If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Stepdaughter Allergic to Everything
Let me begin by telling you that I am not an allergy sufferer; however,
I have a new stepdaughter who has terrible allergies to what appears to be everything under the sun. Her father, my husband, has custody over the girl and her brother for a two-week long period during the spring. Naturally, he wants his children to come to our house, which includes as its residents a Persian feline (who will be vacationing at my friend's home for the length of the girl's stay) and an admittedly untidy woman. Of course, I plan on cleaning top to bottom before the girl arrives. It may take some time, as the cat has lived here a while and has laid claim to all available surfaces as her personal shedding grounds. I'll also stock the kitchen with enough ice cream and Benadryl to keep my stepdaughter content for her next fifty visits. Any other advice for temporarily allergy-proofing my home? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in news:MPG.1ce2f22f98396bf3989685
@news.prodigy.net: Let me begin by telling you that I am not an allergy sufferer; however, I have a new stepdaughter who has terrible allergies to what appears to be everything under the sun. I plan on cleaning top to bottom before the girl arrives. Any other advice for temporarily allergy-proofing my home? Make sure when you clean that the cleaners you use won't contain something she's allergic to. If you can't find anything that's supposed to be hypo-allergenic, at least try to use fragrance-free cleaners. Also, try to get personal products (soap, shampoo, etc.), that are fragrance-free for her use. For some people, even having a bar of regular soap in the bathroom can trigger their allergies just from the fragrance getting into the air. Disclaimer: I'm not an "expert", this advice is based on personal experience and common sense only. -- Larry Weil Lake Wobegone, NH |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in message .. . Let me begin by telling you that I am not an allergy sufferer; however, I have a new stepdaughter who has terrible allergies to what appears to be everything under the sun. Her father, my husband, has custody over the girl and her brother for a two-week long period during the spring. Naturally, he wants his children to come to our house, which includes as its residents a Persian feline (who will be vacationing at my friend's home for the length of the girl's stay) and an admittedly untidy woman. Of course, I plan on cleaning top to bottom before the girl arrives. It may take some time, as the cat has lived here a while and has laid claim to all available surfaces as her personal shedding grounds. I'll also stock the kitchen with enough ice cream and Benadryl to keep my stepdaughter content for her next fifty visits. Any other advice for temporarily allergy-proofing my home? Personally I think that if she is allergic to cats there is little you can do. I doubt cleaning will have much effect. I'm allergic to dogs which is a shame as I like them. I can pet or play with them for a few mins with no ill effects but If I stay in a house with a dog for more than a few hours (eg overnight) I get hayfever like symptoms that can last two days after I leave. I regret to say that no amount of cleaning seems to work and I don't really expect it to - how can you get rid of all the dust in a house, it's not really possible. I've noticed that whatever it is lingers on clothes - if I wear a pullover that's been near a dog without subsequently being washed then that can also set me off weeks later. This might sound daft but.. perhaps you she could sleep in the garden if the weather is warm enough. Set up a tent and make a game of it. Otherwise keeping windows and doors wide open might help. Assuming she doesn't have hayfever as well :-) Colin |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
wrote: Let me begin by telling you that I am not an allergy sufferer; however, I have a new stepdaughter who has terrible allergies to what appears to be everything under the sun. Her father, my husband, has custody over the girl and her brother for a two-week long period during the spring. Naturally, he wants his children to come to our house, which includes as its residents a Persian feline (who will be vacationing at my friend's home for the length of the girl's stay) and an admittedly untidy woman. Of course, I plan on cleaning top to bottom before the girl arrives. It may take some time, as the cat has lived here a while and has laid claim to all available surfaces as her personal shedding grounds. I'll also stock the kitchen with enough ice cream and Benadryl to keep my stepdaughter content for her next fifty visits. Any other advice for temporarily allergy-proofing my home? The only hint I have is to remove the cat and clean the house as far in advance of the girl's stay as humanly possible. I have cat allergies (fortunately not severe, but a pain in the neck) and I have more problem at the houses of my tidy friends with cats than I do at the houses of my messy friends. This is because my tidy friends, in an attempt to be considerate, will vacuum the place right before I arrive, which (as far as I can tell) only serves to throw huge amounts of cat dander up into the air where it's convenient for me to inhale it. My messy friends just leave it where it lies, and it's actually less of a problem for me then. If you can clean up well in advance of her visit, it may give the resulting dust time to settle back down. If you can start forbidding the cat access *now* to the room where your stepdaughter is going to sleep that will help a bit too. Freshly launder any blankets, etc. the cat may have slept on in hot water. The truth is, though... you're not going to be able to de-cat the house completely, so you will just have to help her manage the symptoms. I assume that if you're doing this at all you're not expecting the results to be life-threatening! Beth |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in news:MPG.1ce2f22f98396bf3989685
@news.prodigy.net: Let me begin by telling you that I am not an allergy sufferer; however, I have a new stepdaughter who has terrible allergies to what appears to be everything under the sun. Her father, my husband, has custody over the girl and her brother for a two-week long period during the spring. Naturally, he wants his children to come to our house, which includes as its residents a Persian feline (who will be vacationing at my friend's home for the length of the girl's stay) and an admittedly untidy woman. Of course, I plan on cleaning top to bottom before the girl arrives. It may take some time, as the cat has lived here a while and has laid claim to all available surfaces as her personal shedding grounds. I'll also stock the kitchen with enough ice cream and Benadryl to keep my stepdaughter content for her next fifty visits. Any other advice for temporarily allergy-proofing my home? I commend you for trying to create a hospitable environment for your new family. I would agree with everything you've listed on your to-do list for your stepdaughter. A thorough cleaning, as well as maintenance of the spick and span state of your house, are always strong guards against allergies. Be sure to remove any thick blankets, curtains, and rugs that might hold more loose kitty fur than what meets the eye. Those cat hairs do find a way of getting everywhere, in my experience. A good vacuum should get rid of all unwanted dust and dander particles regardless of whether you're dealing with a hardwood floor or a carpet, and it will take care of all the areas underneath or behind furniture that are difficult for regular-sized folks to get to. There's a kind of vacuum (it's called the Roomba robot vacuum, maybe?) that you can program to work even when you're not at home, if you're strapped for time. Good luck on your new role as stepmother. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"Brad_Chad" wrote in message ups.com... Have you seen a naturopathic doctor? Naturopathic doctors get just as much education as conventional doctors, but they can solve many problems a conventional doctor can't. Naturopathic doctors should be licensed by the state, and they should actually be required to attend school. Some get their "degrees" from schools that advertise on match book covers. Further, the claim that they get as much education as a REAL doctor is specious. What they are taught is useless. "Naturopathic doctor" is the politically correct term for "witch doctor." |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Mark Probert wrote:
"Brad_Chad" wrote in message ups.com... Have you seen a naturopathic doctor? Naturopathic doctors get just as much education as conventional doctors, but they can solve many problems a conventional doctor can't. Naturopathic doctors should be licensed by the state, and they should actually be required to attend school. Some get their "degrees" from schools that advertise on match book covers. Further, the claim that they get as much education as a REAL doctor is specious. What they are taught is useless. "Naturopathic doctor" is the politically correct term for "witch doctor." Too broad a generalization. Gotta try one or two and see what they have to offer. We all know there are plenty of ****ty, indifferent MDs out there. * * |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
"Blues Ma" wrote in message ... Mark Probert wrote: "Brad_Chad" wrote in message ups.com... Have you seen a naturopathic doctor? Naturopathic doctors get just as much education as conventional doctors, but they can solve many problems a conventional doctor can't. Naturopathic doctors should be licensed by the state, and they should actually be required to attend school. Some get their "degrees" from schools that advertise on match book covers. Further, the claim that they get as much education as a REAL doctor is specious. What they are taught is useless. "Naturopathic doctor" is the politically correct term for "witch doctor." Too broad a generalization. Nope. I was being way to kind. I could have called them fakirs, frauds and fools. The entire idea is, AFAIAC, fraud. Gotta try one or two and see what they have to offer. I do not have to try jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge to know that it is not a good idea. Likewise, after observing the harm done by these witch doctors, I do not have to go to them to know they are useless. We all know there are plenty of ****ty, indifferent MDs out there. So what? At least their training has a basis in reality. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Mark Probert wrote:
"Blues Ma" wrote in message ... Mark Probert wrote: "Brad_Chad" wrote in message ups.com... Have you seen a naturopathic doctor? Naturopathic doctors get just as much education as conventional doctors, but they can solve many problems a conventional doctor can't. Naturopathic doctors should be licensed by the state, and they should actually be required to attend school. Some get their "degrees" from schools that advertise on match book covers. Further, the claim that they get as much education as a REAL doctor is specious. What they are taught is useless. "Naturopathic doctor" is the politically correct term for "witch doctor." Too broad a generalization. Nope. I was being way to kind. I could have called them fakirs, frauds and fools. The entire idea is, AFAIAC, fraud. Gotta try one or two and see what they have to offer. I do not have to try jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge to know that it is not a good idea. Likewise, after observing the harm done by these witch doctors, I do not have to go to them to know they are useless. We all know there are plenty of ****ty, indifferent MDs out there. So what? At least their training has a basis in reality. Clearly,.......................................... yours does not. * |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
misc.kids FAQ on Allergies and Asthma (part 2/4) | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 2 | April 30th 05 05:24 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Allergies and Asthma (part 2/4) | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 2 | October 29th 04 05:24 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Allergies and Asthma (part 1/4) | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | October 29th 04 05:24 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Allergies and Asthma (part 1/4) | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 3 | March 18th 04 09:14 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Allergies and Asthma (part 1/4) | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 1 | January 16th 04 09:17 AM |