Mr. Asthma

Question:

My skin tests turned up fairly minor allergic response to dog and dust.  Can a minor response cause asthma symptoms?  I don’t mean the test itself causing the attack.  I would think that if you’re sensitive to something there should be a really strong skin response.  Is it worth it to continue skin tests to rule out foods & such?  How often are foods a trigger?  I’ve been eating the same foods my whole life.  Can foods all of the sudden become triggers? I guess what I’m trying to ask is (to those folks who have asthma and have had skin tests) – Did your skin tests show very clearly your triggers or were they "cheap responses" as my allergist says. It’s so frustrating when you can’t put your finger on exactly what the problem is.  My allergist said I shouldn’t get rid of our dog (that’s how minimal the response was).  Could it be that even tho it’s a cheap response it could still be killing me? Ruth CM

Response:

The way allergy response was explained to me was that we all have some degree of allergic response to a lot of things.  THey pile up in layers and like the straw that broke the camels back, do not cause trouble until we reach some critical level.  It really doesn’t matter what the different layers were.  As far as avoiding allergins taking any layer out can put you back below the threshold. My allergy test results varied from nothing to red spots to hive like bumps to "Oh my God I’ve never seen one that big".  And they pretty much mirrored the degree of trouble the individual items seem to cause me. So maybe don’t get rid of the dog but wash you hands if you’ve been petting him, make sure he gets a bath every couple of weeks or more often  and for heavens sakes keep him out of the bedroom. Note:  The allergin isn’t in the dog or cat fur,  it’s in the spit.  So better not to let them lick you! Jo An Firey * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

Hello Ruth, I tested mildly allergic to indoor and outdoor molds, however if I am exposed to molds I get extremely tight and SOB, both of which will last for days.  Seems that molds are a big trigger for me.  I’ve found that taking notice of what causes an attack and adding that to my list of triggers has helped me manage my asthma.  It’s a pain, for sure, but has helped me TRY to be as symptom free as possible. Good luck! Patrice – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >My skin tests turned up fairly minor allergic response to >dog and dust.  Can a minor response cause asthma >symptoms?  I don’t mean the test itself causing the >attack.  I would think that if you’re sensitive to something >there should be a really strong skin response.  Is it worth it to >continue skin tests to rule out foods & such?  How often >are foods a trigger?  I’ve been eating the same foods my >whole life.  Can foods all of the sudden become triggers? >I guess what I’m trying to ask is (to those folks who have asthma >and have had skin tests) – Did your skin tests show very clearly >your triggers or were they "cheap responses" as my allergist says. >It’s so frustrating when you can’t put your finger on exactly what >the problem is.  My allergist said I shouldn’t get rid of our dog >(that’s how minimal the response was).  Could it be that even tho >it’s a cheap response it could still be killing me? >Ruth CM

Response:

I knew somebody who had allergies, including food allergies, and the skin test was not reliable, just a very rough guide.  There can be false positives and false negatives. Foods can suddenly become triggers for asthma or other allergic reaction, especially foods eaten regularly.  Some foods tend to be higher-risk than others. (Remove "nospam" from my email address)

Response: