DH was tested for allergies yesterday (he's been seeing an allergist for really nasty headaches). Turns out he's very allergic to pollen and mold and shows a bit of an allergy to dust mites. He has no allergy to cats (thank goodness) or dogs....it didn't even raise a bump.
I didn't realize that mold includes things like vinegar, cheese(!), and wines. Mold also includes tomatoes and tomato products. Why? Because the tomatoes I use at home are cleaned very well and all mold spots and bad spots are removed. But when you buy commercially-prepared tomato sauces, pastes, spaghetti sauces, canned chili, etc., the manufacturers, as a rule, just throw it all in the pot, so to speak. Yes, they have quality control people, but, let's face it, it's a fast business and there's no time to take off a small bad spot. DH mentioned that the products are cooked before being canned, but evidently that doesn't matter. The allergist recommends that we make our own tomato products. Oy!
Pollen also includes grains, which means cereals, breads, etc. It includes milk and milk products, simply because at certain times of the years, the cows may eat more pollen with their food. The allergist recommends gluten-free for awhile and see if that helps. It also includes beer, not a biggie for DH.
The allergist doesn't think dust mites are a big issue as the bump wasn't that large. DH did tell him that I change our bed sheets at least twice a week, and more than that during the hot summer. We were planning on getting rid of the carpet anyway and putting in either wood floors or tile in the living room and back the hallway. The bedrooms have wood flooring. And we can encase the mattress on our bed. I'm constantly vacuuming the house; with six cats, I don't have a choice.
Meanwhile DH is on a prescription-strength Claritin for the next 3 weeks and is to continue cleaning out his sinuses twice a day. And he is to continue keeping a food journal for awhile, too. He doesn't drink much alcohol at all because he has epilepsy. But dear lord, no cheese. That's going to kill me...I guess I can make a cheese-less pizza though and there are gluten-free crusts I can make. But no regular baking for awhile either....poor DH; his sweet tooth will be put to the test. OTOH, maybe we'll finally lose those last ten pounds again!
And me? Well, it looks like I may have my cooking cut out for me for awhile. I don't mind making my own tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and such as long as I don't have to can the stuff....I'm scared to can foods, especially tomatoes. We do have a large freezer, though, in the basement. If I can freeze it, and I did years ago, and it was fine, I'll be OK. I don't mind the work involved and DH did say he would help. But wow. Looks like we'll be growing lots of tomatoes this summer....I just hope they do better than they did last year.
We'll see what happens with the Claritin. I remember years ago I had to take Claritin because despite not being allergic to cats, when we brought Banshee home, there was something in her fur that set me off big time. I took Claritin for about two years before it finally cleared up. The allergist did say that, even if one has not had an allergy to something in the past, it can come on suddenly....and my doctor had told me that when Banshee came into the house. DH has had headaches and migraines for years, but they've gotten much worse, and now they're wondering if they're not allergy-related as we've ruled everything else out. (And I will say that my dear, DH told the doctor right out; if it turned out that he was allergic to the cats? Oh well.....his wife would probably get rid of him before she would get rid of the cats! Seriously, the cats would stay; it's their home as much as it is ours. And we would deal.)
I get migraines from time to time, too, not as often as DH does. Mine usually kick up when I turn into a couch potato. If I stop walking and exercising and start eating crap, then my headaches start in. So we'll see. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of his headaches or at least, lessen the frequency or the intensity.
I didn't realize that mold includes things like vinegar, cheese(!), and wines. Mold also includes tomatoes and tomato products. Why? Because the tomatoes I use at home are cleaned very well and all mold spots and bad spots are removed. But when you buy commercially-prepared tomato sauces, pastes, spaghetti sauces, canned chili, etc., the manufacturers, as a rule, just throw it all in the pot, so to speak. Yes, they have quality control people, but, let's face it, it's a fast business and there's no time to take off a small bad spot. DH mentioned that the products are cooked before being canned, but evidently that doesn't matter. The allergist recommends that we make our own tomato products. Oy!
Pollen also includes grains, which means cereals, breads, etc. It includes milk and milk products, simply because at certain times of the years, the cows may eat more pollen with their food. The allergist recommends gluten-free for awhile and see if that helps. It also includes beer, not a biggie for DH.
The allergist doesn't think dust mites are a big issue as the bump wasn't that large. DH did tell him that I change our bed sheets at least twice a week, and more than that during the hot summer. We were planning on getting rid of the carpet anyway and putting in either wood floors or tile in the living room and back the hallway. The bedrooms have wood flooring. And we can encase the mattress on our bed. I'm constantly vacuuming the house; with six cats, I don't have a choice.
Meanwhile DH is on a prescription-strength Claritin for the next 3 weeks and is to continue cleaning out his sinuses twice a day. And he is to continue keeping a food journal for awhile, too. He doesn't drink much alcohol at all because he has epilepsy. But dear lord, no cheese. That's going to kill me...I guess I can make a cheese-less pizza though and there are gluten-free crusts I can make. But no regular baking for awhile either....poor DH; his sweet tooth will be put to the test. OTOH, maybe we'll finally lose those last ten pounds again!
And me? Well, it looks like I may have my cooking cut out for me for awhile. I don't mind making my own tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and such as long as I don't have to can the stuff....I'm scared to can foods, especially tomatoes. We do have a large freezer, though, in the basement. If I can freeze it, and I did years ago, and it was fine, I'll be OK. I don't mind the work involved and DH did say he would help. But wow. Looks like we'll be growing lots of tomatoes this summer....I just hope they do better than they did last year.
We'll see what happens with the Claritin. I remember years ago I had to take Claritin because despite not being allergic to cats, when we brought Banshee home, there was something in her fur that set me off big time. I took Claritin for about two years before it finally cleared up. The allergist did say that, even if one has not had an allergy to something in the past, it can come on suddenly....and my doctor had told me that when Banshee came into the house. DH has had headaches and migraines for years, but they've gotten much worse, and now they're wondering if they're not allergy-related as we've ruled everything else out. (And I will say that my dear, DH told the doctor right out; if it turned out that he was allergic to the cats? Oh well.....his wife would probably get rid of him before she would get rid of the cats! Seriously, the cats would stay; it's their home as much as it is ours. And we would deal.)
I get migraines from time to time, too, not as often as DH does. Mine usually kick up when I turn into a couch potato. If I stop walking and exercising and start eating crap, then my headaches start in. So we'll see. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of his headaches or at least, lessen the frequency or the intensity.