The Allergies Support Center

The Journey:
Just Found Out
Dealing With It
Recover & Thrive
Worst Case

Facing the Initial Impact of Allergies

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Allergies

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like allergies, you are never alone.  Countless women, men, and children have faced exactly the same diagnosis and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge. 

TSC has scoured the Web to assemble links to the very best allergy resources: articles, blogs, forums, and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional, and other challenges you're facing now.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this guide to allergies even more helpful to survivors like you.   


JUST FOUND OUT  

Best Resources for Allergies

The Big Picture

An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that doesn't bother most other people. People who have allergies are often sensitive to more than one thing. Pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, food, medication, and insect stings are some of the most common substances that cause an allergic reaction.

For an overview for a number of the most common allergy types, browse through the following links:

Your Allergies


Everyone is affected by their allergies in their own way. Even if two people have asthma or the same food allergy, they may not necessarily experience all the same symptoms. It’s imperative that you stay in touch with your doctor and communicate with him/her about the ways in which you are affected by your allergy. To understand the basics about allergies and how they can affect your life, these sites offer a good overview:

It isn't always easy to diagnose allergies. Here's a look at how it's done:

WebMD: Allergies - Diagnosis & Tests

Your World

Allergies can make many your life miserable, especially if it's difficult to treat. People who like to hike or go camping may find that allergies such as hay fever make it very uncomfortable for them, and parents often worry about their children’s food allergies, especially when they are away from home. These guides offer in-depth looks at some common types of allergies and how to manage them:

Myths About Allergies

Discovery Health: Dispelling Common Beliefs About Allergies

Dealing With Allergies

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Types of Treatment


Treatment depends on the type of allergy you have,but most types will benefit from medication such as an antihistamine, decongestant, nasal spray, corticosteroid, or, for asthma, a bronchodilator and short-acting beta agonist to relax airways. Here are some overviews of your medication options, to discuss with your physician:

Lifestyle changes can help keep environmental allergies under control:

  • Keep your home dust-free.
  • Remove carpets and rugs and replace with wood or tile floors.
  • Use an air filtering system.
  • Use a face mask outside when pollen count is high.

A big part of treating allergies and asthma is prevention -- reducing or stopping exposure to the substance that's causing the reaction:

Possible Treatment Side Effects

All drugs come with the risk of side effects and those used to treat allergies and asthma are no exception. Talk to your doctor to make sure you understand the risks of the drug regimen you're on:

AOL Health: Allergy Medication - Side Effects

Holistic Treatments

The use of holistic treatments should always be discussed with both your holistic practitioner and your regular physician:

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Alternative Therapies

Creating a Support Circle

  • Set up your TSC survivor profile.
  • Join support groups of other survivors or start your own.
  • Interact and provide updates on your TSC profile or in the TSC forums.

Insurance, Financial & Work Matters

Know your rights when it comes to your health coverage and how to find help paying for treatment:

If your work environment is affecting your allergies, it's time to discuss this with your supervisor:

Resources to Find Doctors


To find an allergist:

The Emotional Rollercoaster

Since allergies and asthma are conditions people have for many years, if not their entire lives, you may go through periods where your condition is completely under control and those when it's very hard to manage. That can bring up a lot of emotions -- frustration, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness, among others. As a parent, you may worry about your child coping with an allergy, and also the risk to their health. Find support to help you through these difficult periods, and work closely with your physician to be sure you're doing all you can to successfully manage your symptoms. 

Books Survivors Recommend

Communicating with Your Health-care Providers

  • Make sure you’re seeing the right doctor. You must see a specialist who understands and treats your specific allergies or asthma.
  • Get all the information you can on your allergy/allergies and ask all the questions that are on your mind. It's important to have an open dialogue with your doctor(s).
  • Let your doctors know when treatment is going well and when it's not. Without the full picture of your symptoms your physician can't fully and appropriately treat your allergies/asthma. Write down your symptoms in a journal or diary so that you don't have to rely on your memory when bringing your doctor up to date on how you're doing.

Recover & Thrive

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You're now in the recovery stage of your experience with allergies - you've come a long way since you first received your diagnosis. To stay a survivor and someone thriving with allergies, you'll need to stick to the treatments your doctor has prescribed for you and let him/her know if you need to re-evaluate your treatment plan because it's not working as well at controlling your allergy or asthma symptoms. Don't wait to seek medical help if your treatment is not effective or less effective than it was.

The most important part of recovery with allergies is prevention - here are some first-rate resources to help you stay well now: 

Worst Case

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Sometimes, the reaction to an allergy is so dramatic and serious that it causes anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. Get immediate medical help if you suspect you or someone else is experiencing a life-threatening reaction to an allergy or if they cannot breathe during an asthma attack:

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