Anyone have a bubble I can borrow?

October 21, 2009 2:28 AM

Allergy Help Needed: I am having a skin test done on Friday and have had to stop all antihistamines until then. What can I do for allergy relief between now and my test?

Allergy symptoms: Congestion, Itchy roof of mouth (does this have a proper term?), Ear aches, heavy breathing through mouth, some sinus pressure. My never ending sinus infection may have returned. On a scale of 1-10 for miserable, I'm at about a 7 or 8 without any medicine. Unfortunately I still have work for the next 2 days though where I have to look/sound alive.

I have a Neti Pot. What else is out there to help me? Thanks Hivemind, even if you aren't my doctor!

posted by quodlibet to health & fitness (20 comments total)

Painkillers aren't antihistamines, and they'll at least dull your sinus pain. Imperfect, but it's just a couple of days.

Very hot showers, with lots of steam to breathe, also help.
posted by rokusan at 2:34 AM on October 21, 2009

Spicy food does wonders for me. You don't want anything based on chili peppers (of any sort), as that'll just hot up your mouth. What works far better is stuff from the horseradish and wasabi family, or from the black pepper family.

The stuff sold as wasabi in America is my favorite.
posted by Netzapper at 2:35 AM on October 21, 2009

I'm unsure what it is that you're allergic to, but if it's airborne allergens, try your best to remove as much of it as you can from your bedroom. Get one of those air purifiers and wash everything you possibly can. Also try a humidifier overnight, with salt water. I have a friend who used to completely decommission when fall leaf mold season would happen (weird complications kept him from getting shots), but getting a good night's sleep in a moist, hypoallergenic environment kept his sinus infections at bay and his ears-nose-throat open and strong.

Also seconding horseradish/wasabi. If you don't fancy wasabi you might try this horseradish mayo spread that I love. It comes in a little, round, squat glass jar with a brown lid and boy, does it clear out your sinuses! It's amazing on almost any sandwich imaginable. I've found it all over the continental US in reasonably large supermarkets in the specialty condiments section. (Sadly I don't have a jar of it right now or I would go get you the brand name.)

Tea is really helpful, too, specifically a steady intake of green tea. The caffeine buzz you get from green tea is different from coffee and also even from black teas, I've found. It's sort of a low-level energy reserve, and when I'm feeling supremely crappy it keeps me buoyant.
posted by Mizu at 3:10 AM on October 21, 2009

Itchy roof of mouth: keep a glass of cold water at hand. Sip this whenever you feel an itch. Gargling with water or sucking an ice cube may help.

Congestion: some menthol crystals sprinkled into a bowl of very hot water works well for me.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 3:11 AM on October 21, 2009

When I had the test (repeated) a while back, my allergist gave me samples of Singulair to get through those days. Maybe if you call and ask the allergist's office what they suggest, they'll do something similar?
posted by dilettante at 3:15 AM on October 21, 2009

What about a dust/allergy-oriented facemask? It might make you look a little bit hazardous-materials-zone, but it might help keep the things from getting into your nasal passages.
posted by that girl at 4:11 AM on October 21, 2009

Keep your nose clean by using a saline nasal spray. You can get it at any drug store. Make sure it's only saline (with no other ingredients, medicines, etc). It actually works pretty well. It's just a little annoying to have to keep squirting the stuff up there, but it might be easier than repeated use of the neti pot.

Also, in the same vein as tea suggestions, sometimes if you steep some fenugreek in hot water, and drink the water (straining out the fenugreek), it can help with your symptoms. It's not a preventative, but it might help with the sinus and the ear ache.
posted by bluefly at 4:40 AM on October 21, 2009

Unfortunately nothing works as well as antihistamines. Folk remedies are often worse than useless. You just gotta tough it out -- I am in a similar situation where I have to abstain from those wonderful pills for 3 days before a pulmonary function test, due to hayfever-induced asthma.

Is there a reason your test has to be on Friday? I would suggest you reschedule it for a Monday so that you can suffer at home over a weekend without worrying about work.
posted by randomstriker at 4:51 AM on October 21, 2009

Is there are reason you couldn't take pseudoephedrine without an antihistamine? I'm a big fan of Mucinex D for sinus problems--it's pseudoephedrine plus guaifenesin to keep everything moving around. If you're not supposed to take a decongestant for some reason, you might still be able to take Mucinex (just the guaifenesin) to keep everything loose and moving around inside your sinuses.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:58 AM on October 21, 2009

Better than a Neti pot is the nasal rinse squeeze bottle from NeilMed. You can get higher pressures to do a better cleaning job. I much prefer it to a Neti Pot.

Studies show that saline sprays do not do nearly as well as nasal rinse (such as NeilMed, who also makes a saline spray).

I have absolutely NO connection to NeilMed (except when I put the sinus rinse bottle to my nose).
posted by mbarryf at 5:04 AM on October 21, 2009

See if you can work from home.

Clean three rooms: your bedroom, your work room, and your bathroom.

Check for mildew. Kill all the mildew in your bathroom. It's good for you anyway.

Remove all textiles, vacuum, then dust these rooms with a damp cloth.

Wash or have cleaned all textiles, then put clean versions back in the rooms. If it's unrealistic to clean some heavy drapes, at least vacuum them and then wipe them with a damp cloth or _clean_ sponge.

Go now to buy an air purifier/filter (this will make your life better with antihistimines, too).

Stay in your work room and your bedroom. Move the air purifier into your bedroom 20-30 minutes before bed.

If you have an animal, clean that too.

Good luck! Hope you feel better.
posted by amtho at 5:49 AM on October 21, 2009

nthing the sinus rinse bottle over the neti pot - there were such vehement recommendations for the sinus bottle a couple of weeks ago in an allergy question that I finally broke down and bought one.

Holy Jesus, I have not had a sinus headache since then. I normally take antihistamines daily, yet even with the drugs I usually have a thumping headache. In the last two weeks, I've skipped a solid week of antihistamines them without issue - previously unheard of. (I started taking them again when I felt a couple of sinus twinges last week when the weather got cold, but other than that I've been fine.) The little premixed packets that come with it made me realize that sinus rinsing should not burn, apparently I had my salt/baking soda mix ratio wrong.

I can't believe how well the thing works. No I don't work for Neilmed. I don't care what brand you buy.
posted by 8dot3 at 6:18 AM on October 21, 2009

Question about neilmed - I have issue with sinus sprays (the taste that drips down to your throat, the sensation = my extreme avoidance of them). Will I be able to handle that?
posted by quodlibet at 6:21 AM on October 21, 2009

Get your bathroom sink as hot as it will go, wet a towel, fill with a few inches of hot water, and add several drops of tea trea oil. Place towel over your head and enjoy a steam bath to open up your face.
posted by CharlesV42 at 6:32 AM on October 21, 2009

You probably don't have the oomph to do massive cleaning in 2 days, but if you have access to a dryer, put your pillows in a hot dryer for 15 minutes. This really does kill all the dustmites, and put a clean cover on them.
Do the same with your bedding if you can.

Then, well, it's stuffier, but keep your windows closed at night, and make sure it's not too dry.

That means at least while you are sleeping you shouldn't be exposed to much allergens.


See if you can get xylitol for your neti-poti wash, apparently it is more effective against sinus infections.


As with the painkiller thing, you can't have anti-histamines, but can you have decongestants?
I'd suggest the sprays, even if you hate them, but there's also the oral ones (pills).
Go to a pharmacy and ask what they can hit you with.

Good luck!
posted by Elysum at 6:38 AM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

When I use the sinus bottle on the right nostril, none of it drips down my throat as long as I am bent 90 degrees at the waist and my face is facing down. When I do the left nostril some of it always goes down my throat - I think the sinuses are shaped differently on that side. (Probably why I have such issues in the first place, but that's neither here nor there.)
The taste of the little packet thingies is primarily salt. If you can't handle saline sprays then this will bother you, yes, IF the solution actually goes down your throat. If you can't handle nasal sprays because they have a chemical taste, that is not the case here. I'd say try it anyway, since you can use a Neti pot you've got a handle on the angle that you need to use.

Also, the great thing about the bottle is it's over FAST. Like, with the neti pot you are pouring for 30 seconds each side, the bottle it's 5-10 seconds per side max.
posted by 8dot3 at 6:42 AM on October 21, 2009

Not sure how well this works, but some people swear by covering their lips and round their nostrils with vaseline or other sticky lip balm. The idea is that it acts as an extra filtration for airborne allergens, so they stick to the vaseline and don't go inside you.

(Since my last AskMe answer also recommended vaseline I must point out that I have no vested interest in vaseline, and am sure that any similar inert sticky stuff will have the same effect!)
posted by Coobeastie at 6:51 AM on October 21, 2009

Go stay in a nice hotel with air conditioning. A change in environment can work wonders.

Gargle with warm salt water or dried chipotle powder.

Sinus rinse (neti, Neilmed). Learn to love it.

Sauna. Hot tub.
posted by chairface at 9:22 AM on October 21, 2009

In addition to cleaning issues mentioned above, take your clothes (which have allergens on them from wearing them all day) off in the bathroom or some other private area which isn't your bedroom, so the allergens don't just get transferred to your bedroom. (I used to wear the shirt I wore all day as a sleep shirt that night, and I've recently stopped doing that, and it helps, some.)
posted by joannemerriam at 10:43 AM on October 21, 2009

Vacuum under your bed! There's usually a lot of dust under there.

My brother, who has really serious allergies, swears by stinging nettle. It really helps. I think you can get it as pills or tinctures.

Neti pots are really the best in my experience. Though now I am interested in this Neilmed thing!
posted by min at 11:30 AM on October 21, 2009