I am allergic to cats..
I'm planing on talking to my doctor about writing me a referral to see an allergist to dicuss the possibilities of allergy shots.
Have any of you or know someone who's had allergy shots for cat allergies and had success with it working.
I'm so tired of getting sick when ever my family comes over to my house because they have cat dander on their clothes. or not being able to go over people's homes because they own cats..
I'm hoping if the shots work. they will atleast lessen my symptoms.
or is anyone doing anything else to help with their pet allergies. I have other allergies as well but, the pet allergies are what is affecting my life the most.
I am currently take 60mg of allegra and its not working at all.
I'm thinking about making a switch over to zyrtec.
Thanks for listening
sid

Sid,

I have severe allergies, mainly to things like cats that have dander, dogs, horses, cattle, cats, you name it. I went through the testing with an allergest and tested positive for 91 of 100 different allergies, I only had one food allergy (seafood-shell fish) other than that all things like household, grass, leaves, animals etc. I was on shots for about 6 years and stopped about 2 years ago. I was on Seldane-D until they took it off the market, then I went to Zyrtec (which works great for me Allegra didn't do anything). Anyway since I stopped taking my shots and I have built up my immunity I have 2 dogs, ride horses, and have 1 cat. The shots worked great for me, now because my allergies were so severe I started off with 2 shots one in each arm twice a week, my Aunt gave me the shots and then my Mom did and it wasn't bad at all the needle is so small it didn't bother me. My husband takes Zyrtec and has never had the shots, and since he has been on Zyrtec he too can tolerate our pets with out feeling like he is dying! And he sneezed his poor little head off all the time! Now I still get an occassional flare up but it isn't to like it used to be when like you someone would come to the house and I sneezed so hard it hurt!

GOOD LUCK, HOPE THIS HELPS!
JENN

Sid,

I have severe allergies, mainly to things like cats that have dander, dogs, horses, cattle, cats, you name it. I went through the testing with an allergest and tested positive for 91 of 100 different allergies, I only had one food allergy (seafood-shell fish) other than that all things like household, grass, leaves, animals etc. I was on shots for about 6 years and stopped about 2 years ago. I was on Seldane-D until they took it off the market, then I went to Zyrtec (which works great for me Allegra didn't do anything). Anyway since I stopped taking my shots and I have built up my immunity I have 2 dogs, ride horses, and have 1 cat. The shots worked great for me, now because my allergies were so severe I started off with 2 shots one in each arm twice a week, my Aunt gave me the shots and then my Mom did and it wasn't bad at all the needle is so small it didn't bother me. My husband takes Zyrtec and has never had the shots, and since he has been on Zyrtec he too can tolerate our pets with out feeling like he is dying! And he sneezed his poor little head off all the time! Now I still get an occassional flare up but it isn't to like it used to be when like you someone would come to the house and I sneezed so hard it hurt!

GOOD LUCK, HOPE THIS HELPS!
JENN


Excellent feedback about allergy shots! Glad they worked for you.

After I took allergy shots for sinus problems, which helped greatly, my asthma, which had been under remission for years, was re-activated and I also experienced increased heart rhythm problems. When I complained to my allergist that, all of a sudden, I was having problems with asthma again, and that my heart was going nuts, he told me that I always had problems with asthma, but I never noticed that I couldn't breath, through my lungs, because my sinuses were so bad. I never went back to him again.

Did you have similar experiences?

Excellent feedback about allergy shots! Glad they worked for you.

After I took allergy shots for sinus problems, which helped greatly, my asthma, which had been under remission for years, was re-activated and I also experienced increased heart rhythm problems. When I complained to my allergist that, all of a sudden, I was having problems with asthma again, and that my heart was going nuts, he told me that I always had problems with asthma, but I never noticed that I couldn't breath, through my lungs, because my sinuses were so bad. I never went back to him again.

Did you have similar experiences?

Beerzoids, your experience sounds eerily like mine. After I had been on the shots awhile, my allergies were better, but I develped asthma like symptoms and a pounding heartbeat (and I had never had asthma before.) My primary doc first threw an inhaler at me, and when it actually made things worse, told me it was anxiety. My allergist ordered a PFT, and when that turned out okay, he told me he was certain I had sino-bronchial syndrome. He believed that I had infected sinus drainage dripping into my lungs causing the chest tightness, heart pounding and shortness of breath. He said my sinuses had probably been infected for quite some time, but that the shots had helped enough so that the sinuses were finally able to drain, causing the symptoms to appear suddenly. Anyway, a CT scan proved him right, I had sinus surgery in 2003, and while I still have some allergy/ sinus problems, those scarey symptoms have never returned.

Sneezydiva, Just wondering what your symptoms were before you had sinus surgery?? I believe my problem is something to do with allergies/sinus'/inner ear and i'm just trying to learn all I can about these things. Do you still get allergy shots? Or was it your sinuses all along?? I didn't realize that you could have sinus problems and not know it, until i've read alot of post' on here. I think that along with allergies is whats causing my ears to act up. Thanks for any info.

I actually had the opposite experience. My asthma was awful, requiring several trips to the ER. After I started on shots, the asthma is a lot better, with a lot fewer attacks and I haven't been back to the ER since. I, too, am allergic to cats. I have three of my own, my roommate has two, and I am a foster mom with any number of cats coming through my house at any given time. Admittedly, my allergies were a lot better when I was living without any cats, but even now I do okay between the shots and the pills. Also, I don't let my boys into my bedroom, I don't let them near my face, and I wash my hands after I play with them. But the shots have made a huge difference in both my allergies and my asthma.

Hi Sneezy!

Beerzoids, your experience sounds eerily like mine. After I had been on the shots awhile, my allergies were better, but I develped asthma like symptoms and a pounding heartbeat (and I had never had asthma before.)

I had asthma for years but I never took allergy shots for it. The meds way back then were awful. I was on marax, as needed. If my asthma acted up I would take a marax and then climb the walls for hours. It had nasty side effects. When on it I felt like either crying or punching someone.

After I moved to another state, my asthma went away completely, but my sinuses got much worse. So...... as I said before, I took allergy shots for my sinuses. My sinuses got much better, but my asthma kicked in again. ARGHHHH! Can't win! :rolleyes:

My primary doc first threw an inhaler at me, and when it actually made things worse, told me it was anxiety.

Doctor's love to blame the patient for an illness that the doctor can't fix. The doctor will either tell the patient that the symptoms are from tension, or anxiety, or grinding the teeth, or raising children, etc. It works. The patient will pay the $100 doctor bill, go home, get into contact with some dust or pollen, feel miserable and then blame it on anxiety.

I had sinus surgery in 2003, and while I still have some allergy/ sinus problems, those scarey symptoms have never returned.

I am glad that your sinus surgery and allergy shots helped you! Take care.... :wave:

Sneezydiva, Just wondering what your symptoms were before you had sinus surgery?? I believe my problem is something to do with allergies/sinus'/inner ear and i'm just trying to learn all I can about these things. Do you still get allergy shots? Or was it your sinuses all along?? I didn't realize that you could have sinus problems and not know it, until i've read alot of post' on here. I think that along with allergies is whats causing my ears to act up. Thanks for any info.


I had really bad sinus congestion, full ears etc, but the assumption was that is was "just allergies." After I was on the shots for awhile, the severe congestion lessoned a lot, but didn't go away completely. And then I got the shortness of breath symptoms, I described earlier.

So my problems were a combination of allergy and sinus problems. I believe the sinus problems resulted from years of uncontrolled allergies. I'm still getting allergy shots, but it has been 2 springs since my surgery and each one has been 10 times better than allergy seasons before I had surgery.