RSD, Chronic Pain and Depression Forum

Welcome "cindi1955" to our Group Family!

summer — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:49:22 GMT

Welcome "cindi1955"to our Group Family!

My name is Summer (Manager). Jeanette and Melanie are our Assistant Managers. We have another manager Melissa, who is on leave right now to finish her schooling but pops in from time to time.

I am only able to be online a couple of days each week as my health has been suffering recently. I do check my email as often as I can but when you post a note you will soon have a response. We have just completed rebuilding the group from the ground up and encourage members to post daily. We do not have any posting requirements but we all like to hear from each member to know how they are doing and stay in touch which helps us be more supportive of one another. Please don't be afraid to post, nobody will judge you and everyone here understands how you feel. Be sure to read and sign our "Rules" page.

If ever you wish to chat just email me privately or catch me on the "Open Mic" (our General Message board) and we can set up a time to chat. If you have any questions let us know and we will be happy to assist you. If you are looking for information that we do not yet have posted on our Blog I or Jeanette can help you locate some. If there is another medical category that you would like added let me know and I will check to see if we are able to.

Please head on over to the "Who Am I" board and let us all know a little more about you. We do not use a person's real name unless they say it's okay as your screen name is to ensure your privacy and we will use that so as not to disclose your identity in any way. We are a "G" rated and family friendly group so we watch our language as there are several youth that drop in and visit us. The youth boards are provided for the younger members to discuss but any member can post on any board. Some of our message boards are only able to be seen by registered members so we do have a private discussion area. Our chat room is open only to registered members right now but we are planning on scheduling visitor informational chats in the near future so you may wish to "Register" for the chat room now and then you can access the Chat room whenever you wish. Just click the link on the registration page and follow the on screen prompts. Should you need extra help with registration, just "Email" me and let me know what problem you are encountering.

Again, our warmest welcome to you cindi1955!

Love, Summer

Forum: Welcome New Members

Hi everyone, a little about me.

MrsFlash — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:36:59 GMT

Hi everyone,

My story began almost 10 yrs. ago. I was working for an armored car company, getting out of the truck one day, I slipped on the step, hitting my elbow on the floor board of the truck. Then all of the pain had started. The pain has spread to my back, both shoulders, arms, legs and feet.
About a year & a half ago, my primary care dr. told me that I also have fibromyalgia.

I am still fighting worker's comp. to let me get the spinal cord stimulator. They keep denying me on it. Getting tired of fighting for it. Plus the one dr that my dr had me go to said he would not put me back on pain meds til after the surgery.
SO I have been toughing it out for over a yr. without pain meds.

I am married to a very wonderful man. I have 3 children of my own, 4 step-children & two wonderful grandbabies.

Take care & God Bless.

Forum: Who Am I?

Have some new and some returning group members!

summer — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:07:48 GMT

Hello Gals,

It's great to have you "inchronicpain"!
(Wow, as a sentence that just doesn't sound right does it?)

Trina a big welcome home dear! We have missed you!

Not much going on besides my health issues! Melanie needs prayer for her and her loved ones. Jeanette is still struggling and Melissa is hard to find! This month she is out of the country on a cruise before she starts her summer round of classes.

Y'all take care! We will talk soon!

Love, Summer

Forum: Open Mic

Welcome "MrsFlash" to our Group Family!

summer — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:00:30 GMT

Welcome

MrsFlash

to our Group Family!

Hi Trina, Glad you dropped in! We've missed you so much, welcome back. All the details are still the same just the links are different!

If ever you wish to chat just email me privately or catch me on the "Open Mic" (our General Message board) and we can set up a time to chat. If you have any questions let us know and we will be happy to assist you. If you are looking for information that we do not yet have posted on our Blog I or Jeanette can help you locate some. If there is another medical category that you would like added let me know and I will check to see if we are able to.

Please head on over to the "Who Am I" board and let us all know a little more about you. We do not use a person's real name unless they say it's okay as your screen name is to ensure your privacy and we will use that so as not to disclose your identity in any way. We are a "G" rated and family friendly group so we watch our language as there are several youth that drop in and visit us. The youth boards are provided for the younger members to discuss but any member can post on any board. Some of our message boards are only able to be seen by registered members so we do have a private discussion area. Our chat room is open only to registered members right now but we are planning on scheduling visitor informational chats in the near future so you may wish to "Register" for the chat room now and then you can access the Chat room whenever you wish. Just click the link on the registration page and follow the on screen prompts. Should you need extra help with registration, just "Email" me and let me know what problem you are encountering.

Again, our warmest welcome to you MrsFlash!

Forum: Welcome New Members

Welcome nascargirlfan22 to our Group Family!

summer — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:10:20 GMT

Welcome

inchronicpain

to our Group Family!

My name is Summer (Manager). Jeanette and Melanie are our Assistant Managers. We have another manager Melissa, who is on leave right now to finish her schooling but pops in from time to time.

Again, our warmest welcome to you inchronicpain!

Forum: Welcome New Members

i am new here and here is my chronic pain story

inchronicpain — Thur, 01 Jul 2010 23:40:19 GMT

i suffer with chronic pain i have a diease called endometriosis and may have Fibromyalgia to does any women here suffer with endometriosis or every heard of it? there is no cure for it yet and no treament that really works for it all they can do is remove it but it does not matter how many times they remove it it always grows back its almost like cancer and its almost just as painful as cancer i just had my 2nd surgery for it a few weeks ago and the pain is already coming back i also have IBS and also something wrong with my back but i can't spell it but my spine is not straught like it should be and it causes chronic pain and may also have Fibromyalgia but the doctor who did my surgery for endometriosis is sending me to a pain management doctor for all the chronic pain i am living with and the endometriosis that i have i will have to live with for the rest of my lifei also have pains in my hips and my legs i get alot of UTI'S to and i get alot of kidney stones I have mild Scoliosis, to but the pain is unbearable right now i go to the pain management doctor on friday when i lay down my hips and my back hurt so bad that i am laying there crying because its so bad i think with the endometriosis it maybe caues me to hurt that bad to i also get really bad headahes i was diagnosied with Sacroilac joint dysfunction a few weeks ago i can't find any pain management doctor here in lexington ky that will treat my chronic pain so i am really suffering i may also have arthritis how ever you spell it

Forum: Who Am I?

my son is in a bad crisis

Melanie — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:03:49 GMT

Well,my son came home from work last nite his wife left him.She took his daughter& his pay check.She left the house unlivable.She had the Internet turned off.He thinks she is with some one she met on the enter net.He is crying a lot for his daughter.Pray for my son. love ya Melanie xoxoxxo

Forum: Crisis Information

About Me

WishingforHope — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:26:24 GMT

Hi everyone,
My name is Mari and I have been suffering from chronic and severe neck and back pain since I was in my first car accident 9 years ago. I have been diagnoised with degenerative disk disease in my cervical and thoracic spine, Osteoarthritis, and condritis. The problem is my condition is deteriorating much quicker than it should be so I am back searching for answers. Being 24 and not able to live a normal life or even sit up on my own some days makes it hard to be happy as I am sure many of you know but I try. I teach infants 7-15 months and I have hobbies that don't hurt much like reading and crafts. I am looking to find people in similar situations so I don't feel so alone.
Mari

Forum: Who Am I?

Welcome WishingforHope to our Group Family!

summer — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:22:27 GMT

Welcome

"WishingforHope"

to our Group Family!

Dear WishingforHope,

My name is Summer (Manager). Jeanette and Melanie are our Assistant Managers. We have another manager Melissa, who is on leave right now to finish her schooling but pops in from time to time.

I am only able to be online a couple of days each week right now as my health has been suffering recently. I do check my email as often as I can but when you post a note you will soon have a response. We have just completed rebuilding the group from the ground up and encourage members to post daily. We do not have any posting requirements but we all like to hear from each member to know how they are doing and stay in touch which helps us be more supportive of one another. Please don't be afraid to post, nobody will judge you and everyone here understands how you feel. Be sure to read and sign our "Rules"page.

Again, our warmest welcome to you WishingforHope!

Love, Summer

Forum: Welcome New Members

Fire and evacuations here again...

summer — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:23:56 GMT

Again this year the forest nearby me is in the midst of a flaming rage. Nearly 3000 acres are involved all around our house. We have not been evacuated this time since its not extremely close to this neighborhood yet. The last news report states that the fire is not contained. There are 2 fires in this forest both of them have potential to come here as our neighborhood is surrounded by the forest. The last one about 3 years ago happened while we were out of our house from our house fire. This one I am not sure if I would go to many great lengths to evacuate. From what I can gather the fire was out of control when it started and still trying to contain it.

We've not been updated for over 2 hours now so its a sit and wait situation. I will stay here until someone drags me out of bed I guess but I am not too gung ho on trying to find somewhere else to go and be able to tolerate. Today is not a good day for me as the last week has been bad with numerous weather systems and changes happening just knocks me down.

I told the kids that we will take the computers and pets with us. I'm not concerned about anything else really. Will keep you posted.

Love, Summer

Forum: Open Mic

Hospice may no longer mean halting treatment

summer — Mon, 17 May 2010 07:07:45 GMT

Hospice may no longer mean halting treatment

Law may let Medicare patients have end-of-life care plus still fight illness

By Jordan Rau
KHN Staff Writer

May 10, 2010

he new law instructs Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor, to cover simultaneous hospice and curative care for children with terminal illnesses immediately. And it directs the federal Medicare program, which covers seniors and disabled people, to launch up to 15 pilot projects around the country to test the concept. If the experiment is deemed successful and doesnt increase costs, then Medicare could make the benefit available to everyone in hospice.

After an excruciating bout of chemotherapy, Linda Meisenhelder gave up fighting colon cancer and last fall entered end-of-life hospice care. She was willing to quit curative treatments a requirement for Medicare to pay for hospice but says no one else in her cancer support group seemed ready to take that step.

"They were all very clear in saying that they would do chemo again in a heartbeat," says Meisenhelder, who lives in Harleysville, Pa. "Hospice has a lot to offer but it can be scary when they hear what they have to give up."

This dilemma that you must give up aggressive treatment to get end-of-life counseling and care is a major reason many people resist entering hospice, sometimes until just days before they die.

But the new health law could lead to a major change in Medicare policy that allows patients to get treatment and hospice care simultaneously.

Experts say this dual approach, known as "concurrent care," may be especially useful for people using dialysis to extend their lives, and those waiting for organ transplants that may not come in time. More broadly, advocates say, the change may encourage people with any kind of terminal illness to take advantage of hospice care earlier.

"Having personally had to explain whats good about hospice to families that think Im about to shove them onto an iceberg, I know its a very difficult decision," says Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

It will be easier to get the terminally ill to accept hospice care, she says, "if you can say to families, you dont have to make this terrible choice here its more, not less."

Medicaid change

The new law instructs Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor, to cover simultaneous hospice and curative care for children with terminal illnesses immediately. And it directs the federal Medicare program, which covers seniors and disabled people, to launch up to 15 pilot projects around the country to test the concept. If the experiment is deemed successful and doesnt increase costs, then Medicare could make the benefit available to everyone in hospice.

Someone with heart disease, for example, could get cardiac drugs that improve blood circulation and at the same time receive hospices palliative services. Those include a team of doctors and nurses devoted to easing physical pain and symptoms, and social workers and clergy who help patients and their families accept death. Hospice staff typically come to a dying persons house or nursing home a few times a week.

Some fear doing both curative and palliative care will muddle efforts to get patients to embrace the hospice philosophy emphasizing quality of life. "It could be great," says Terry Berthelot, an attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a Connecticut-based patients rights group.

But it also "may make dying more difficult, because some people may be chasing after cures instead of what hospice is about, to say thank you, to say I forgive you that emotional work."

Growth in hospice care

More than one million Medicare beneficiaries both those over 65 and those like Meisenhelder, who is 55 and on disability used the hospice benefit in 2008, at a cost of $11.2 billion, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Its one of the fastest-growing components of Medicare.

Medicare makes hospice available to anyone with a prognosis of six months or less to live; in 2008 the average length of stay was 83 days. While a patient can drop out of hospice at any time and resume treatment through Medicares traditional benefits, many people still see accepting hospice as an irrevocable decision.

Some advocates believe offering both modes of care can save Medicare money. If hospice providers are helping patients manage their pain and symptoms, that may reduce costly visits to emergency rooms and hospitals. Two commercial insurers, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare, already allow their hospice patients who are insured through private plans to pursue curative treatments. Randall Krakauer, who oversees Aetnas Medicare and concurrent-care programs, says the change did not increase the programs costs.

"If you let people take hospice and curative care concurrently, they will come to their own decisions on their own," he says. "The decisions will usually be consistent with the hospice philosophy or approach."

But Gail Inderwies, president of Keystone Hospice in Wyndmoor, which is caring for Meisenhelder at her home, says its "politically naive" to think Medicare will save money, since many doctors and hospitals lack the training and motivation to help smooth the transition to hospice.

"If youre being paid to give aggressive treatment, theres still that incentive to continue to treat," Inderwies says. "This will avoid the dialogue more, because we still havent trained medical people to talk about death and dying."

A change in policy also may challenge hospice providers as they will need to learn how to manage the side effects of the curative treatments, says Joseph Straton, chief medical officer for Penn Wissahickon Hospice, part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Still, the change is likely to be popular with patients. Jay Chestnut, a dancer with AIDS, went to Keystone Hospice in 2004 expecting to die. But after 14 months, the hospice put him on a new drug cocktail that arrested his decline. (Inderwies says Keystone is different from many hospices in that it sometimes provides curative treatments beyond those offered by other facilities.)

Five years later, Chestnut, 70, is living in Philadelphia. He thinks most of those in hospice have hopes of getting better and should have a chance at a cure no matter how dire the prognosis. "You never know what happens," Chestnut says.

2010 Kaiser Health News KHN.
KHN is an editorially independent news service and a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy organization that isnt affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Forum: In the News

What's Your Pain Tolerance?

summer — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:04:36 GMT

What's Your Pain Tolerance?

Katrina Woznicki
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

veryone struggles with pain at some point, but how you tolerate pain can be up to you. Why is back pain or a knee injury annoying to one person and sheer agony to another? Turns out, an individual's tolerance to pain is as unique as the person, and is shaped by some surprising biological factors, as well as some psychological factors that we can actually try to control.

Feeling Pain

There are two steps to feeling pain. First is the biological step, for example, the pricking of skin or a headache coming on. These sensations signal the brain that the body is experiencing trouble. The second step is the brain's perception of the pain -- do we shrug off these sensations and continue our activities or do we stop everything and focus on what hurts?

"Pain is both a biochemical and neurological transmission of an unpleasant sensation and an emotional experience," Doris Cope, MD, an anesthesiologist who leads the Pain Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells WebMD. "Chronic pain actually changes the way the spinal cord, nerves, and brain process unpleasant stimuli causing hypersensitization, but the brain and emotions can moderate or intensify the pain." Past experiences and trauma, Cope says, influence a person's sensitivity to pain.

Managing pain and people's perceptions to their symptoms is a big challenge in a country where more than 76 million people report having pain lasting more than 24 hours, according to the American Pain Foundation. Persistent pain was reported by:

30% of adults aged 45 to 64

25% of adults aged 20 to 44

21% of adults aged 65 and older

More women than men report pain (27.1% compared with 24.4%), although whether women actually tolerate pain better than men remains up for scientific debate.

Pain Rising

Pain produces a significant emotional, physical, and economical toll in the U.S. Chronic pain results in health care expenses and lost income and lost productivity estimated to cost $100 billion every year.

Pain may be on the rise in the U.S. because age and excessive weight contribute to pain and discomfort. Americans are living longer into old age, and two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese.

The most common type of chronic pain in the U.S. is back pain; the most common acute pain being musculoskeletal pain from sports injuries, says Martin Grabois, MD, professor and chair of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

What Drives Your Pain Tolerance?

Pain tolerance is influenced by people's emotions, bodies, and lifestyles. Here are several factors that Grabois says can affect pain tolerance:

Depression and anxiety can make a person more sensitive to pain.

Athletes can withstand more pain than people who don't exercise.

People who smoke or are obese report more pain.

Biological factors -- including genetics, injuries such as spinal cord damage, and chronic diseases such as diabetes that cause nerve damage -- also shape how we interpret pain.

Your Sensitive Side

Some surprising biological factors may also play a role in pain tolerance. For example, recent research shows that one side of your body may experience pain differently than the other side.

A study published in the December 2009 issue of Neuroscience Letters showed that right-handed study participants could tolerate more pain in their right hands than in their left hands. This study also showed that women were more sensitive to pain than men; but women and men were equal in their ability tolerate pain intensity.

A dominant hand -- your right hand, if you're right-handed, for example -- may interpret pain more quickly and accurately than the nondominant hand, which may explain why the dominant side can endure longer. Hand dominance may also be linked to the side of your brain that interprets the pain, the researchers note.

Redheads More Sensitive to Pain?

Another surprising factor is that hair color may reflect pain tolerance. In 2009, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Dental Association showed that redheads were more sensitive to pain and may need more anesthesia for dental procedures.

Why redheads in particular? Redheads, the researchers say, tend to have a mutation in a gene called melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), which is what helps make their hair red. MC1R belongs to a group of receptors that include pain receptors in the brain. The researchers suggest that a mutation in this particular gene appears to influence sensitivity to pain.

"We have different receptors for pain in our body, and those receptors respond differently, whether you're taking aspirin or acetaminophen," Stelian Serban, MD, director of acute and chronic inpatient pain service and an assistant professor of anesthesiology at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, tells WebMD.

Getting Better at Handling Pain

A person's biological makeup can affect whether he or she develops resistance to pain medicines, which means a treatment that once worked no longer eases the pain. This can be a "vicious circle" to break, Serban says. "You use more treatment and become more tolerant and you become less active and have more pain."

We can't change our genetic receptors, and not even changing your hair color or which hand you write with can rewire your sensitivity to pain. However, there are coping mechanisms that can influence the brain's perceptions of pain.

Researchers have focused on trying to alter the psychological interpretations of pain by retraining the mind. "You can change the perception on the brain," Grabois says. "You haven't changed the perception on the nerves."

Alternative remedies, such as relaxation techniques like biofeedback, teach people how to divert their mind from zeroing in on the pain.

People can empower themselves by learning relaxation techniques, such as breathing practices during natural childbirth, Cope says. When it comes to pain, mind over matter can work. "Meditation, distraction, and a positive attitude are things people can do themselves to lessen pain," she says.

View Article Sources

Reviewed on March 05, 2010

Please do not reprint this article. Return to the article source to obtain important copyright information.

Forum: In the News

Lemon Raspberry Pie

summer — Thur, 13 May 2010 23:14:11 GMT

Ingredients:

Crust:
1    box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
2    tablespoons Fisher Chef's Naturals finely chopped pecans

Filling:
1/2    cup granulated sugar
2    tablespoons cornstarch
1/2    cup water
2    tablespoons LAND O LAKES Butter
1    egg yolk, beaten
1/4    to 1/3 cup lemon juice

Topping:
2    package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4    cup powdered sugar
1/2    teaspoon lemon extract
1    container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1    tablespoon milk
3    cups fresh raspberries, or frozen (thawed) raspberries without syrup, dried on paper towels
    Mint sprigs, if desired

Instructions:

PREHEAT oven to 450F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate--except press pecans in bottom of crust. Generously prick crust with fork. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, in 1-quart saucepan, mix granulated sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water, butter and egg yolk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate 1 hour.

USING small bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon extract on medium speed until smooth. On low speed, beat in whipped topping until well blended. Beat in milk until topping mixture is smooth and spreading consistency. Spread thin layer of topping around edge of crust over cooled filling.

RESERVE 8 whole raspberries for garnish. Arrange remaining raspberries over top of filling. Spoon and gently spread remaining topping over raspberries. Garnish with mint sprigs and reserved raspberries. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING HINTS

Incidentals:

Prep Time: 45 min

Total Time: 3 hrs 45 min

Serves 8:

Pillsbury
Bake-Off is a registered trademark of General Mills 2009
Fisher and Chefs Naturals are registered trademarks of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., Elgin, IL 60123-7820
Land O Lakes is a registered trademark of Land O Lakes, Inc.
2009 and / of General Mills

Tips:

Cooking Know-Hows:

Since the pasta needs to be really hot in order to melt the cream cheese, it should be added to the skillet immediately after draining it.

Make it Extra Special:

Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley just before serving.

Substitutions:

Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese and KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing.

Forum: Recipes

Spaghetti Carbonara

summer — Thur, 13 May 2010 19:43:11 GMT

Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients: 1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked 8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed 1/2 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing 3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions: COOK spaghetti as directed on package. MEANWHILE, cook and stir bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat 8 min. or until bacon is crisp and onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet; drain. Wipe out skillet. DRAIN spaghetti. Immediately add to skillet with all remaining ingredients; toss until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
Incidentals: Prep Time: 20 min Total Time: 20 min Serves 8: 1 cup each Kraft Recipes	Tips: Cooking Know-Hows: Since the pasta needs to be really hot in order to melt the cream cheese, it should be added to the skillet immediately after draining it. Make it Extra Special: Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley just before serving. Substitutions: Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese and KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing.

Forum: Recipes

Soothe Your Spring Allergies

summer — Thur, 13 May 2010 19:09:57 GMT

Soothe Your Spring Allergies

By Joanna Broder
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

I
n spring, people rush out of doors. They jog. They stroll. They smell the flowers.
And ...They sneeze. Sometimes a lot.

People with spring allergies know the drill: The itchy, watery eyes, blocked ears, and nasal congestion that can put a crimp in even the sunniest spring day.

A lot of times you dont sleep well at night, says Giselle Mosnaim, MD, professor of allergy and immunology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. And if you dont sleep well at night, you can be tired and irritable the next day.

Allergic rhinitis affects 10% to 30% of adults and as many as 40% of children. People with hay fever, a type of allergic rhinitis, are specifically sensitive to molds and pollen that spread in the air during the various seasons.

If you are allergic to pollen, dont despair. Experts say that your allergies are quite treatable. Try the following tips:

1. Live by the Pollen Count

Before trying medications, see if making changes to your environment helps your symptoms. For example, attempt to time your outdoor activities to when the pollen count dips down the lowest. That varies, dependent on which pollen youre talking about, says Andy Nish, MD, an allergist in Gainesville, Ga. So check your local weather report, which often includes a pollen count.

In the spring, trees pollinate throughout the day, so there's no luck there. Pollen from summer grasses is worst in the late afternoon and early evening. During the fall, weed pollen tends to be most present in the late morning or early afternoons, he says. The pollinating season lasts longer in warmer climates.

If you cant avoid outdoor activities during peak pollen times, then try wearing a mask if youre cutting the lawn or doing garden work, suggests Rohit Katial, MD, program director of allergy and immunology at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colo. When you come back inside, change your clothes if you are feeling symptomatic.

2. Filter the Air

To keep pollen out of your living space, close the windows in your home and car. Run your air conditioning to filter the air. For people who have an attic fan, dont run it during the bothersome season, because the fan draws in the pollen-filled outside air.

3. Make Your Pets Toe the Line

Make your pet an indoor pet or an outdoor pet one or the other. Pets that go in and out all day often track pollen into the house, Nish says.

4. Rinse Out Your Nose

Over-the-counter nasal salt water rinses may also help with allergy symptoms. A nasal rinse washes out stuff thats deposited there and opens it up, Katial says.

5. Try an Antihistamine

If changing your lifestyle does not ease allergy symptoms, consider a second-generation oralantihistamine, such as Claritin or Zyrtec, both of which do not require a prescription. These medications, taken once per day, generally work longer and have fewer side effects than first-generation antihistamines.

If youre not able to find symptom relief on your own, it may be time to see a doctor. An allergist has the best training and knowledge of all your treatment options, including prescription antihistamines, Nish says.

Your doctor may suggest nasal antihistamines (such as Astelin and Patanase), or an antileukotriene, a class of drugsthat works differently than either antihistamines or steroids.So far,Singulair is the only drug in its class approved to treat allergies.

Prescription eye drops (known as antihistamine/mast cell stabilizers) are also available to treat red, watery eyes resulting from allergies.

Some people respond better to one antihistamine than another. The important thing is to find one that relieves your allergy symptoms and does not make you drowsy.

6. Get Treated for Severe Nasal Congestion

For allergy sufferers whose main symptom is moderate-to-severe nasal congestion, a doctor may prescribe an intranasal steroid spray such as Flonase or Nasonex. Nasal steroids basically help to decrease the inflammation in the nose and ... make it less sensitive the pollen, Nish says.

Decongestants such as pseudoephredine (found in Sudafed) or phenylephrine (found in Triaminic) can also help with nasal congestion and sinus headaches. Some combination drugs, such as Allegra-D or Claritin-D, ease nasal congestion and allergy symptoms such as itching and sneezing.

Never take medication without talking with your doctor, not even over-the-counter medicine, Nish says. Some medicines are risky for people with medical conditions. For example, pseudoephredine may put people with high blood pressure at higher risk for heart attack or stroke.

Is It Time to Consider Allergy Shots?

If you have allergy symptoms often, you may want to ask about allergy shots. Allergy shots can desensitize a persons immune system to the pollen that triggers allergies. Treatment takes about three to five years. People receive gradually increasing doses of allergens over that time.

Immunotherapy can change your bodys response to grass and weeds, so even after youve completed the treatment there should be long-lasting improvement in your symptoms, Mosnaim says.

There are health risks associated with allergy shots including, in rare cases, anaphylaxis. One in every 200,000 shots has a potentially life-threatening reaction, Nish says.

You just have to be careful that you go to someone that has a crash cart, Mosnaim says. That you have EpiPens . That they check your dose carefully.

View Article Sources

Reviewed on March 01, 2010

Forum: In the News