Stephen -- I tried to respond to your PM to me, but the server stated that you need to select that you can receive private messages & it wouldn't allow me to send this to you...so, I'm going to try this way.
Cheers! Christina
Hey, Stephen,
I was going for shots for about a year, but they were discontinued for me because they didn't seem to be working & I was showing severe reactions to the allergens. I'd get two shots every week, and by the time I hit the biggest dosage of my 3rd set of vials, I'd get massive swelling at the sites & major discomfort physically. I had to stop getting the shots in my arms because the injections seemed to be "traveling" and effecting my armpits (I could no longer wear deodorant & if I did, it wouldn't work, massive itching, etc.). Then, we tried in my hips -- oy, that was equally ridiculous. I'd get site swellings bigger than the size of a CD and they'd last for at least a day -- you could feel the heat of the swelling through my clothing! Decreasing the shots would simply lessen the reaction, and then increasing again would simply give me the same reaction as before. Thus, my dr sat me down & said that I was not a good candidate for shots...
My dr said that it can take some people up to 3 years before they start to notice any improvement -- and some people can go a decade & never notice any improvement at all. I chose to stop them, as well; I didn't expect to notice any improvement so soon, but what I did notice was that I wasn't feeling any better, either. Just side-effects.
One treatment that my dr did mention to me earlier this summer, though, was that the FDA is looking to approve allergy drops that go under the tongue and replace the shot therapy. Apparently, this treatment is already available & used in Europe, but it just needs to be approved here! If you visit your dr, ask about this -- after I deliver my baby, I'm going to look into this, as well.
Otherwise, I'm just monitoring my allergies & asthma with medication (Zyrtec for the allergies, Pulmicort for the asthma -- though I much prefer Symbicort, but I have to go with what is safe right now...). I don't use a nasal spray because get this: I'm allergic to those, too! I was trying a natural therapy, though, called Sinus Buster, which is basically a shot of hot pepper up the nose (feels great, though!).
That's it, though -- if you go for shots again, I hope that they work faster for you this time around -- faster & longer! Good luck with your allergies -- I empathize with you completely!
Christina
