General discussion on allergies

jadesailor14 said:Regarding adenoids—my daughter’s really flared up after she turned 8. She could barely breathe, was eating like a competitive eater, and was making all these noises in her sleep... surgery was pretty much the only way out. Once it was done, everything just cleared up. I heard somewhere that if those adenoids get too big, they can actually mess with your vision? Not 100% sure though.
She is nearsighted, but whether that’s tied to the adenoids? Who knows.

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My son eats just like that, too.
The doctors told me kids with really enlarged adenoids sometimes have trouble hearing or struggle with certain sounds—like the letter "R," for example.
Honestly, it’s such a relief to hear that surgery actually works... I just hope this whole thing passes quickly.

Honestly, everything usually goes smoothly after the surgery! The only thing is that third tonsil can sometimes grow back—a colleague's cousin actually had to go back under the knife three times—so you just have to keep an eye on their diet.
My daughter had her procedure about four years ago, and so far, she's doing great!

I had my third tonsil removed when I was sixteen years old. For years leading up to that, I dealt with constant lung infections, bouts of bronchitis, and endless colds, yet nobody ever had the foresight to realize I was actually dealing with allergies. My tonsils—all three of them—never gave me any trouble until I hit sixteen. That’s when they swelled up so drastically over a mere two-month span that I felt like I was literally choking. To make matters worse, the doctors performed the surgery using nothing but local anesthesia while I was sitting upright. Honestly, that’s just absurd. It was a long time ago, and I sincerely hope medical standards have moved past such questionable practices. While I did feel some relief immediately following the surgery, it wasn't until I turned twenty that I was finally given a proper diagnosis: allergies and chronic sinusitis. Now, I live right by the coast.

I’m allergic to pretty much everything—ragweed, tree pollen, grass, pet dander, dust, wool, even plant-based bedding... honestly, I might be forgetting a few things.

Then there's honey (probably because of the pollen), chamomile tea, and if I touch mango or pistachios, I go into full anaphylactic shock.

And don't go thinking that's the end of it—I'm actually allergic to the sun, too...

I try to keep my exposure to a minimum, but when things get bad, I reach for Claritin. If it gets to the point where I can barely function, I'll break out the nasal sprays like Flonase. It usually hits me hardest in September once the ragweed starts blooming.

Ragweed—and honestly, just all those damn weeds from this fall—has been absolutely wrecking me since I was about twenty-six.
Nothing else was ever officially diagnosed, though I did deal with some pretty brutal bronchitis back when I was three.
I usually just reach for some Fexofenadine when things get really nasty, plus some nasal drops and eye drops to keep up.

I’ve been dealing with hay fever since I was a little kid, and on top of that, dust mites are a huge trigger for me too.
My doctor mentioned that those two often go hand in hand, especially since they can be linked to asthma—which, thank goodness, isn't something I have to worry about...
But ever since I moved to New York City, both of my allergies have become so much more intense than they ever were back home in the States, so I feel like I'm constantly struggling just to get through the day...

Yeah, so... mine was huge too—I was basically snoring and making all sorts of weird noises through the night. We went to see an ENT specialist who insisted on surgery; I actually bolted out of the office and had my parents chasing me down the streets of Chicago—but that’s a story for another thread.

Anyway, then this old family friend of ours, who happens to be a doctor, gave us a hard "NO."

The adenoids? Honestly, they're enlarged in like 99.99% of kids. At worst, they just shrink back to normal during puberty (or even earlier—mine cleared up around age 10, though it started around 4).

They don't mess with vision or speech patterns.

Allergy symptoms might feel worse if the adenoids are swollen—mostly because your immunity takes a hit or your airways get more clogged—but the enlarged adenoids themselves won't *cause* an allergy. If someone already deals with allergies, there's just a higher chance their adenoids will act up too (along with nose and sinus issues, etc.).

Regarding allergies in general—it's a proven fact that more and more people, especially little kids, are allergic to everything under the sun. It’s a mix of pollution, crappy diets, and whatever else. Plus, allergies can pop up out of nowhere and then totally vanish later on.

I know it sucks when the kids are dealing with it—just keep them seeing the doctor regularly, watch what they eat, and try to dodge the triggers as much as possible (though I know avoiding dust and random stuff is a losing battle sometimes). There's also desensitization therapy—not gonna go into the weeds on that now—but it’s kind of a drag since you have to head in for shots twice a week for ages, and even then, there's no guarantee it'll work.

Immunotherapy
I’ve been through this myself—once a week for two years—and I’m finally cured.
Basically, they give you a tiny injection in the shoulder containing the specific allergen you're reacting to, which essentially triggers a controlled shock to your system.
By repeating this process over and over, your body eventually learns how to fight back against the allergen and builds up a lasting resistance. It’s a long haul, and honestly, pretty exhausting, but I think it's totally worth it.

Regarding that third tonsil—honestly, it’s different for everyone. It really just depends on what else is going on with you, right? That's usually how they decide if surgery is actually necessary or not.
I’m generally against unnecessary medical stuff—not a fan of being poked and prodded for no reason—but hey, if it’s a must, then it’s a must.
They took my tonsils out when I was just a little kid, and honestly? I've never had a single issue with colds or sore throats since. Meanwhile, I know people who had them out and now their throats are super sensitive and they catch every single virus that goes around.

You just never know, I guess.

There is absolutely no way I’m going through with allergy shots. I can't stand needles... and honestly, I'm not even sure they work that well. Sometimes they help, but other times the allergies just come crawling back after a while.

Michael Perez5, it's not really about teaching your body how to "fight" the allergen; it's more about training it to just... ignore it. An allergy is basically just an unnecessary, unwanted immune response to things that shouldn't be causing a problem in the first place.

I actually decided to try my own version of "immunotherapy" at home using raw honey that contains pollen—which I am extremely allergic to. I just take a tiny little bit every day and slowly work my way up...

So, I’ve been dealing with this annoying swelling on my lips and wrists for about a year now. It just happens out of nowhere—my mouth will puff up like I’m having some massive allergic reaction, or sometimes it's my hands. My doctors are calling it angioedema. I've gone through endless appointments and tests, and apparently, I'm allergic to pretty much everything, just not intensely enough for them to pin down one specific cause. It's probably some weird combination of things, I guess. Sometimes it clears up in an hour, but other times it sticks around all day. I'm actually thinking about looking into some holistic or alternative stuff to see if that helps. Has anyone else dealt with anything similar? Any advice?😕