Allergies or a Cold?

[Lizza]

We live in the Willamette Valley (Oregon), the hot spot for pollen. No one in the family has ever had allergies. My youngest is 5 1/2 years old this spring/summer and has had an on going problem with either a cold or allergies for the last month or so. When I took her in to the doctor last month (or maybe two months ago) her doctor told us that we may want to consider that she is developing allergies. I just didn't see how that was possible, I mean we live on a farm, dirt and not being super clean are a way of life which I heard contributes to allergies. Also I know old wives tales but we eat local raw honey and our own raw milk, again I thought that was suppose to help with allergies? I know, old wives tales but aren't some of them true?

I suppose I should call the doctor again and get her back in, it just seems silly to keep going in to have her seen for a common cold. I suppose there must be allergy tests they can do???

I guess my basic question is if there is any way to tell the difference between a cold and allergies?

[rb.]

I just posted this on another thread, about the honey. Is she getting at least a spoon a day?

Don't forget, reactions don't just have to be the immune system's reaction to pollen...it can be mechanical, too. ie. too much crud breathed in...dust from dirt, dust from hay, pollutants from burning wood, etc. She's a bit too old to be able to do a forced nasal wash, but maybe ask her to put some water in her hand and sniff it a few times, then blow her nose?

Also, there is a cold out there (was really bad up in Vancouver, BC) that people are calling the 100 Day Cold, it takes so long to get rid of it. Only way to know for sure is allergy testing.

[Lizza]

Thanks rb.! There are some bad colds going around and she hasn't really been very sick as a kid, so I kind of figured maybe she is just catching everything going around right now.

I am trying to make sure she gets a spoon a day of the raw honey (she also drinks it in her tea but I figure with the boiling water it negates the health benefits) but I am sure I haven't been very good about making sure she always gets a spoon full.

I wish I could use the netti pot but I honestly didn't even think about, I wonder if like you said I can do a small version.

Our pollen is so bad right now even people without allergies are showing symptoms, maybe it is just a combo of cold and symptoms from all our pollen right now.

I may go ahead and call the doctor about allergy testing, I've never had to have any testing done before, hopefully it is an easy thing to do.

[Terri]

When you call the doc, ask if there is an allergy med he would suggest.

If it works, then there is a good chance she has allergies.

I THINK that honey works because it has pollen in it. She becomes desensitized. Unfortunately this does not work for me because I am allergic to GRASS pollen, and bees do not collect grass pollen. Grass is wind pollinated. So, to be desensitized to grass pollen I take shots.

[Joshie]

If you have a "cold" for more than a couple of weeks, well, you have allergies, not a cold.

Anybody can develop allergies at any time. Not all treatments work for every person. I'm very much a research proven treatment kind of person so I don't get the honey thing. (The fact that I hate honey doesn't help either.) Especially since you've tried that it sounds like it's time to call the doctor.

[willow_girl]

If you have a "cold" for more than a couple of weeks, well, you have allergies, not a cold.

Or a massive sinus infection.

I suffered for a good 6 months thinking I just had allergies. Finally went to the doc, who put me on Augmentin (antibiotic) ... Wow! What a difference. No more sneezing, sniffling, sinus pressure. I feel like a new person!

[Alice In TX/MO]

Warning, graphic description.

If your drainage (snot) is clear, it's allergies.

If your drainage is colored yellow or green, it's an infection of some sort, i.e. a cold or sinus infection.

[Lizza]

Her discharge is clear and her eyes are blood shot and watery and itchy, no fever. I think it is allergies.

Terri, I feel like smacking my head , of COURSE the honey wouldn't work since what we have around here is GRASS pollen and of course bees don't collect grass! We are the worlds largest grass seed supplier.

I also found this article last night: http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms...nt-allergy.csp

I will call the doctor and see what she wants me to do, come in or just get something over the counter. If she does have allergies then I would like to go ahead and get her tested.

Thanks everyone, neither of my older kids ever had any problems, so we've never had to deal with allergies before.

[Megabeth]

Morningstar, we're also in the Willamette Valley, and my 3-year-old has had "a cold" for so long that I don't remember when it started! My 6-y-old has started too, now. It's just a morning cough and runny nose (clear). I think it's allergies for us, too, but nothing that needs treatment. It's just annoying.

Of course it would help if the world would realize that it's SUMMERTIME! We lit our woodstove last night. Plain ridiculous to do that on June 15, but I am tired of feeling chilly and damp.

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by willow_girl

Or a massive sinus infection.

I suffered for a good 6 months thinking I just had allergies. Finally went to the doc, who put me on Augmentin (antibiotic) ... Wow! What a difference. No more sneezing, sniffling, sinus pressure. I feel like a new person!

Very true. DD has chronic sinus infections. She was on daily antibiotics for years. She now is two weeks on and two weeks off.

Sinus infections and a cold do feel different. Allergies tend have thinner snot.

Does your child do the allergy nose rub? You often use the palm in a brushing up direction. Feel itching on the roof of the mouth? Have itchy eyes?

It'd be really unusual to keep catching cold after cold after cold.

[Lizza]

I called the phone nurse and at first they were just going to have me do over the counter stuff but then they decided since she was coughing they wanted to see her.

Basically he said, yeah, looks like she has allergies. He said inside her nose (clear runny discharge) that it looked "boggy and blue (I guess it really turns a bluish color?)" and that indicated allergies. Plus he said colds should run their course in 10 days, if it's longer then it is probably allergies. He said the good news is that pollen allergies should be better in 3-4 weeks, he said if she is really suffering then he recommends we take her over to the coast for a few days. He said he's seeing about 20 kids a day right now with allergies. The only thing he wanted me to watch for was asthma since he said allergies and asthma go hand in hand.

Basically he wanted me to give her Zyrtec every day and a certain type of allergy eye drops but he said since her eyes are so puffy and red that it might sting the first few days, I haven't tried them yet. He did say I can still do Benedryl at night.

Thanks everyone for your help