Did anyone develop allergies AFTER chemo?
Let me say that I am sooooooo freakin' tired of my runny nose, my itchy, red eyes, sneezing, headaches and face aches, itchy throat and, now, a cough that has me panicking about lung mets. I've seen my doctor who prescribed a few expensive drugs that did zip...nothing. She referred me to a ENT specialist at the hospital who saw an old throat polyp and declared me dehydrated. So I'm not optimistic about medical intervention in this case. I guess I want to know I'm not alone. Has anyone else who had NO allergies prior to chemo developed allergies after treatment? If so, what do you do for them? My nose bleeds everyday from the constant running and I'm sick of being surrounded by tissues! 
~Marin
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Hi Fitchik: I ended up with a latex allergy, also have the red eys and runny nose it's calmed down alot except if I get active then it starts right up drives me nuts. I bought a nedi pot and it makes a big difference it at least cleanes out my sinuses and that really helped when it was at it's peek. I'm getting headaches on the left side only for about a month now, the dumbest thing is I've been in so much pain with my joints that I didn't notice that I was having ongoing headaches until I talked to my nurse yesterday, I am really and seriously going to keep up with the journal I started ( and forgot about) and write down every thing I feel everyday. I've started taking Vit d and Vit a with all my other vits, and I can't live without my pobiotics and acidophilus. I notice a big difference on how I feel, digest food etc., if I forget to take it. For your nose there is a nasal gel you can buy damn it I forget the name, but it's in a small orange and white tube and it makes a big difference when I find the name I will send it to you it's only 3 bucks cheap. Good luck pearl49
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girl I feel your pain. I have the WORST allergies since chemo.
I went to an ENT, and found out that my septum is deviated into the shape of an S affecting both nostrils.
I took a course of steroids for a while, and thats the only thing that helped me breathe, but it's not a long term fix. Zyrtec doesn't really work for me, and he said surgery was an option.
But there's no way in hell somone if cutting into my face.
The vicks inhaler gives me bloddy noses. Breathe right strips help me at night.
I feel like my nose hair never grew back. I can't see any hair in there at all, and I think thats part of my problem too.
I have a sever dust, and pet dander allergy, and I'm supposed to clean with a mask on, but who the hell want s to do that? So every time I dust my house, and my ceiling fans, I make it worse.
If anyone has other suggestions, I'm all (clogged) ears.
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Beth I also have two air purifiers in my apt, it makes a big difference with dust allergies. I know this because they broke and my sis sent them back and had mailed to me what a difference. I take out the metal plates and wash them daily and it's amazing how yucky the plates are even after one day. So maybe give one a try, I hope that will help.pearl49
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I don't have allergies but do have the runny nose/weepy eye thing since chemo, which ended in mid-May. All this is not allergy-related but is exacerbated by movement, that is, just moving around. The move vigorously I move, the more my nose runs and my eyes water. If I am sitting still, no runny/weepy.
I do have all my nose hairs.
My onc told me it was a s/e from Cytoxan, but she was surprised it was lasting this long. I imagine that if anyone has already had allergies (which I didn't, except to cheap jewelry), the lingering s/e's would make them worse.
I do have to say that recently things have been less a problem. At least now I don't have the inside my nose sores and not much bloodiness when I get stuffed up then blow.
BTW, if you do get sores inside your nose, try using a bit of Bacitracin or something similar, applied to them with Q-tip. It does help heal them.........'til the next time.
The gift that keeps on giving.
Tina
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My allergies are worse now it seems. I'm sick more often, too, but that could be because of my daughter being in daycare.....
I'm going to look into seeing an acupuncturist for these 'ailments'.
I think Pearl was refering to Ocean, a nasal spray that is mostly a saline solution (?).
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Ugh..sinuses, raw feeling in lungs, snoring or sniffling. I feel your pain.
Bugs
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Deja vu on this conversation (I asked everyone about sinus pain last year, and you made me feel better by validating the situation). YES to all of the above. Last spring/early summer, I had a sinus headache and stuffiness that lasted for months. It terrified me. I started to get anxious, dissociated, dizzy because I was obsessing about my sinuses. It felt like one of my sinuses was ALWAYS plugged, but which one it was jumped around. One day it would be near the left brow, the next day the right brow, then the bridge of my nose. My eyes have been tearing and red for two years now, and it's embarassing to go into a shop and watch my eyes (and nose) drip all over the merchandise. And I'm always swabbing at myself with my gloved hand, like a 5 year old with a runny nose. Horrible. Some of this I've attributed to the AIs, rather than the chemo, simply because I've assumed that my sinuses dried up, like all the other canals. Also, my eyes have been super light-sensitive. In the evening, I can't tolerate the tv if a light is on. And if I go outside and my eyes adjust to the dark, then I feel blinded by neon signs or headlights.
Thank you for starting this thread. I'm still hoping these SEs are temporary and that one day they'll abate.
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P.S. Beth, you dust your ceiling fans? I'm impressed. I have a couple of decades of dust up there, and I never thought to actually do anything about it.
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Marin,
I have always had bloody noses in the winter. It was wicked on the chemo. I was convinced I had a bleeding disorder, which testing ruled out. Then I got sent to an ENT, he recommended Ayr gel to moisturize the nose. I can get it in the grocery store here. I used to use a humidifier when I felt dry but it probably exacerbated my allergies and made the bloody noses more frequent. I have had them since I was 5 years old. I am so attuned, I can sense a bloody nose before it even gets out of my nose- while I'm asleep!
FYI- I saw over the counter Zyrtec at Walmart today. STill expensive but less than a copay for the ENT and the pharmacy!
This is my first winter in 40 years without a bloody nose.
donna
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Marin,
I have always had bloody noses in the winter. It was wicked on the chemo. I was convinced I had a bleeding disorder, which testing ruled out. Then I got sent to an ENT, he recommended Ayr gel to moisturize the nose. I can get it in the grocery store here. I used to use a humidifier when I felt dry but it probably exacerbated my allergies and made the bloody noses more frequent. I have had them since I was 5 years old. I am so attuned, I can sense a bloody nose before it even gets out of my nose- while I'm asleep!
FYI- I saw over the counter Zyrtec at Walmart today. STill expensive but less than a copay for the ENT and the pharmacy!
This is my first winter in 40 years without a bloody nose. I finished chemo in april 2006 and finished herceptin in january 2007
donna
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constantly runny nose and watery eyes over here (never had a problem before chemo) ............ and i sneeze like crazy too!
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Constant runny nose here also. And developed asthma. It started with my first chemo and never went away.
Nicki (aka chemosabi)
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Lauren, it's all about the swiffer duster. Best invention EVER. The stick stretches so long with the press of a button, and the dusters catch the dust instead of letting it float onto the floor.
The head bends a million ways so you can get all angles of the fan.
I swear, I should do a commercial for this product... i LOVE it, but my nose, throat and eyes, wish that dust never existed in the first place.
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Girls, have you ever tried those old-fashioned wool yarn dustmops? A friend of mine has had one for years and kept telling me how wonderful it was but I didn't move to buy one until recently.
It's great! Much more effective than anything I have used. Mop the floor, shake out the door. When you think the mophead is dirty, wash it! I love this thing.
They have the regular size mop and also a couple of smaller ones for small spaces or dusting walls or overhead.
BTW, how is Marin lately? She hasn't been posting much and I know she was worried about that cough.
Tina
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Oh Tina, thanks for thinking of me! I must say that it's true that misery loves company because it's a relief to me that some of you are also having severe waterworks. Not one of my docs believe that the allergies are chemo-related and i just know they are. No matter, I suppose, if I could find relief. The cough is the most concerning right now. It just doesn't go away. I have an onc f/u on 2/20 and I'm sure I'll get a lung scan. So one way or another, I'll know and take it from there. I'm pretty nervous about it, but am trying not to think about it (right).
And, Tina, I haven't been posting as much as usual because my job has gotten more demanding and I've got this awesome new man to spend time with. And next week, I'm starting to teach 2 more fitness classes, so I'll be even crazier! I guess I'm trying to stay distracted until the 20th, ya know?
~Marin
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Oh, a MAN. That explains everything.
Go, Marin, go!
Tina
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I just found this old thread...
My allergies have been going nuts since chemo. And I'm running out of ideas for what to do about it. Did it clear up for you all after a while??
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I am 2.5 years post chemo -- became allergic to gluten/wheat and dairy during chemo.
Still have it!!
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I have the same problems, I take Zertec 5mg every night, you have to keep it in your system. 10mg is too much for me, it causes me to feel tired. It also helps with the itchy skin. I also take an herb for my lungs it is ALJ I forget the name brand, but it works. I had a cough that would not stop, and a spot on my lung, this started during radiation, after chemo and surgery. So I went to herb shop and he recommended the ALJ I have used it ever since and can tell when I run out. I am 9 years from last treatments and still have these issues. I am now developing food sensitivities, first one was shell fish, just started having issues with onion, do not know what will be next. Just hope everyone will watch for these things. I am blessed, this can be managed.
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