Hayfever desensitisation

[tjbhrj]

My son (11) has severe hayfever - mainly to grass pollen, along with other allergies (nuts, eggs, dogs, cats, horses). He is not asthmatic, but the last two summers has needed a ventolin inhaler as his hayfever has got so bad it has made him wheeze.
Last Autumn ( after the first bad summer) his allergist said at his routine appt that if his hayfever was severe again, we should come back and discuss desensitisation injections. Although this year wasn't as bad as last we have needed to use the inhaler a few times in June, so we have an appt late Sept to discuss.

I'd be really grateful if anyone has any experiences and could let me know what to expect etc.

Many thanks!
TJ

My daughter who is now almost 23 has suffered with asthma, hay fever, allergic rhinitis and eczema since the age of 5. Even now we have good days and bad...seems to be getting better with age though or maybe she's just handling things better. It was a complete nightmare for years trying to find ways of controlling her symptoms...doctors didn't have a clue. We did try acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine for a while when she was around 9 or 10 years old...it really helped. This was through a practitioner who was registered. We eventually got a referral to a paediatric consultant immunologist...he was great in finding the right combination of medicines. Neo-clarytyn is a great anti-histamine that works and has done for years.
My daughter was allergic to everything almost except nuts...a tough one to avoid...but is more common than it used to be. She had one hell of a time at school over her allergies...snotty, grotty, swollen and sneezing hundreds of times day.
All I can say to you is to persevere...get the proper referrals and don't despair. Get in touch with Allergy UK. They know all there is to know about every allergy...they offer support through leaflets and groups and have phone lines manned by nurses to offer advice.. they can give you details of doctors and consultants in your area and advice on medication.
Getting hold of some locally produced honey can help with pollen...a teaspoon a day is advised.
Good luck.

Thanks cazakstan, if ds's consultant thinks he's not a candidate for desensitisation then I'll definitely look into those options.

My DS has similar symptoms. Not normally asthmatic - but can get the throat closing sensation & wheezy out in the 'fresh air'. Also gets an urticarial rash
GP started him on a steroid inhaler & touch wood - so far so good.

I have to say our hospital allergy services seem rubbish. Reluctantly tested him for allergies, and I really doubt they'd give him any treatment. (North Scotland)

Roses what a shame your allergy services are so poor. We're luckier where we are and about 45 mins from a big allergy clinic.
I'm not sure whether ds will be considered "bad" enough to be considered for desensitisation, and even if he is, we would have to think hard about whether its something we can commit to, depending on apps needed etc.

I'll update after the appt...
TJ

I'll be interested to hear how you get on
Good luck

Hi Roses
Apologies for not updating before, but it seems that immunotherapy is an option for us :-) still sorting out a few things, and it will be a long process, but fingers crossed.
TJ