Welcome back to the East Coast Rod. This spring season has been especially brutal for allergies. Worse yet i’ve now experienced spring in 3 different locations Boulder, Bismarck and Richmond. I travel with alavert
I just finished a sinus/throat infection resulting from the allergies. I’ve never felt so short of breath as during this past spring. and the trees are still spawning

I lived my first 18 years in Delaware County, PA. Didn’t know for years later about its climate. That is the Piedmont Plain. And that County is especially an anomaly of high humidity and pollen. It is unbearable. We don’t go back. Also, even my grandparents and parents(who lived and worked in Chester, PA) would leave on the week-ends. My parents had the means to go to the Jersey beaches. My grandparents would take car explorations into the Ridge and Valley province to the north and west. I believe these breaths of fresh air helped.

I had mononucleosis when I was younger and it is often followed by a short lived bought of CFS. I had three months of feeling old and I have sympathy for someone who never gets over that.

There’s nothing worse than an immune system run amuck, mounting an all-out attack against an enemy that isn’t there. It’s worth calling in the pros in your case. Shots could make it livable in the long term, especially if it’s one or several specific pollens tormenting you. They might even need to do a short course of steroids in the short run to get you back on your feet. You’ll also want to try turning your bedroom, if not your whole house, into a low-pollen sanctuary. Air conditioning and some HEPA-type air cleaners. Maybe the Chinese with their ever-expanding deserts aren’t as crazy as we thought….

Several things afoot here from Dr. Rawlins.
For starters, Spring 2010 has been a protracted event this year everywhere since it was such a long, cold & wet winter. To me it has made Spring more beautiful, but it has also made the assault of pollen, etc. somehow more savage & ongoing.
But another issue I have noted: As our climate has warmed perhaps maybe only a degree, in the forest I walk in daily over the last few years I have seen the invasion and prolific growth of hence before alien vegetation, once only likely growing farther south. This has created a new dynamic for me these last few seasons when I became aware of how this allergy creeps when it’s nothing to which we have been exposed to before. I have developed an immunity on one hand but not entirely. It’s more subtle than overt at this point. But I suspect I am definitely affected physically.
All of this becomes a catalyst to what you describe, Rod. I too have been sleeping deeply & waking up tired. Skipping events I committed to. It’s weird. That said, I suspect that the lion’s share of those who experience chronic fatigue syndrome are in fact depressed. I’ve been through debilitating depressions & yet been, on professional levels, highly functioning. Just as pollen plays games with our senses, depression plays games with everything and we play games with it. A lot of us are deeply and secretly depressed…denied even to ourselves…because the person we are / have become is not entirely who we really are or who we wish to be. Or, at this point, who we must be to be whole.
It’s also called ‘is that all there is’ midlife crisis when one is nearing the mid-40s or other landmark ages.

I agree with most everything Dr. Rawlins said.
My chronic allergies were finally cured (or have at least largely abated) by (a) netti pot, and (2) carb-restricted diet. Finally traced many of my symptoms to general inflammation and drastically reducing my carb intake (esp. sugars) seems to have taken care of the problems. None of the medicines really gave me any relief and Benadryl made me so lethargic I would’ve taken the symptoms first.
It was worth it, but tweren’t easy.

Be it far from me to disagree with the greatness of Dr. Rawlins. However, please consider one thing – STRESS!
Take a step out of your boots, pretend you are a third party examingin your life over the past … 4-6 months and think of this.
Job change; major uprooting of family to new and strange environment; Ruthie; leaving one comfort zone for a new, unknowing challenge; travel; etc. (meaning all the things only you adn Julie know and the public does not).
Add pollen and all that junk in the air (when growing up in Michigan, I never had alergies until I came to Texas and discover the evils of CEDAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and it can ravish your body (and mind) in all sorts of ways.
What you might need is a vacation of solitude … or a version of Superman’s fortress of solitude … or some place (or something) simply to clear your head (including the snuses).
I used to find it in two places – a movie theater (but I won’t go anymore because too many rude people have NO clue how to behave anymore in that setting) or at a baseball game where I could just look out upon green grass and relax to the pitter-patter of ball smacking into leather glove and the crackling of wood as the bat strikes another pitch.
You aren’t a sports freak like a few of us but there’s some place – even outside the chapel of your soul – that must produce the effect of calmness.
Perhaps a visit to a Pennsylvanis winery might do the trick????
And not my Captcha passwords either “additional teens” – Nope no go on that.

I used to live in New Mexico and every Spring the Juniper bushes would spread their pollen, sometimes visible as a yellowish plume in the air. My hay fever would be so bad I couldn’t breath and I would start to get Bronchitis.
I would go to the doctor and get a hydrocortisone shot and it would clear right up. The shot lasted about 2 weeks and by the end of it, the Juniper had stopped pollinating.
I worried that the cortisone was bad for me but it was better than Bronchitis and it was only once a year.

Sounds rather fun to have your body and mind ravished – pollen tends to ravage mine instead.
(c;
(captcha: that doctorow)

Hope you feel better soon, Rod. I’m sorry you missed church last Sunday. You missed a great reading, the “Tree of Life” passage from Revelation 21. This Sunday featured more about heaven in Revelation 22, but I had to work (something that I could not get out of) this morning.

Rod, hope you feel better soon. I echo Chuck’s comment — you’ve scored probably near the top of life change/stress in recent months. Having said that, I have read that the level of fatigue in sinus infections equals that of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Maybe you have a sinus infection and need a round of antibiotics? I’ve had two sinus infections in my life, and had overwhelming fatigue each time. The fatigue resolved within 48 hours of receiving antibiotics.
The PA at our employee health clinic (Collin County) swears by using a neti pot, and he recommends it to everyone prone to sinus problems. Not the most pleasant sensation in the world, but it really does help.

Yeah this has been a very bad allergy season – for reasons described by Rawlins. I do think that there comes a time when one decides they are not going to be immobilized by allergies – that certainly happened for me. After a sinus infection that became bronchitis then pneumonia (it was a antibitoic resistant strain) I declared war on my allergies. I first tried the desensitization shots – which were helpful but no cure all. Then I tried the preventive nose drops (forget the name of the med – it is a prescription med though) which also helped but still no cure. Finally – the neti pot. I cannot encourage you enough to try this – it sounds extreme but it will work.
The fatigue is the worse part – and then the meds make you drowsy too. Try the neti pot.

Hi Hector,
In the Orthodox Church Revelation is never part of the reading cycle so Rod would not have heard those passages in church this or last Sunday.

You mentioned you were taking OTC medication. Is it possible that’s what’s making you so tired. Have you tried the non-drowsy OTC meds to see if that helps?

This is a bad spring in general, but I can tell you, having lived outside of Philadelphia for a few years, that what tscott said about the microclimate in that area is true. My allergies were never as bad anywhere else. It’s terrible. Add that to this particular season’s extremely high pollen count, and you’ve got your own personal perfect storm.
It sounds like you need serious medical attention. I hope you are getting it.
OMG, the captchas are getting creepily relevant: arbors assistance

You know what was giving me chronic fatigue? My eyeglasses! Apparently the frames had nickel in them and aside from just irritating my nose, they had so sensitized my system to nickel that even dietary nickel, found in all sorts of healthy foods–like oatmeal, kale & legumes–wiped me out. Red wine was especially brutal. Now, I am curious to see if I drinking wine that has only been stored in wood, never in stainless steel (something about the acid leaching the nickel from the stainless vats), will have an effect.
I changed my eyeglasses and can now eat legumes in moderation.
Isn’t it strange how the most innocent things can be such culprits?

You have my deepest sympathies, Rod. Our second child has been suffering quite a bit too; she has made it to Mass with us the last two weeks, but hasn’t really been able to participate in choir etc. I’m looking at the rain in the forecast and actually hoping this year for the dry heat to start, already.
On a bright note, the Yamamoto Ginger Green Tea I ordered from Amazon arrived yesterday! It’s already helping. There’s just nothing quite like that tea, which is so much more pungent and spicy than any other ginger tea I’ve ever tried. (And no, I don’t work for the company–I’ve praised that stuff so much I just thought I ought to make that clear.)

Sorry to hear the allergies are giving you such grief, Rod.
I know of so many people from all across the Midwest, South and Mid-Atlantic states who are having really bad problems this year.
While it may not help in the near term, here’s a suggestion for long-term acclimation: Eat lots of local raw honey.
I don’t have allergies as a general rule but I did have to adapt a bit to Oklahoma’s different pollen levels when I lived there a few years. The first spring was the worst. I read about the local honey solution, started buying local raw honey and never had another problem.
Can’t say the honey saved me from developing allergies, but it sure didn’t hurt.

Just want to second (or was it third) the use of a neti pot. You get used to it, and it becomes a part of your regular daily hygiene, like brushing your teeth. You don’t have to use fancy salt or water like they suggest in the pamphlets that come with the pot; I just use regular table salt and tap water.
Before I started this practice I used to get sinus infections 2-3x a year, now I never get them.

Right there with you. I’ve barely had a voice for the last week and a half. Preaching last Sunday was almost unbearable, but it’s finally letting up a little bit. Not enough for my liking though.
As someone who has dealt with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for the better part of his adult life, I appreciate your empathy. The fog that comes over you can be overwhelming, like having those seasonal allergies on steroids all year round. My CFS has become much milder in the last few years, but it can still be a bear when it wants to be.

Wow, I am so glad that I read this article today. I also have chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia and non-alergic chronic rhinitus and mild asthma. I have a follow-up appointment this week for my flaring asthma. Now, I think I’ll talk to her about better “allergy” management and how it may help me to wake up rested, instead of ready to get another 8 hours of sleep Sometimes, God uses others to help you recieve personal revelation. This certainly was one for me

Jon,
That’s very interesting- I did not realise that. I know the Episcopal and Catholic lectionaries overlap substantially, so I guess I had assumed the Orthodox lectionary was similar too- apparently not.
Do the Eastern Catholic rites (Byzantine, Maronite etc.) use Revelation in their lectionaries at all?

Get thee to an allergist! Allergy shots, medications, and advice on keeping pollen levels in your home down (like washing bedding in hot water once a week) will make it much better.

Rod,
Which is worse: Dallas Heat or Phillie snot?

The squirt bottle made by NeilMed, sold at drugstores, performs the same function as the Neti pot but is much easier to use. Daily nasal irrigation with salt water plus occasional use of RX nasal sprays like Nasonex (most allergy docs will give you free samples of several different brands, so you can try then and find one you like – they’re not all the same) keeps things clear. Many times better than having to take decongestants and antihistamines all the time.
The local honey mentioned above is another great idea, as well as considering all sources of inflammation (such as sugar, caffeine) and dialing those down as much as you can stand to do.
If none of the above help, there are surgeries that can reduce your likelihood of getting a sinus infection. The one I got, ‘turbinate reduction’, sounds gross (check wikipedia if you want the gory details), but it was totally painless and 4 years later, I barely ever even have a stuffy nose, never mind clogged sinuses or sinus headaches. And I’m allergic to *everything* (grass, mold, dust, mites, cats, 95% of plants in the allergy skin test, etc etc).

Although it’s not fun to go on, my anti allergy diet recommended by my doctor is working (reduce carbs, no grains, no cheese, no alcohol, take vitamin C).

I suffer terribly from sinus problems during hayfever season. I started doing sinus irrigation with saline (i.e., 1 tsp salt in 1 cup warm water) and it helps a LOT. I had forgotten what it felt like not to having blinding headache.
You can buy a Neti pot for sinus irrigation at the drugstore; or you can make your own from a clean squeeze bottle (I used a clean dish detergent bottle, carefully rinsed out all the soap residue — google for a video on how to do it).

Go.To.An.Allergist. This week! They will test you for specific allergies, and you won’t have to guess what to avoid. They can also provide you with the latest non-drowsy medications. And stick with the Tai Chi — it will build up your strength, and help you battle the fatique, not to mention the stress.

If the allergies are bad enough there’s always intentional hookworm infestation.

One word: hookworms. Guaranteed cure for allergies. NPR did a great piece on it. Look it up.

I have had allergy problems all my life, with chronic sinus infections since early childhood. But the chronic fatigue didn’t hit me until around the time I turned 44. I was in great shape, very active. But suddenly I began experiencing “dizziness” (ataxia more than vertigo or light-headedness). I had extensive sinus surgery and began using allergy meds regularly and getting allergy injections, etc. All that helped the breathing (especially the surgery, which was very extensive and corrected problems I must have had since birth), and it helped prevent infection and bronchitis.
But the fatigue and ataxia kept getting worse. (They seemed to be caused by a viral infection, which was diagnosed as mono. My wife, her mother, and her brother got the same thing during the same period, but with different symptoms. Strange demographic for mono, since we were all over 40 and none of the teens in the family got it. This infection may have been the cause of the cardiomyopathy diagnosed in my wife two years later.) I had more tests and consulted more specialists than I could relate. I pushed through work for 16 more years (electronics specialist in a nuclear physics lab). The last five years were brutal, and I finally had to retire a little early at the age of 60. Anyway, if there is a correlation between allergy and chronic fatigue, I’d like to know more about it, but in my case treating the former did not help the latter.

Steam sauna works wonders for me. Used to get a few sinus infections each year, so bad that my teeth hurt, now I don’t get any (haven’t had one for 4 or 5 years).

Ditto to Doug’s post. I used to suffer from chronic sinus infections and inevitably had to undergo sinus surgery/reconstruction. It helped immensely.
However, our normally dry climate has been deluged with rain this spring. Everything budded earlier than normal and my sinuses didn’t like it one bit. So, I truly sympathize!
I don’t have CFS but I do have Systemic Lupus and it’s difficult for people who haven’t experienced debilitating fatigue (bless them!) to understand. The best analogy I can offer is that it’s akin to running a vacuum cleaner and having the power cord suddenly become unplugged. You’re motoring around and then suddenly you’ve lost all energy.
Lupus is one of those “but you look so good!” diseases and it strikes young women of child-bearing age. I’ve tried everything to alleviate the fatigue — eating a very healthy diet, drinking green tea, and exercising a bit every day — but nothing works. When it takes hold, you simply have to obey it and not fight it. Persisting in an effort to overcome just makes everything worse.
So, I guess that’s all I have to offer. Listen to your body and give it what it needs. Don’t fight it. I hope you feel better soon!

Might want to check in to pycnogenol. As a supplement, it has done wonders for my allergic family. All 8 of us have allergies of some sort, most miserable, many food related, most seasonal. You can get it in a variety of forms. I’ve taken just pills, but also with other things like grapeseed extract and red wine extract (called OPC.)
All from my house sympathize with you, me the most. I’m 42 and the allergies used to bring me to my knees. Hard to homeschool 6 kids when you can’t get off the couch.
God bless.

Exhausted adrenal glands are often behind both allergies and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Our processed western diet causes rocky blood sugar levels which over-simulates our adrenal glands leaving us depleted in cortisone, the hormone required to help us balance blood sugar levels and prevent inflammation.
If we can’t produce enough cortisone we will develop allergies and off we go to our doctor. He will give us creams and inhalers containing the very same steroid (cortisone)that our own body is failing to make enough of.
We will also have difficulty balancing blood sugar levels causing fatigue and a myriad of other symptoms and in some cases the continued hormonal imbalance can lead to chronic fatigue.
The answer is to balance your blood sugar levels so that the adrenals are not constantly stimulated and have the chance to build up a supply of cortisone again. Also, to eat more fish or fish oils which will give your body the building blocks it needs to make the cortisone it needs.
Good luck.

I have found that my severe sleepiness is due to a secondary histamine (H2) reaction. I get itchy nose, etc. when I am first exposed to mold. That’s where a H1 antagaonist (i.e. Zyrtec or other classic antihistamine helps). But it doesn’t touch the sleepiness, where I feel as though I’ve had several painkillers and can’t wake up. Anyway, the H2 antagonists are usually used for stomach acidity problems. Zantac (ranitidine) works well for me, and it really reduces the tiredness. Tagamet should also work, but it has a lot of drug interactions, and also reacts with grapefruit juice. I’m going to get immunotherapy again, which worked great while I could keep it up. But the Zantac is a lifesaver for me right now. Hope this might help you or someone else who’s miserable.