Allergies and flying...

On Sunday we spent all day outside, getting the pool ready at the inn. It is
shaded by giant river birch trees, which -- at this time of year -- are
shedding lots of little flakes of pollen (?).

I'm apparently violently allergic to this tree pollen. My eyes swelled
shut, and stayed that way for a couple of days. Allegra, my usual
FAA-approved medicine (which I use for late-summer hay fever), didn't help.

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Your doctor or allergist comes immediately to mind.

-0-


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:j4Isc.57787$gr.5667473@attbi_s52...

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?
--

Jay Honeck wrote:

I'm apparently violently allergic to this tree pollen. My eyes swelled
shut, and stayed that way for a couple of days. Allegra, my usual
FAA-approved medicine (which I use for late-summer hay fever), didn't help.

I think that if my allergic reaction were that severe, I'd probably ground
myself for a week or two until the pollen died down. What if your
medication seemed to work until you were alone in the plane at 3,000 ft, and
then your eyes suddenly swelled shut again? Usenet would be more boring for
all of us without you, Jay.

It might also be worth talking to your doctor about carrying an epi-pen
(sp?) with you in the cockpit. If you ever started getting another severe
reaction to something, you could give yourself a quick jab to get it under
control to let you land safely.


All the best,


David

Jay Honeck wrote:

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?

Allergy shots.

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.

Jay,
a dust mask is approved and removable when you visit the AME ;-)
Michelle

Jay Honeck wrote:

On Sunday we spent all day outside, getting the pool ready at the inn. It is
shaded by giant river birch trees, which -- at this time of year -- are
shedding lots of little flakes of pollen (?).

I'm apparently violently allergic to this tree pollen. My eyes swelled
shut, and stayed that way for a couple of days. Allegra, my usual
FAA-approved medicine (which I use for late-summer hay fever), didn't help.

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?



--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

What if your medication seemed to work until you
were alone in the plane at 3,000 ft, and
then your eyes suddenly swelled shut again?

A couple of comments:

1. Okay, so I may have exaggerated a bit. My eyes were extremely swollen,
and I looked like the Devil incarnate -- but I could still see out of them.

2. In my experience, my allergies completely go away above pattern altitude.
Not much pollen up there, I guess.

Thanks for the suggestions.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?

Allergy shots.

I went through those several years ago, in an attempt to get rid of my
allergy to cats, timothy grass, and ragweed.

In about the third week of shots, I had a really nasty reaction that
required a shot of adrenaline in the butt to cure. .

After that I decided that sneezing wasn't so bad...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay, the best solution for allergies is to get the allergens out of the air.
You need an electronic air filter which uses charged plates to clean the air
of particulates. Honeywell makes them and they are about $700 installed
where your regular fiberglass filter is now. I have found that I can spend
about five hours a day exposed to things that I am allergic to if I spend
the rest of the time in an allergen free area. That is during the peak of
the pollen cycle, the rest of the year I can be exposed longer. Those times
are without any medication. Your reaction sounds more severe than any I
have had but spending less time exposed to allergens will help and your
current medication may then be adequate. Good luck!

http://content.honeywell.com/yourhom...eaners/f50.htm

Mike
MU-2


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:j4Isc.57787$gr.5667473@attbi_s52...
On Sunday we spent all day outside, getting the pool ready at the inn. It
is
shaded by giant river birch trees, which -- at this time of year -- are
shedding lots of little flakes of pollen (?).

I'm apparently violently allergic to this tree pollen. My eyes swelled
shut, and stayed that way for a couple of days. Allegra, my usual
FAA-approved medicine (which I use for late-summer hay fever), didn't
help.

Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck ) wrote:
: On Sunday we spent all day outside, getting the pool ready at the inn.
: It is shaded by giant river birch trees, which -- at this time of year --
: are shedding lots of little flakes of pollen (?).
:
: I'm apparently violently allergic to this tree pollen. My eyes swelled
: shut, and stayed that way for a couple of days. Allegra, my usual
: FAA-approved medicine (which I use for late-summer hay fever), didn't help.
:
: Can anyone recommend any other FAA-approved allergy medicines?
:

Sleeping in a room without allergens helps:


http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/dustfree.htm
How to Create a Dust-Free Bedroom, NIAID Fact Sheet


My roommate suffers from allergies and has pillow and mattress casings
for dust mites, and a HEPA filter that can even deal with cigarette smoke:


http://www.allergyconsumerreview.com...-purifier.html
IQAir Hepa Air Purifier with Hepa Filter Review

"The IQair hepa air filter is a new entrant into the market place from
Switzerland. It is a testament to precision Swiss engineering. The
company behind it is in the hospital clean room business..."



http://store.yahoo.com/allergybuyersclub/iqair.html
IQAir Air Purifiers - HealthPro Plus - HEPA, VOC, Gas Control


--Jerry Leslie
Note: is invalid for email

"leslie" wrote in message
...
My roommate suffers from allergies and has pillow and mattress casings
for dust mites, and a HEPA filter that can even deal with cigarette smoke:


http://www.allergyconsumerreview.com...-purifier.html
IQAir Hepa Air Purifier with Hepa Filter Review

"The IQair hepa air filter is a new entrant into the market place from
Switzerland. It is a testament to precision Swiss engineering. The
company behind it is in the hospital clean room business..."

Dyson vacuum cleaners have them.

http://www.dyson.co.uk/

Paul