Allergy Shot Upgrade: Horses now included!

I started cluster shots to desensitize my horse allergy about a month ago. I stopped going to get shots throughout wrestling, so I'm getting my cat shot built back up at the same time. Thankfully, I have two arms to poke.

I flipped back through the blog out of curiosity. Five years ago I first mentioned shots. I decided to start injections four years ago, and I completed the cluster ramp up nine weeks after that. Which was good, because a kitten showed up not long after.

I kept it up until we moved (I think). There was a lapse when we moved and then I started down here. I've suspected/known I was still allergic to horses through all this time, but never moved to get it confirmed until last year.

I started my new regimen of cluster shots (with horse included) at the beginning of March. Cluster shots must have grown in popularity, because the time slots keep filling up! The allergist only allows one cluster patient to cycle through at a time. I can't drop in and get shots. I have to schedule it days in advance and usually the afterschool or earliest morning shots are booked. My boss is flexible and has let me come in a half hour late for my first class once a week to get the shots in.

With a week off for Spring Break, I've gone through 5 of the 9 shots. I had a larger local reaction than usual once and they made me go home and come back for a drop in shot to finish a sequence. Nothing major.

The biggest difference I've noticed is in the cost. My health insurance in Northern Virginia was top notch. I didn't have to pay anything for injections. I remember the allergist commenting on, "Get it while the getting's good!" I don't recall paying for the serum either, but I might have had to contribute something. There was still a co-pay if I needed an appointment with the allergist (I think it was $20).

In Cville, the insurance is not as good. The copay for an allergist visit is $40. Instead of free injections, insurance leaves me $2.35 to pay after each visit. That's not bank-breaking, but it is more. Cluster shots are a series of 3 and then 2 and then 1 shot visits over 9 weeks. I was surprised when the bill finally showed up and each session cost $33.

If the buildup continues as planned, I'll be on the maintenance dose in early May. That'll leave me ready for summer.

Horse Allergy Confirmed (Again)

I'm allergic to horses again.

I didn't believe it'd really gone away when they tested me for shots, but since Carrie didn't have a horse I wasn't worried about it.

Multiple horses and sneezes later, it was time to revisit the issue.

I tested positive with the AP horse and slightly with the standard horse.

There wasn't an AP-horse last time I took the test. It was a much stronger reaction. I felt my arm itch at #83 quickly. That probably explains why the second allergist, Dr. Kim, didn't think it was significant enough he was willing to give me shots for it.

It took an hour and a half, but I'm signed up for anti-horse allergy shots now.

Carrie took Shane to soccer practice while I got pricked by needles.

First Day of Winter Break 2017

First day of break! How did Shane and I celebrate? 

We got my allergy shot, vacuumed the wrestling room, did laundry, and cleaned the house.

It had to be done.

Tomorrow will be more laid back.

Random: Allergy Shot

I forgot my epipen. However, with all of the hullabaloo about the explosion in epipen pricing, my allergists office has instituted an unwritten rule that patients can wait 45 minutes after a shot if they don't have one.

I taught myself how to play a random card game I picked up for a fiver.

I'm bummed neither my clan or Carrie's was on any of the cards, but it killed some of the extra time.

Started my allergy shots again

Started the allergy shots again. I'm three shots behind, but already extra attractive to the cats.

Or maybe it was the blanket.

Can you see the cat next to the cat pills?

Morale of the story: If you're allergic to cats, don't leave your luggage open.

Errata Day: Cluster Shots Accomplished

Nine weeks later, I have reached the "maintenance level" with my immunotherapy. The nurses wanted to give me a t-shirt. They said they don't have a lot of cluster patients. There were only two other people going through the process as I did.

My allergies haven't been bothering me much lately. I don't know if it's the shots or the pair of pills I take each morning. I'll drop down to one pill a day once the 10mg pills run out, and we'll see how 'cured' I am.

It was a good time to finish up with a kitten appearing out of no where.

Immunotherapy 2

I'm four weeks in to my immunotherapy.

So far, the hardest part has been the logistics. My first two sessions were 10 minutes of activity and an hour and a half of waiting. My second two sessions have been 10 minutes of activity and an hour of waiting.

Other than that, not too much to report. The needle is super small. I barely feel the shots.

The serum is increasing in strength, though. My last two shots feel like a bug bit the back of my arms. They still itch a little today. The nurse said many people have a stronger reaction by this point.

Five more weeks until the 'maintenance' period begins.

Immunotherapy (Backdated to the day of)

I started immunotherapy for my allergies. I'm doing the accelerated cluster shots for the next nine weeks.

There's nothing like someone handing you a prescription for an EpiPen and a document that says, "If you're about to die use this and call 911. Keep a second one on hand if the first doesn't work," to make you ponder a "What if" or two.

The treatment went fine. Eight more weeks to go!

Bee Careful

Shane got his first bee sting today.

Carrie and I were on a "date afternoon." Our neighborhood sitter, Meghan, and Shane were outside.

A bee decided to fly over and Shane, in his infinite toddler wisdom, decided he wanted to hold it.

He held it, all right!

The bee protested and soon Meghan had to pluck the stinger out. She said that he cried for less than five minutes before the TV worked it's hypnotic magic.

Shane's thumb is a little swollen, but that appears to be the extent of the damage. There was no crazy allergic reaction. He doesn't like me to poke or prod it, so I don't (which is kind of rude, because he always wants to poke and prod any "boo-boos" I have!).

Was the lesson learned? I wouldn't be surprised if Shane tried to pick up another bee tomorrow. He's a mix of stubborn, curious and impulsive that doesn't always equate to avoiding the painful teachable moments the first time around.

Daddy's boy!

Busy Monday

My goal was to take Shane all sorts of cool places this summer.

On Monday, I took him to the doctor's office. He's had a bad cough and congestion for almost two weeks now. Carrie and I didn't think it was anything serious, but we pay for insurance so why not?

We were there for over an hour to hear "It's a bad chest cold or allergies," and I had to pull out all my Daddy tricks to survive.

Like spinning rolley-chairs.

After we got home from the doctors, Georgeanne and Janis came by for Shane's IFSP meeting. It went on for over an hour. How's that for a pair of back to back exciting adventures for a little boy?

Allergy Season Sucks

I WAS writing a post about how painful it is to listen to my son cough and hack up his lungs at night due to allergies.

Shane had a coughing fit and I heard him *hurk!* something down wrong, so I stopped writing and went upstairs.

I was just in the nick of time.

A few minutes later, Shane was done puking his guts and mucus out and we were taking a hot bath/shower. The steam helps clear Shane out. I've been trying to train him to blow his nose and/or spit out any snot he coughs up. Shane seems to think it's an archaic form of infant torture half the time. Thankfully, the snot rockets he produces the other half relieve the coughing and mouth-breathing for a time.

Shane's back in bed and I'm back downstairs. His clothes are in the sink soaking, and my busted (and now puked on) shirt is in the trash. I'll go up to bed after I'm sure Shane's down again. I don't want any noise on the monitor to wake up Carrie. The heart-wrenching I feel listening to Shane feeling unwell seems to be doubled in her!

Earlier, I was curious and I started looking back through old posts to see if I complained about Shane's allergies before. There was one time he woke up puking last May I mentioned them, but there wasn't anything else that stood out. I think Shane's allergies were something of a common knowledge, so I didn't see the point in complaining about it too often. ( Besides, there were the constant ear infections, lack of speaking, and a number of other things to worry a parent! I'm glad that those first two issues were solved!)

I'm not hearing anything else over the monitor, so it's time for me to turn in. I pray that Shane will stay down and get some rest 'till the morn!

Snotty Boy

Pollen is in the air.

Shane's been a snot faucet. 

His nose is constantly dripping. 

Shane's okay with the taste, but he's not okay with Daddy using a tissue to wipe down from his upper lip to his chin! You can hear the snot burgling within whenever he coughs. Shane's allergy doctor gave us some meds that we're giving him daily to help.

Shane woke up a little after 5 AM today. He started a fakey-whine so I ignored it for 10-15 minutes until he said my name. I went in and tried to lay down with him, so he'd go back to sleep. Shane's congestion was audible. After twenty minutes of coughing, snot, and Shane trying to sleep I called it quits and brought him downstairs.

It would be easier if Shane would blow his nose. I'm trying to teach him how. He seems to think that I'm trying to torture him, though. He always lets out a whine or protest whenever I say "Blow!" Otherwise, the allergies really don't stop Shane from doing anything. I'll stick him in a steamy shower later to dislodge whatever I can.

On the plus side, I've been able to cut loose. I spent the whole morning farting up a nose-hair-curling storm and it didn't bother my boy in the least! Maybe the allergies are a Daddy-survival strategy for Shane...

Allergy Testing

I'm thinking about going through immunotherapy for my allergies.

My nose is always runny/itchy and I sneeze great gobs of snot (I have healthy lungs). I only take an allergy pill once a week or so when it really annoys me, but what's the point if I can be cured? Genevieve's dad went through it years and years ago and highly recommends it. The cats aren't going anywhere (except the one who did), and I suspect my wife will end up adopting something else fuzzy in the future (after her current fish craze).

Thursday after work, I went to the allergist around the corner. I got to get pricked by 54 needles on my back in the first test panel and then I had 12 or 13 shots in my arms in the second panel. After each panel, they tell you "Don't itch!" and wait twenty minutes to measure the reaction.

I am no longer allergic to horses, but I am allergic to cats and house dust (which the doctor said could have cat allergens in it). My body also reacted to dog hair. My family got our first puppy when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, so that really surprised me.

The doctor said I'm "sensitized." My body knows the allergens are there even though there is no allergic reaction.

Strange. Even if I was allergic I never would've given up Jazzy (I still have a picture of her).

The next step is to try some new prescription pills and contemplate if I want to sign up for 100 shots over the next several years. One of my co-workers was in the waiting room in life for her shot when I first arrived! She recommended the procedure and the doctor I saw.

Shane smacked the very same doctor in the head last week! He was pleasant to me this week, so there must not be any hard feelings (though I guess he could have ordered an extra shot or two in my panel...)