We bought a new townhouse & within a month, I began to have itchy eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, headaches, groginess, and some congestion... especially upon waking up. The itchy eyes are the biggest thing i've noticed.

No new bedding or laundry soap, etc......

This started mid summer, and now it's January - so it apparently isn't due to the outdoor environment (it's chicago & we're super cold now...brr!)

What's the best way to figure this out? Should I go to an allergist & have testing done?

We couldn't afford to rip out all of the carpeting & replace it (plus it's in pretty good shape).... but I am suspicious of it - because I'm not sure what else it could be. I had someone come & vaccuum out the ventilation system, and I've made sure there's no mildew or other stuff in the bathroom, etc. I know there could be hidden things... so I'm not sure where to start.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give! JR

Is your bedroom in the basement?

Hi,
No, the bedroom is on the 2nd floor (it's a 2 story townhouse). The 2nd floor consists of 2 bedrooms (carpeted) and a bathroom.
Thanks for any help.

Try a benedryl at bedtime. If that helps then it's allergy related.

Hey, that's probably a good idea. I'm on some new heart meds so I'll have to see if it's okay to take the Bennie, but if I get the okay, I'll try that. Thanks!

The major winter allergen is dust mites, especially if you feel worse after waking up in the morning. You could either control for dust mites for a bit and see how you feel or go to the allergist?

I've had a lot of experience in this kind of stuff. I'm pretty much just allergic to nature. What I ended up doing was getting this special kind of wrapping for my pillows and for my mattress that goes around the pillows and the matresses the dust mites from getting to me. But you said you have the same bedding but even so... if you did that and ur allergic to dust mites, that would deff help id think. Also... we replaced the carpet with a wood floor which REALLY seemed to help... but that defends if you have the funds or not. it could also be the house too... something about the house is made and maybe there is some kind of mold growing inside the walls.

Also! (last thing) with he way my house is built... the ventillation from the entire house comes from the basement.. thats where the air unit is and where itt takes all of its air. And my basement is finished but it wasn't properly done so all of the air comes from that dusty moist basement and that puts it through te house which is what i breathe... so that doesn't help so if thats houw your ventillation is done... if its that way, block off the vents in the rooms u spend the most time and close doors...

oh, lol editting my post cause remembered something that teh guy above me said. if its when uw ake up in the early that makes u feel best make sure u have all of your windows closed cause the air changing from day time to night can make it bad plus its prolly something in the room your in. either the floor or the bed or something... dust mites love carpet and bedding and pillow stuff...

also, did you move to a new climate or a down the street kind of thing?

hope that helps... its like a book lol

Are you talking really "new", like you are the first ones there? If so, many of the new materials are emitting chemicals - the plywood or particle board used for floors and ceilings, the paint on walls, and varnish on woodwork and doors. New curtains, new furniture, new carpet, etc. Glue to hold things together. I get the same symptoms going into clothing or fabric or carpet stores, even the building materials stores. When some friends bought a new trailer many years ago, I couldn't stay inside over about 30 minutes before my face started hurting and my eyes watering and itching, because of all the chemical odors. Anytime they would paint or lay new flooring or carpet at work, I would have to telecommute until the chemical odors dissipated. They re-did the 2nd floor at the voc rehab office recently, and I had lots of bad reactions just being there for a short appointment. I kept having to go outside to breathe. And forget air fresheners - it just adds one more chemical to the mix.

If this is your situation, the odors will eventually dissipate, but until then you might try wearing a properly fitted face mask rated for chemicals to filter the air, or perhaps use a good hepa air filter, and let the house air out frequently.

Good luck, tracking down the culprit can take time.

Just wanted to send a quick "thank you" to all of your thoughtful replies, they are all very helpful!!

This place is a good 25 years old... I didn't really put anything new up in the 2nd floor/bedrooms, so that's why I'm suspecting something that is already here in the house (as one of you said, maybe there is some mold in the walls.. ewwww!) Could be dust mites, could be the ventilation system.. yeah, I guess there are so many possibilities!

I'm going to talk to my MD & see if he knows a good allergist... maybe I'll try to find out what my triggers might be & take it from there. I don't have the $$$ to make many changes (tear out carpet, buying new stuff, mold inspections, etc....) so I'll have to choose wisely & make the change(s) that will truly benefit.

Again, thanks so much for all of your help! Greatly appreciated! :)