Ask the internet: See an allergist?

[beth_leonard]

This evening has been tough. Around 5 pm after a short nap I was discussing evening plans with Jon and I started coughing. It felt as though I'd swallowed wrong and had cheerio dust stuck in my throat. I swallowed, tried to complete the conversation. I coughed more.

To make a long story short, every time I tried to talk I coughed and eventually I coughed so hard I threw up. Twice.

I had no feelings of stomach upset, it was just the coughing that did it, and any talking at all, even to say "hmmm" or whisper set off the coughing. It wasn't laryngitis symptoms where you can whisper but no noise comes out. My throat didn't feel particularly sore, but my voice box felt... "sandy" is the best word I can use to describe it. I drank one glass of milk, two glasses of water, and gargled but could not improve my situation even a little bit.

I considered that perhaps it was a continuation of the allergic reaction I seemed to be having to my Wonder Woman costume from Friday night's party. On Saturday I woke up with very itchy red splotches over the parts of my body that had been in contact with the costume. They got worse through the day to the point that by this evening My legs, arms, and tummy were covered in red quarter-sized splotches with about a millimeter between them.

I e-mailed Jon a plan and we went to the drugstore to buy some Claritin. I took a Claritin tab at 6pm (luckily it seems to be compatible with breastfeeding) and now at 8pm the splotches have reduced to pea-sized with about 1 cm between them. I can talk briefly in a whisper without feeling as though there's sand in my throat and breaking out into a severe cough.


My question to my friends who might read this before tomorrow morning: Should I make an appointment ASAP to see an allergist? If not, why not? What type of doctor should I see if any? I've had a lingering cough as a result of a cold for the last 3 weeks, but it was nothing major. I'd cough a few times a day and a little before going to bed. My nose has been clear.

Thanks,
--Beth
PS. Not talking at all is very annoying. I am very glad that Jon and I took those ASL classes together a few years ago though. It's made the evening functional, if strongly unpleasant.

Comments

[patrissimo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I have had occasional random systemic allergic reactions, including one not long ago, all of which cleared up on taking antihistamines. Antihistamines are pretty powerful things, fortunately.

I would say that if it doesn't happen regularly, there is not much point in going to an allergist. I mean, what is an allergist going to do? I've been to lots of allergists lots of times, and all I've really learned is that I'm allergic to most things with leaves or fur, that antihistamines work OK for me, and that allergy shots don't do squat.

The cough...I dunno. If it seems to clear up with the antihistamine, I would ascribe it to that and not worry about it. If it doesn't, then maybe see an ENT? Or start with a GP?

Hives

[robszewczyk.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have a case of hives (the red bumps) from a contact allergy with the costume. I've never heard of the voicebox reaction before, though I have heard of swollen air passages from allergies, which may be the same thing.

I do not personally recommend seeing an allergist.

Contact reactions to cheap clothing are not particularly uncommon. I had a bad reaction as a child, which turned out to be to the glue used in the shoes I was wearing. I've only had hives once since then, partially because I wash EVERYTHING before I wear it (ditto for Alex). That reduces the contact allergies to things that got on the clothes (scented detergents & fabric softeners are often problems), but won't do diddly for problems like glues or content within the clothes.

A case of hives should go down in a day or so (especially with the Claritin use) as long as you don't contact the allergen again. I recommend you have Jon collect up all of your costume (and maybe Peter's as well), and remove them from the house (to plastic bag to donate; to trash; whatever).

If your symptoms get worse, you should be talking to 911 (or at least an advice nurse or something immediately) [through Jon, I guess]. If they stay at pea-sized, you should go see a normal adult doctor for help. If they go away and the costume is gone, the allergist probably won't have anything helpful to tell you. If they go away and then return, it's time to talk to the allergist, because you may not have identified the correct initial cause.

By teh way, I was considering getting Alex Allergy tested (to help control the asthma through prediction of conditions), but the pediatrician recommended against it. He said that they have a fair rate of BOTH false positives AND false negatives, and he finds the tests overall don't tell you much reliable info. He claims an observant parent who chronicles times of worse spells and what's present at those times is much more accurate. (I wish I were observant...)

Postscripts

[robszewczyk.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention it was OtherBeth, not Rob, writing the last comment (and this one, too).

My Kaiser Permanente book would have had you call 911 a while ago, for "rapidly spreading hives". Since they're decreasing, it would now suggest 911 for wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the neck, face or tongue, or dizziness, should they develop.

BTW, Claritin is also given to very small children directly (one of A's classmates took it regularly at the age of 2), and I think it's also on the OK-for-pregnant-women list.

Same Kaiser book recommends slowly weaning off of the antihistamine over 5 days or so after the hives disappear. Also says hives may last more than a day.

--OBeth

Re: Postscripts

[beth_leonard]

Thanks for the info. My plan e-mailed to Jon before dinner was stop by the drug store, buy Claritin, take it immediately, and if things didn't start to get better by the time the kids were in bed, to go to the Urgent Care Clinic. Jon has been informed of the possibility of a 911 call if I have trouble breathing during the night.

I never had any trouble breathing, just talking, which was the very weird thing. I've had red bumps before from heat rash, but I've never had hives. I guess this red rash is what hives are. I'd always thought based on the descriptions hives were worse than this. I'd always imagined nearly open pussy sores, whereas this is just red spots that look like spider bites or 2-3 day old unscratched mosquito bites.

Internet research indicates Claritin is a L2 breastfeeding drug (basically safe, but does show in the milk), and that it's better than Benedryl (which can cause drowsieness and depressed breathing in the infant). L1 is all-the-way-safe, L4 is not recommended.

So your book would have me keep taking the Claritin, even after I feel better and have removed the allergyn? I guess I'll wait and see how I feel tomorrow.

--Beth

[beth_leonard]

The big thing is that one's sensitivities to allergens can change with pregnancy and breastfeeding. I've never had allergies of any type before. I have done some heavy sneezing in open fields at certain times of year, but usually it cleared up if I drank water and washed out my face and nose. i.e. I inhaled something my body really didn't like and once I got rid of it I was ok in the field again.

Part of my question is that I have to evaluate with respect to my insurance. I hit the $5K deductible this year giving birth to Amber. If I'm going to need to see a doctor for anything in the future, there is a significant financial advantage to doing it before December 31st. I still have to pay 30% of negotiated rate up to another $1000 or so ($7500 annual out-of-pocket maximum, spent $6500 so far this year) but basically if I need any health care I should do it now.

If this could be the start of an allergy problem that could get better with shots etc. I want to take care of it now, not 3 months from now.
--Beth

Re: Hives

[jon-leonard.livejournal.com]

I thought it was worth it for me to have the test done. It hurt a fair amount, but that's because I was allergic to a lot of stuff. But it's not really that precise an instrument, no.

Careful observation is a great tool, but you might need extra tools in some of the worst cases. For my brother, they eventually resorted to an elimination diet, with my mom recording what he ate, the teacher recording his behavior, and the doctor correlating them. Essentially, that's a double-blind analysis.

Oh, and the shoe-glue allergy stinks. Jim had/has that one too, and it took us way too long to figure it out (poor guy).

[eilonwey.livejournal.com]

Jeez. I'm so sorry this happened to you!

I had hives as a child and remember them being splotches, not open sores or anything like that.

I would definitely go see a doctor of some sort, though. For one thing, it's worth knowing whether the hives and the coughing are connected or not. I was pretty surprised to discover that I had pneumonia earlier this year when I finally went in because of a lingering cough, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. I'm not saying you have pneumonia, but with reactions this severe it seems worth checking out.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I hit the $5K deductible this year giving birth to Amber.

Lol, yeah, after I got my birth medical bills I went through this "I should have all the incredibly optional medical care I've been wondering about for years because it's basically FREE!" phase. But then I realized it would take effort.

[elflynn.livejournal.com]

I get hives on a semi-regular basis, and the antihistamines are the best answer for me. What you had on Saturday looked like hives. I have had a similar reaction with the not being able to talk, and it can be allergy related. As long as you aren't having trouble breathing, I would wait and see if the antihistamine works. Hopefully, you are already feeling better, and don't need my advice! :)

[kirinqueen.livejournal.com]

I've had a cough like that, and antihistamines don't seem to do much; as far as I can tell it only wants to go away on its own. The first day of a rainy spell (which is usually the sum of the rainy spell here, sadly) usually makes it start up, when the rain kicks up dust and a bit of mold, both of which trigger allergic coughs for me. The allergist I saw a few years ago diagnosed the allergy, and gave me a bunch of Allegra samples, but since I moved away from the dampness of the beach, I've hardly needed it, and never got a prescription. I've become more sensitive to dust in the last year or so, and I've been thinking of seeing an allergist, but I'm pretty sure I'd just get more Allegra or whatever for it.

[(Anonymous)]

Benedryl is more powerful than Claritin and better at combating allergic reactions, but would have a more powerful effect through breastfeeding as well. I think Benedryl (in appropriate tiny doses) has been approved for infants over the age of six months, but I would have to check that.

Cheap glue, cheap plastic, weird fabric from the costume -- that's definitely the cause of the skin rash. Yes, those are hives, but a mild case -- they get more open sores if you scratch more and harder. The coughing is probably but not necessarily related; hard to tell. Especially with pregancy/breastfeeding, your body chemistry is somewhat altered.

If it's reasonably cheap to have a doctor check you out, you might as well take advantage of the time. But I'd be inclined to put this in the category of one-time-only things.