Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2004
allergy mystery
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Todd H. - 13 Nov 2004 06:56 GMT I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with pets.
My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you allergy or asthma problems?
My question to rabbit owners is: is all hay a problem for those with confirmed weed skin test allergies, or does pure Timothy work for you (assuming you test negative to grass allergies)?
Background for those interested: I'm presently trying to figure out why someone who's lived with me for over year now (6 months of which with no allergy or asthmas symptoms at all) has only recently developed allergy symptoms in the house as well as a reemergence of asthma that had been dormant and non-problematic for about 6 years. As for environmental changes in the household over that year:
-The onset of symptoms also roughly corresponds to the time some new hay (for house rabbits I've had the whole time) was brought into the house that contained ragweed. Which makes sense, as her only confirmed allergy from a skin test is to weeds.
-The onset of symptoms started when the kitten we adopted was about 8 months old, with several months of new kitty in a problem free setting. She's never shown sensitivity to any other cats. She's tested negative to cat allergy. The cat has never been outside.
When the weed allergy test came back positive, we were relieved that the newish kitty appeared to be off the hook. These surprising test result prompted me to scrutinize the new hay, and when I found ragweed in the stuff, I thought I had the mystery solved. I removed that hay from the house entirely, and everything in that floor where the hay/rabbits are was vacuumed 3x with a filtered vacuum, completely cleaned out the shopvac and replaced the filter with anew one, dusted and wiped walls like mad. Also about the same time, ragweed season ended here according the allergist.
Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home.
Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are becoming increasingly common.
Our next step is to get rid of the kitty for a few days and see if things improve in the house.
I'm hoping there's some allergy/asthma sufferer who can lend a datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery.
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/
Professor - 13 Nov 2004 13:00 GMT Rabbits & birds don't bother me at all. Cats are death. I go into shock! When I was a kid, I had no allergies. They developed after I took up bike racing, and never went away. Pumpkin seeds cause my throat to close up. Almost died there too. Pumpkin pie? Delicious! My favorite. Go figure.
> I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Todd H. > http://www.toddh.net/
 Signature 8-) Professor :-P Merlin & ;-) The Jump
Laila - 13 Nov 2004 18:39 GMT >Rabbits & birds don't bother me at all. Cats are death. I go into shock! >When I was a kid, I had no allergies. They developed after I took up >bike racing, and never went away. Pumpkin seeds cause my throat to close >up. Almost died there too. Pumpkin pie? Delicious! My favorite. Go figure. i like almond butter. i have a can of organic almond butter that i mix with preserves and smear on bread and eat. on day i come home and see that about 1/3 of it is gone. my b/f was hungry and ate it. for the rest of the day he complaining of itchy feeling in his throat and had all the symptoms of an allergy attack. at least his throat didn't swell and he didn't suffocate!
-L
Mary - 13 Nov 2004 16:33 GMT > I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. > > My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, > yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you > allergy or asthma problems? [...]
After reading your post, I wonder about a few things.
1. How recently was the allergy test done? It is really common for someone who is allergic to one thing to become allergic to several more over time. Did he test the person for dust and mold? Some allergists don't. 2. What do you feed your cat? 3. What do you do for a living, and what does the allergy sufferer do? 4. Where do you live and what is the vegetation like around your house? 6. How old is the house and what sort of ventilation system do you have? Central air, gas heat, etc? (Depending on how long you had the hay products in the house and how often you clean, the stuff might still be around. Old houses have more cracks and crannies where things can lurk, too.)
> Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the problems > remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. Even with > HEPA filters going in the bedroom and a fresh filter on the furnace, > and the cat hasn't been in the bedroom for weeks (and rabbits/hay on a > completely separate floor of the house)...her symtoms still go away > while away from the house, and reemerge shortly after coming home. This is the part that gets me. Could he/she be parking near some vegetation she is allergic to, or walking through it on the way to the house?
> Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping > some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler are [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can > be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. No, the cat is not the source of the allergy if your friend had a skin test that tested negative for cat and the cat does not go outside. Incidentally I AM allergic to cats--my strongest allergy, as far as the skin test indicated--and I live with two. Like your friend, I use Clarinex (actually in my case Claritin) and like your friend I have developed asthma and use Advair twice a day. I do not suffer at all as long as I take my medicine, though I know everyone is different. It really sounds like your friend may be allergic to dust or mold.
Todd H. - 14 Nov 2004 01:02 GMT > > I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > > pets. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > several more over time. Did he test the person for dust and mold? > Some allergists don't. The allergy skin test was done about 3 weeks ago. Negative to molds, dust mit, grass, cat, house dust, dog, trees, feathers. Positive skin test only to weeds.
> 2. What do you feed your cat? We're about 1 bag into Purina Cat chow, a recent switched from Science Diet Kitten food now that he's putting on some fat and is essentially full grown.
I've seen low allergen type foods but am skeptical as to whether it's just marketing or if it actually does something?
And now that you mention it, I'm pondering whether there's a timing correlation to the food switch at all, or if it's just perhaps coincidence.
> 3. What do you do for a living, and what does the allergy sufferer > do? We both work at home doing computer stuff.
> 4. Where do you live and what is the vegetation like around your > house? Single family home, Chicagoland, suburbs. Leaves have almost all fallen here.
> 6. How old is the house and what sort of ventilation system do you > have? > Central air, gas heat, etc? (Depending on how long you had the hay > products in the house and how often you clean, the stuff might still > be around. Old houses have more cracks and crannies where things can > lurk, too.) It's a 30 year old 2-story with forced air gas heat, and regular filter changes. Ducts have never been cleaned or sanitized, but I've also read that that sort of thing may not help allergies as much as those providing the service would make you think? Or is there actual value to that?
The carpet that's left in the house in the basement and the master bedroom is in need of replacement, but none of it's ever been wet or anything. Hardwood everywhere else.
> > Unfortunatley though, after all that, several days later the > > problems remains for her, and still occurs only inside the house. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > vegetation she is allergic to, or walking through it on the way to > the house? Yeah, it gets me too. :-) About 15 feet of concrete sidewalk lined by grass and a flower bed of some perennial bushes, and now dead annuals separate the driveway from the front door. If you go in through the garage door, it's nothing but concrete.
> > Clarinex isn't helping completely on the sniffles (but is helping > > some), and asthma/wheezing symtpoms and use of the asthma inhaler [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > I know everyone is different. It really sounds like your friend may > be allergic to dust or mold. The mystery continues as she's been tested for those as well, so I guess the cat is equal game for blame as the dust and mold. The finished basement (which features the cats quarters, the bunnies, the hay, and is carpeted) is where she is most sensitive.
Laurie's mention of sensitization currently makes the most sense here--perhaps her sensitization due to the now-past ragweed season is lingering on. Hrmm.
And more interesting is today's experiment whereby young kitty has been confined to one room downstairs for the day. Oddly, this seems to have helped a great deal, even without medicine. Neither of us wanna give him up, but it looks like a test of having him stay with a friend for a few days might be in the cards, and I've got a suspicion we might need to find a new home for him. :-\ Which of course stinks as he's quite cute (though no longer this small/cute): http://toddh.net/photo/tigger.jpg
Thanks to all who've shared their experiences, and all who might still. It's a head scratcher.
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/
Karen Chuplis - 14 Nov 2004 02:22 GMT >>> I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with >>> pets. [quoted text clipped - 120 lines] > Todd H. > http://www.toddh.net/ Gosh what a cute pic. Did you give him a bath? In case some of the ragweed is stuck in his fur and triggering it?
Todd H. - 14 Nov 2004 07:55 GMT > Gosh what a cute pic. Did you give him a bath? In case some of the ragweed > is stuck in his fur and triggering it? We haven't fully bathed him, but have wiped him down with some of that anti-dander or some such solution that's supposed to help.
The ongoing experiment of today of keeping him confined and out of the rest of the house is going well.... my gf hasn't even taken any meds today and is doing very well.
So, perhaps this whole histamine level, sensization, and removing her from all allergens possible for a time is paying some dividends. We shall see. We just got our first frost here which should really put the nail in the coffin of the outdoor allergens. We shall see how this progresses!
Tigger appreciates the kind words on his cute pic. That was his first day home, and he was bathed by the shelter the day before--we saw him when he was in the drying cage and he looked like a drowned rat. :-) The next day we took him home and snapped that photo of him at peak fluffiness. Poor guy was a mess though--took him straight to the vet from the shelter to deal with respiratory issues and worms and such. Sometimes you really do rescue them from the shelter!
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/
Laurie - 13 Nov 2004 16:46 GMT With inimitable style, Todd H. posted:
> I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. > > My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, > yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you > allergy or asthma problems? Hi Todd - as we've discussed - I'm allergic to most things - but only negligibly to cats (of which I have two). Was a surprise for me as we had cats and if I played with them (touching) I DID get itchy sneezy eyes. I was diagnosed with "hay fever" as a little kid. Suffered for years during ragweed season -- as an adult I would miss work on really bad days over a 3-5 week period twice a year. I moved to shots for years and then just quit when claritin etc came out and started using it and flonase (nasal corticosteroid) seasonally. It worked fine for the seasonal stuff.
My personal observation is, when I've become allergy sensitive for some reason (season, exposure, whatever) - it seems like even things I'm only SLIGHTLY allergic to set me off or add to the problem for a period afterwards. I'm wondering if the animals/hay sensitized your gf to the seasonal ragweed...and perhaps now, coming off the ragweed season, your gf is still sensitive to the animals and perhaps microscopic ragweed pieces in the air? Is she any better in the room with the hepa filter or no difference? Good changing the filter on a/c...perhaps should have the ductwork cleaned? Carpets cleaned?
I told you earlier, I was having some allergy problems when I'd come home and figured hay/rabbits in the bedroom were the culprit. Hadn't thought about it, but I'm not so much now...and nothing has changed in the house. I wonder if perhaps whatever was in the air has abated with the cooler weather and so, I'm less sensitive overall now, so the critters/hay aren't setting me off...
The other thing is, allergy symptoms can emerge over time after exposure to an allergen. Your gf may be allergic to hay/kitty but it's just taken this long for the sensitivity to build to the level where she is no longer tolerant. :-(
I hope you sort it out. Allergies are miserable stuff, and it can be a real needle in the haystack sort of search.
Sympathies! Laurie
Sue French - 13 Nov 2004 17:25 GMT I'm allergic to all my pets. When symptoms strike, they are very difficult to beat back down again. By then my body has built up a high level of histamines. As they slowly work their way out of my system, it only takes a small amount of allergens to push me back over the symptom threshold. Antihistamines are good for preventing the build up of histamines, but are not so hot for getting rid of them once you already have them. You need to take the antihistamines at the first hint of trouble and keep taking them for a while even if you seem to be better right away.
It will take a while for your girlfriend to eliminate enough of the histamines so that she won't be so easily knocked over tha threshhold. To speed it up, try to avoid as many allergens as possible.
Most people are allergic to a number of things, some more severely than others. The effects are additive, so you should try to eliminate every other allergen possible. I had a slight response to feathers, so the feather pillows went bye-bye. I had a strong response to dust mites, so the bedroom carpet got ripped out. The bedroom door is kept shut, and the room has allergy filters on the incoming air registers and an air purifier. This gives me 8 relatively allergen-free hours per day. It's enough to keep me symptom free most of the time.
For me, getting rid of the pets isn't an option. I'd get allergy shots if I had to. OTOH, I don't have asthma, which I understand can be scary serious.
 Signature Sue, Flurry, and Max http://home.nycap.rr.com/safrench/ replace x with sc to reply
> I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Todd H. > http://www.toddh.net/ Mary - 14 Nov 2004 02:27 GMT >My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, >yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you >allergy or asthma problems? I'd say yes. I had a boyfriend with bad allergies and asthma. I got rid of all carpeting, all drapes, all fabric furniture, put in wood/tile/linoelum, vertical vinyl blinds, leather/wood furniture. I would light mop instead of sweep vaccuum so it wouldn't get kicked up in the air. I had three cats. I wiped them down with moist wash cloth before boyfriend came over. I wouldn't let them in the bedroom or on the couch where he sat. He was fine for months until one night he was miserable. The next morning I found cat fur all over the pillow he slept on. Seems kitty snuck in there. I washed everything and he was fine again. Another time he was sick again. Then I saw that the cat laid on a sweater that I had drying then I put the sweater on.
Also, keep your windows shut and use an air purifier. Never open the window. Wipe down furniture instead of dusting so you don't kick it up. Generally if people are allergic to one thing, they can also be sensitive to mold, mildew, dust, dander, pollen...
J Gillen - 16 Nov 2004 02:44 GMT Hi, Mould needs a warm, damp atmosphere to breed! I would have thought that keeping the windows closed would breed more mould. Allergies can be made worse with stress,so if the sufferer is stressed at all, this can make the allergy worse. Cheers, Judy
> >My question to cat owners is: can you test negative to cat allergies, > >yet still find yourself in a situation where the cat is causing you [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > people are allergic to one thing, they can also be sensitive to mold, mildew, > dust, dander, pollen... Mary - 16 Nov 2004 03:43 GMT > Hi, > Mould needs a warm, damp atmosphere to breed! I would have thought that > keeping the windows closed would breed more mould. It certainly might in some climates but in mine, for example, the fall is very wet and as the leaves accumulate on the ground if I leave the windows open I suffer terribly. Of course the #1 place to keep scrubbed up and ventilated is the bathroom and the kitchen a close 2nd.
Meghan Noecker - 16 Nov 2004 10:31 GMT >He was fine for months until one night he was miserable. The next morning I found cat fur all >over the pillow he slept on. Seems kitty snuck in there. I washed everything and he >was fine again. Another time he was sick again. Then I saw that the cat laid >on a sweater that I had drying then I put the sweater on. I am not allergic to cats, but I am allergic to dogs as well as just about anything in the air. I have asthma too.
My family has had dogs since before I was before. I have never lived in a home without dogs. So, I have a tolerance for it. Most days, I just wake up with a stuffy nose and maybe a gunky throat. No big deal. I am so used to it that I sometimes forget I am allergic to dogs.
Then I got really sick once. I had been stupid. I brushed my dog on my bed, right up by my pillow area, and I had not changed the bedding afterward. The main hair was gone, but there was still some hair and a lot of dander there. I'm so used to the dog sleeping on the bed every night, that it never occured to me that brushing her there would set off a huge asthma attack. And since it was being stupid about it, I didn't realize the cause, and stayed in bed while I felt rotten. It took me til the third day to realize it was my bedding that was making me sick. Now, I brush the dog somewhere else, or I put a throw blanket on the bed first and remove it when I am done.
It is quite possible that somebody can be allergic, but not show symptoms until they get a more concetrated dose of the allergen.
 Signature -- Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com
Judith Gordon - 14 Nov 2004 17:02 GMT > I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Todd H. > http://www.toddh.net/ Everyone reacts differently to allergies. What works for one might not work for the other. One thing to bear in mind tough is that some people can react to mixes even if they don't react to things separately. ie I have heard of people who can eat corn and tomatoes on separate days without a problem but if they eat corn AND tomatoes on the same day, they have a reaction. Also allergies can be additive for some people. You can eat a little, but a lot makes you sick. I'm like that wih most pited fruits. I ca eat a little mango, no problem. I eat a lot, I'm wheezing. Finally, you have to consider allergen load. Some people don't react to cat by itself, but if you add a cat, all of the sudden, the allergy load is too much and they are reacting to everything, even if the don't react specifically to cat.
So yes, it could be the cat, but it might not be.try lots of rfresh air, a good vacuming, and sweeping up. See if that helps. Also hunt out mold. mold makes everythig worse for me.
Judith Arwen and Raven
Mary - 14 Nov 2004 17:30 GMT Some people don't
> react to cat by itself, but if you add a cat, all of the sudden, the > allergy load is too much and they are reacting to everything, even if [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > a good vacuming, and sweeping up. See if that helps. Also hunt out mold. > mold makes everythig worse for me. Are you saying that even those who have the skin-prick allergy test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? I don't think so.
Sherry - 14 Nov 2004 18:05 GMT >Some people don't >> react to cat by itself, but if you add a cat, all of the sudden, the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? >I don't think so. I think what she's referring to is the same thing an allergy dr. told me once, 20 years ago. I've been kind of watching this thread to see if anybody else brings that up, because honestly I don't know if that info. is still considered accurate by the allergy research community. Anyway, he said there's a "topple effect"... a person can show no reaction to a cat, but add other allergens to the environment, and once the load is too great, the person may start reacting to allergens he previously tolerated. Has anybody else ever heard this? Sherry
Laurie - 14 Nov 2004 18:06 GMT With inimitable style, Mary posted:
> Some people don't >> react to cat by itself, but if you add a cat, all of the sudden, the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? > I don't think so. Well, there's completely negative and then only very slightly reactive. That's how I was if I recall. There was only a very slight reaction to cats as compared to the big bad itchy bumps for grasses and dogs, etc. I don't remember the details (it's been a lot of years...) -- if there is only a slight bump - does it get classed? I seem to remember a 1-5 scale...and is not quite 1 considered positive or is it classed not relevant? Cats on their own bother me not at all - but after something else triggers a reaction earlier in the day... subsequently playing with them *will* bother me.
Mary - 14 Nov 2004 18:55 GMT "Laurie" <laurietrice@THEcomcastTRASH.net> wrote > >
> > Are you saying that even those who have the skin-prick allergy > > test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > That's how I was if I recall. There was only a very slight reaction to cats > as compared to the big bad itchy bumps for grasses and dogs, etc. I was the opposite--my reaction to cats was the strongest, then dust, mold and a single type of tree.
I don't
> remember the details (it's been a lot of years...) -- if there is only a > slight bump - does it get classed? I seem to remember a 1-5 scale...and is > not quite 1 considered positive or is it classed not relevant? Cats on their > own bother me not at all - but after something else triggers a reaction > earlier in the day... subsequently playing with them *will* bother me. I see. You are not saying that if someone does not react at all during an allergy test to cat, then they can still be allergic to cats. You are saying that if there is a slight reaction it can be exacerbated by the presence of other allergens, which makes sense.
Judith Gordon - 14 Nov 2004 22:19 GMT > Some people don't > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? > I don't think so. Mary, skin prick tests are notoriously unreliable as indicators for allergies for a variety of reasons. This is particularly true of using the prick test for diagnosing things that make asthmatics wheeze. In the correct hands with a competant allergist using consistent methodology and high quality materials along with clinical observation and good history taking, they are excellent indicators of potential allergen sources. But they do have a high false positive and false negative rate and do not constotute the last word on the topic. I suggest you go to PubMed and do your own search on the topic. I put in "skin prick test" and "false positive" and I got 88 hits alone.
Specificaly in regards to skin prick tests for cat allergies alone see: Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 1993 Jan-Feb;21(1):3-5. Diagnosis of allergy to cat epithelium in clinical practice. I. Value of skin tests. Granel C, Valencia M, Tapias G, Anglada E, Randazzo L, Olive Perez A.
Abstract: "Seventy atopic patients were studied. Pin-prick skin tests with cat epithelium extract (Ifidesa-Ariste-gui) were made. The results were compared by dividing the patients into a group with clinical manifestations of contact with cats and a group without clinical manifestations of contact with cats. Our results show that skin tests for cat epithelium, such as those carried out routinely in clinical practice, are not very sensitive or specific, and, therefore, are not suitable for diagnosis or prevalence studies."
So, you may not think so, but you also may well not know what you are talking about. OTOH, maybe you are a practicing physician doing research on allegies and skin prick testing and know better than this group. If so, I would love to read your publications and hear about your qualifications. Please feel free to cite them for me so I can be better educated than I already am. I don't have a PhD or MD in allergies.
Judith (PhD Biochem and Med Genet, BSc Biochem) Arwen and Raven
Judith Gordon - 14 Nov 2004 22:32 GMT >> Some people don't >> [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > Judith (PhD Biochem and Med Genet, BSc Biochem) Arwen and Raven And if you did not mean that to be as snide as I read it, I'll apologise in advance for overreacting.
Judith Arwen and Raven
Mary - 15 Nov 2004 00:46 GMT > > Judith (PhD Biochem and Med Genet, BSc Biochem) Arwen and Raven > > > And if you did not mean that to be as snide as I read it, I'll apologise > in advance for overreacting. I meant exactly what I said. It did not sound reasonable to me that people who had negative tests for cat allergens in skin tests could still be allergic to cats. Snide? I have no emotional investment in this issue. This is a discussion. We're all looking for enlightenment, right? Of course some of us know more/less about things than others. That seems really obvious to me. ??
Tell me, do you know of a more accurate way of allergy testing? As someone who suffers from numerous allergies I am wondering if I could do better than the skin prick test so that I can better avoid the things that bother me. I AM allergic to cats and am not going to avoid them, that's for sure.
Judith Gordon - 16 Nov 2004 00:53 GMT >>>Judith, Arwen and Raven >>> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > right? Of course some of us know more/less about things than others. > That seems really obvious to me. ?? My apologies again. It was not so obvious to me. I'm glad it was my misinterpertation.
> Tell me, do you know of a more accurate way of allergy testing? The blood tests are extremely accurate. Unfortunately, they are also very expensive and take a long time to get results back on. Most allergists I have worked with consider those to be the definitive tests but rarely order them beause of cost and delay.
> As someone who suffers from numerous allergies I am wondering > if I could do better than the skin prick test so that I can better avoid > the things that bother me. I AM allergic to cats and am not going > to avoid them, that's for sure. My experience has been that if a person works on what they are allergic to by working closely with a good allergist and coming up with a combination of meds and environmental cleaning and reducing exposure that makes things work for them, they can reach an equilibrium they can live with. Not easy, as there aer no rules that get it right and wrong for everyone.
Judith Arwen and Raven
Mary - 15 Nov 2004 00:42 GMT > > Are you saying that even those who have the skin-prick allergy > > test and test negative for cats may still be allergic to cats? [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > So, you may not think so, but you also may well not know what you are > talking about. Well of course! I just said that I don't think people who have been diagnosed as NOT being allergic to cats after having a skin prick test are allergic to cats. "I think ..." See? I asked if that is what you meant because it was news to me.
>OTOH, maybe you are a practicing physician doing research > on allegies and skin prick testing and know better than this group. If > so, I would love to read your publications and hear about your > qualifications. Please feel free to cite them for me so I can be better > educated than I already am. I don't have a PhD or MD in allergies. Judith--I appreciate your letting me know about the possibility that the skin-prick test may show false negatives for cat allergies. It's okay if you know more about it. I never suggested I knew more about it.
> Judith (PhD Biochem and Med Genet, BSc Biochem) Arwen and Raven I'd love to hear from others about this.
Todd H. - 06 Dec 2004 15:42 GMT Updates to this issue can be found down below for those interested
> I'd like some shared experience from allergy or asthma sufferers with > pets. [quoted text clipped - 53 lines] > datapoint to this ongoing mystery. I'm primarily curious if a cat can > be the culprit here despite the negative skintest for cat allery. We recently were away from the house for 2 weeks in a tropical climate far from the allergens of home. She had 0 issues those two weeks, just as she had 0 issues when home, but outside of the house (except in ragweed season).
Upon return in early December to snow on the ground, we have a few interesting things to add:
returning to the house returned my gf to the sniffles, though not nearly as bad as when we left. That night, she had to hit her inhaler once in the bedroom (where the cat has been restricted from and a hepa filter running).
Then, the following evening, I notice the whole house humidifier leaking. I removed the vertical water pad of the Aprilaire 440 which looked quite decrepit. It occured to me that her symptoms started in November, perhaps around the time the furnace was pressed back into service. Hrmm.... Maybe there's some ragweed or something she's reacting to in that water pad like mold. Who knows.
However, since taking the humidifier out of service, the same cat though would trigger sneezing and congestion has been sleeping on her, and all over the place with no ill effects to my gf.
I'm not sure if any of this is worthy of drawing any solid conclusions (was it allowing histamine to drain out her on 2 weeks away? was it the humidifier water pad trapping something icky?), but the good news is that she's not having symptoms in the house anymore and not needing any medicine for the past 2 days, which is indeed something.
Beats the hell out of me. Tigger is no longer branded "an allergen of interest" in the investigation at this time, however.
Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/
Mary - 06 Dec 2004 16:38 GMT "Todd H." <T@toddh.net> wrote .
> Beats the hell out of me. Tigger is no longer branded "an allergen of > interest" in the investigation at this time, however. Excellent, Todd. I think your idea about the furnace is a good one. Dust and mold allergies are very common and dust and mold are everywhere.
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