Allergies?Horse related.

[tigeresss]

Well as some of you know after I had a viral infection in November in December my body decided it was a fab idea to get bacterial bronchitis. Cheers very much! haha. Anyway...it took a very long time to get over that...actually I was still hacking away in the early days of January. It stopped though thankfully. But now...I'm coughing a lot although it's rarely a productive cough so I don't think I have my bronchitis back...or maybe it never left I don't know. Anyway, this cough didn't develop till I was out in the barn. Now everytime I'm in the barn (any barn) my chest hurts and I cough a lot... Now I am allergic to hay mildly and I've always had to wash my hands right away after touching it otherwise I get a big rash. However that too has gotten worse and so now I really have to be quick to wash my hands and not touch any other part of me with my "hay hands" until they're washed.

The cough feels like in my chest, yet it's not productive so I don't know what's going on there. Last night it was so bad after coming in from the barn I didn't get to sleep until 2am then I woke up quite a lot after that with huge breathing fits. To be honest I felt like if I was to fall asleep I wouldn't wake up because I was having enough problems while I was awake.

I'm also allergic to dust but it's never given me any of the above reactions unless they're a lot of it then I can't really breathe all that well. I don't know if it's a coincedence but I cough a lot when around the horses or in the feed room.

I was supposed to get an allergy test ages ago but never got around to it...do you think it'd be worth getting some "barn" type tests done on my allergy test? Like hay, horses, dust, shavings maybe? Oh I don't know... Any ideas?

Also anyone that has horses and also has allergies to them or their feed how do you cope? If it is allergies and it carries on like this I don't know what I'll have to do.

 

[tigeresss]

Thanks a bunch for the info!

Oh I don't know if it's related at all but thought I'd mention it...

I had a fall quite some time ago off a horse where my foot was caught in the stirrup and I was dragged on the ground twice around the arena. From that I received a "weak chest muscle". I "had" "exercise enduced asthma" when I was younger but the doctors now realized I didn't actually have asthma it was just this weak chest muscle. I found that strange but oh well...I had the puffer and everything. So I dont know if that has anything to do with it or not.

Keep those replies coming!

 

[Equuisize]

I feel your pain, have been there and done that. Not being able to

breathe is a scary situation. As my doctor so bluntly told me, "You

have to get this under control Nancy. People die when they can't breathe".

Like, duh!!!!!!

I think you're off to a good start by washing your hands before touching 'you',

especially around your mouth, nose and eyes.

That may not be enough. I usually shower after I've been to the barn to get the

dust and dander off me. I wear a baseball cap and braid my hair so it's not absorbing

so much of everything.

You might try wearing a dust mask for a bit when in the barn and see if you notice any

discernable difference.

You sound like a good candidate for allergy testing but you could also just be reacting

because your lungs are sensitive now since your bronchitis.

Take care and like my doc says, "You got to get this under control"

 

[Marty]

Why not try a process of elmination.

I would start first by relocating the hay away from your barn. I don't store hay in mine anyhow because of fire potentional.

Then move the shavings supply away too.

Use a leaf blower to keep the dust away as best you can.

See what happens.

I love the mask idea too. That's smart thinking.

 

[shane]

I HAVE SEVERE ASTHMA,IM ON NEBULISERS AND EVERYTHING, I FIND WHEN IM AT THE STABLES MY CHEST GETS REALY BAD ALSO, YOU COULD TRY USING RUBBER GLOVES,YOU KNOW THE ONES THAT SURGEONS USE THERE VERY CHEAP IN THE CHEMISTS,AND I TAKE ABOUT 8 ATIHISTIMINS A DAY AS MY NOSE IS CONSTANTLY BLOCKED,AND I FEEL AS IF IVE GOT THE COLD ALL YEAR, IF I WERE YOU I WOULD TRY THE GLOVES WHEN YOUR HANDLING HAY,AND A DUST MASK,GOOD LUCK ITS AN AWFUL FEEL;ING,ITS AS IF YOUR BREATHING THROUGH A SMALL STRAW ISNT IT

:

 

[billiethekid40]

Try wearing rubber dish gloves and a face mask when you're in the barn and especially when you handle hay and shavings. Like Marty said, store your hay out of the barn and feed it outdoors as much as possible so when you;re int he barn there is less hay dust floating around. Long sleeve shirts and pants will also help to limit contact. A one piece overall suit that you can strip off before going into the house will be even better, because it will help limit how much gets dragged inside the house.

 

[tigeresss]

I decided I go to my doctors office just to see what the receptionist (who due to my rediculous amount of visits I'm on a first name basis with and we know eachother quite well! haha) had to say about it and if she thought it was worth seeing the doctor. She popped me in and I saw him within 5minutes. My mum thinks they favor me because it takes anybody else atleast a week or two to get an appt! haha. Anyway the point...

After talking about it for what seemed like a lifetime the doctor decided it wasn't asthma but rather it was an allergy. Actually he wasn't totally clear about it but he is sending me to an Allergist to talk with them and get an allergy test. He also gave me a puffer to try out and use once a day. I always hated my old puffer and wouldn't use it unless it was absolutely needed so hopefully I'm not as finicky with this one. People must've thought I was crazy when I would be having a huge breathing attack but wouldn't use it!

This puffer thing better work because I am verry annoyed by this already and it's only been about five days.

Oh I was also told that if my cough starts becoming more productive and if I'm coughing up colored mucus to come back asap. Bleh reminds me of my bronchitis.

Gloves is a good idea, also I think for tonights feeding I'll wear one of my dads mask thingies and see if that makes a difference.

 

[runamuk]

Well as some of you know after I had a viral infection in November in December my body decided it was a fab idea to get bacterial bronchitis. Cheers very much! haha. Anyway...it took a very long time to get over that...actually I was still hacking away in the early days of January. It stopped though thankfully. But now...I'm coughing a lot although it's rarely a productive cough so I don't think I have my bronchitis back...or maybe it never left I don't know. Anyway, this cough didn't develop till I was out in the barn. Now everytime I'm in the barn (any barn) my chest hurts and I cough a lot... Now I am allergic to hay mildly and I've always had to wash my hands right away after touching it otherwise I get a big rash. However that too has gotten worse and so now I really have to be quick to wash my hands and not touch any other part of me with my "hay hands" until they're washed.

The cough feels like in my chest, yet it's not productive so I don't know what's going on there. Last night it was so bad after coming in from the barn I didn't get to sleep until 2am then I woke up quite a lot after that with huge breathing fits. To be honest I felt like if I was to fall asleep I wouldn't wake up because I was having enough problems while I was awake.

I'm also allergic to dust but it's never given me any of the above reactions unless they're a lot of it then I can't really breathe all that well. I don't know if it's a coincedence but I cough a lot when around the horses or in the feed room.

I was supposed to get an allergy test ages ago but never got around to it...do you think it'd be worth getting some "barn" type tests done on my allergy test? Like hay, horses, dust, shavings maybe? Oh I don't know... Any ideas?

Also anyone that has horses and also has allergies to them or their feed how do you cope? If it is allergies and it carries on like this I don't know what I'll have to do.

Well your symptoms sound just like a friend of mine who after years with horses, dogs,cats, birds, etc......kept getting allergies and a weird cough....turned out the cough was actually an asthma attack.........

since I moved to idaho I have had a cough every winter...take this year for instance...had the flu on thanksgiving and am still hacking...........of course the air quality here is junk...we get inversions that trap all the pollution on our valley floor and strangely my cough gets worse with every inversion...when the fog shows up my family expects me to cough.......grrrrrrrr........I never used to get sick...maybe once every 5 years.....winter number 4 in idaho and oh gee still hacking should clear by the burning season

:

:

 

[tigeresss]

*Update*

I ended up using the puffer about an hour ago...it worked for about 10minutes then I was outside and right back to lack of proper breathing! haha. This is rediculous I thought puffers were supposed to last for a long time?

 

[Cronewolf]

:new_shocked:

: Boy do I know what you mean I'm allergic to everything with fur and feathers, also to dust mold and mildew, to grass and most trees, most soaps, perfumes, many flowers, and the sun.