same-day allergy help

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

Hello!

I posted here once before when I had bad allergies, and I got a great recommendation for Somerville Family Health. They were helpful at the time, but I just went back for a really intense allergy attack I'm experiencing now, and my doctor couldn't do anything for me and didn't want to give a cortisone shot.

People seem to like Dr. Gurka, and I'll call his office when they re-open for the afternoon and try to get on as a patient. While I know I need to really work with an allergist to figure out what's up (and probably start something like shots that take a while to build up), I'm miserable and barely functional and need some sort of immediate relief.

Can anyone recommend someone who may be able to help me out very soon? I'm open to things like acupuncture (though I've never tried it specifically for allergies) in addition to allergists who work people in pretty quickly. I'm considering seeing if I can get a cortisone shot at the Mt. Auburn walk-in, but that's my only option that I know of so far.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[narya.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest calling the allergist you had in mind this afternoon and asking him/her if there's anything you can do in the interim to get some relief from the symptoms. Perhaps they'd be able to squeeze you in today if you're lucky.

When I needed a cortisone shot I remember being told that they did cause problems for many people if used often and also that they should be done regularly (i.e. not skipping doses) if you're having more than one. I'm not sure if that's still true or if I'm out of date, but it might explain why your doctor didn't want to give you another.

Hope you feel better soon!

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

As a patient of the above mentioned doc, I second this. When you call, ask for what you can do in the meanwhile.

Benadryl is commonly recommended. If you're having throat swelling or trouble breathing, go straight to the ER.

Also seconding tfarell - talk to your regular doc in the meantime, and see what he or she can try next.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Acupuncture does work for some things, and I believe there's an acupuncture clinic in Somerville not far from Davis, and last I looked it wasn't expensive. I think it's easy enough to find, ask Mr. Google.

Have you spoken with your regular doctor about your allergies? My allergies were pretty darn bad. My doctor tried me on Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin, and Claritin finally worked. My father tried several more to get the right medication. My father, aunt, and myself all ended up on different allergy treatments. Allergy shots didn't work for us.

I'm not trying to tell you not to get treatment for your allergies, or that a pill will cure you. I'm just suggesting the idea that if you haven't tried all the regular allergy medications yet, you might want to talk with your doctor about trying different ones, because it seems that what works for one person sometimes fails completely for another, even in the same family, and for some of us it is possible to find a darn good allergy treatment without needing an allergist.

Good luck, and my best wishes for you to find what works for you.

Acupunture for allergies?

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Sounds wacky to me...

allergies and acupuncture

[22sparky.livejournal.com]

I agree. Dr. Gurka is excellent. I have been seeing him now for about 5 years. Happy to give anyone more information on him.

I've also been doing acupuncture for the past year. I am continually amazed at how well it has helped my allergies, particularly my asthma. Both the needles as well as the herbs have been great at opening up my lungs.

If anyone wants more information, feel free to email me at: coachsparky4@gmail.com

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

Once the immediate crisis is over, it'd be a good idea to get tested to see what's causing your allergies. Once you know that, you can devise a plan. I suffered for years until tests finally pinpointed the cause and I was able to make environmental changes and add mild medications as needed. Changed the quality of my life.

I wish you deep breaths.