11:50 am
Something to ponder… I live with the same symptoms, awful allergies. My mom was diagnosed as a celiac (allergic to grain protein, Gluten). I tested negative for Celiac Disease but I have found that I am allergic to wheat products. If you think about it I am allergic to all grasses, hay fever, etc. What happens when you start ingesting it???? I went on a gluten free/grain free diet and my symptoms changed drastically. I woke up 3 weeks later with normal sinuses, able to breathe, no post nasal drip. The diet is difficult and I have relapsed many times but I know that it certainly makes a difference. Just consider, what happens when you eat what you are allergic to?
Comment by GF — April 18, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Hi,
I just wanted to post this information because it seems we all have the same health issues in common and I specialize in nutrition and health and how the immune system functions and why we have allergies in the first place and in reading all these postings it’s even more obvious to me that where you LIVE is not the problem or the solution. I know what it IS.
We live in an unhealthy toxic world and we don’t take care of ourselves and our immune systems don’t protect us. The focus needs to be on proper nutrition, avoidance of foods and major allergens at first, but then also cleaning out your body (detoxifying all the junk out) and replacing it with supplements like Vitamin C (proven to be the best thing for improving asthma and infection and is the most needed vitamin for the body, also another piece of excellent advice is that we all need fish oils in our diets which can cure numerous ailments, but is mostly helpful in anything that causes inflammation like asthma, infections, arthritis, etc. It does wonders for all kinds of health problems. I could go on forever, but just basically clean up our diets, eat fruits veggies, fish, certain meats, nuts and seeds and whole grains if you aren’t allergic and boost your immune system any way you can. That is the way to NOT be affected by everything you are exposed to. Hope this helps!!!
Comment by Jodie — June 19, 2007 @ 2:57 am
I’ve had suffered many years with year-around allergy and asthma. I can’t agree you more when you said ‘I don’t react well to artificial heating and air-conditioning…’. it is so true to me! of course outdoor stuff can trigger it too if there’s too much going on but the big problem is A/C(much worse than heating) from my experience. I’ve lived in Oklahoma for 12 years and summer is a disaster to me because A/C has to be turned on all the time in the summer(5 months at least). Couldn’t sleep well because of allergy/asthma at home and staying 8 hours daily in enclosed office with A/C turned on to much lower temperature makes it worse and worse. I’m tired of sleepness and always keeping Kleenex in hand. Claritin D24 works but not as effective as before besides makes me drowsy and feels and looks like an idiot. Can’t think straight at all! having been thinking to move to someplace else cooler, like CO, CA. But still not sure if it would help not mention having to consider job & family. Anyway it is my experience that Oklahoma is definitely NOT a good place for allergy suffers.
Comment by LW — July 5, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
“We live in an unhealthy toxic world and we don’t take care of ourselves and our immune systems don’t protect us.”
I just wanted to add to this statement that it isn’t that our immune systems don’t protect us as much as they can’t keep protecting us if we keep bombarding our body with foods that are full of “mystery ingredients”. Our body wasn’t designed to ingest toxins days in and day out. When our natural detoxing centers (liver, kidney, etc.) become burdened with too many toxins our body will eventually “malfunction” and that sets us up for many health problems such as allergies.
Based on that, nutrition is key to our overall health!
Comment by Judie — January 17, 2008 @ 4:50 pm