Is there a doctor in the house?
- Started
- Last post
- 60 Responses
- 5timuli
Even with insurance, I can't afford another trip to the doctor (thanks, USA) so I thought I'd do the next best thing and ask the experts, erm, here.
Moved into a new apartment two weeks ago. The next day I started to get allergy symptoms; itchy throat and ears, itchy, watering eyes. The itching eyes eventually developed into conjunctivitus by the following weekend, and even after antibiotics and Zyrtec, the allergy symptoms remain (eye meds took care of the Pink Eye).
This could be down to one of three things:
1. I'm allergic to the smelly, smoky second-hand sofa my wife's parent got for us.
2. I'm allergic to something in the a/c, even though I've checked the house top-to-bottom for mould, etc.
3. After 34 years I've finally developed everyday allergies like millions of others (haven't had them once before I moved in here).
When I leave and go to work, the symptoms die down and sometimes stop completely. I'm totally fine when I'm outside.
One more thing... since developing these allergies, I have one more symptom. When walking I get serious pain from my left hip to my left knee. It doesn't happen when I run, only when I walk. And it doesn't hurt until I've been walking for a few minutes; I can be sitting and walking around the house/office all day and feel nothing.
So... cure me. Go!
- airey0
is the place clean? dust could do this. or asbestos.
- uberdesigner0
swine flu
- Brainiac0
Maybe the previous owner had a cat? My wife is allergic to cats.
- uberdesigner0
could be dust mites. go to a doctor for an allergy test
- you can get a powder that you vacuum up that kills themuberdesigner
- 5timuli0
Dust mites sound like a winner so far, but mainly from the sofa. The place is spotless, even the basement. You could eat food off the floor.
My wife has no symptoms and she's home all day. But then, she doesn't sit on the sofa either, she sits on her chair most of the time. I lie on the sofa a lot.
Can't afford another doctor visit.
- uberdesigner0
hanta avian aids? those bastards
- airey0
a house episode answer: maybe it's not the new place but the new situation. maybe you're wife is getting it on with a neighbour, he does a lot of yard work and sweats bug spray chemicals which are passed from your wife to you, which you're allergic to?
- I still can't believe that actor is british. his accent is flawless.uberdesigner
- you must be 5 i guess. he's been a famous actor for about 25 years now with the brit accent.airey
- I had never heard of him before Houseuberdesigner
- It is not a flawless accent, it's a terribly bloody attempt at the accent! Part of the reason I don't watch it much.BuddhaHat
- And yes, very famous. Black Adder, Fry & Laurie, he's a very funny man. A bit silly too, which I like :)BuddhaHat
- hey budda have you seen 'maybe baby' - great film with him.airey
- No, but if i can find a torrent of it I will :)BuddhaHat
- done, emailing nowairey
- that accent even stumps the creators of the show, so I'm betting it's a good one.juhls
- ismith0
Throw some plastic over the sofa for a week and see what happens.
- Now that's an idea. I was about to shove it in the basement.5timuli
- i was gonna suggest store it [if possible] for a week or two to determine if its the culpritchris_himself
- uberdesigner0
some doilies too!
- 5timuli0
Actually, now I think of it, when I wake up in the morning my allergies are in full swing. Bed's clean. That's why I'm not sure if it's the sofa or the a/c. It's gotta be the sofa though. Maybe the morning allergies are a delayed reaction, or the sofa shit is spreading through the house via the a/c.
- 5timuli0
I seriously want to shove my hands down my throat and scratch. Or swallow a bottle-brush. I'm diseased!
- uberdesigner0
maybe you're allergic to your wife. you might have to give her away to a family with kids.
- That would certainly cure my fiscal hemorrhaging.5timuli
- version30
For the record. the doctor is working for your return, not your well being.
- DrBombay0
the gout
- Corvo20
Maybe there's a dead body somewhere in the walls and it's just now starting to reek its wicked, invisible sins.
- uberdesigner0
maybe you're gay and you're allergic to a hetero lifestyle?
- KwesiJ0
jeeze kind of blows you can't actually talk to a doctor about this without financial concerns
- boobs0
Dust mites in and about your linens and bedding and upholstery are a big source of allergy problems, which would probably be alleviated by going to an office environment. Also, cat allergies to a previous cat that lived there and left behind dander on carpets, in air, etc. Or perhaps neighbors cat.
Do a lot of vacuuming with a HEPA filtered vacuum--probably while wearing a mask, and after having taken antihistamines. Wash all your linens and blankets and pillows in HOT water to reduce dust mite problems. This may have to be done weekly if this is a real problem--or you can look into encasements.
Old upholstered furniture can harbor dust mite problems for ages and ages though. But really, problems from the dust mites are more likely to occur when you're right in contact with the fuckers. Beds and pillows are big problems for this, because you're in them so much. Pillows are the worst! I was getting rashes around my eyes until I recently got a new pillow.
The sofa is unlikely to be the problem--unless you're sleeping on it. If you were that sensitive to dust mite problems, you would almost certainly have noticed them before.
- Corvo20
Isn't there a medical phone line you can call for advice?