getting older and more and more reactions

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Jennywren
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Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:28 pm
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by Jennywren on Sat Feb 09, 2019 4:33 pm

getting older and more and more reactions

Hello all,

I am getting a bit older now (over 60) and as time has gone on I have developed asthma which I never had as a child or younger adult. I have chronic sinusitis which gets worse when I eat anything with say chocolate in or a similar substance.
I have also developed sensitivity to cleaning products which make me cough and wheeze which I have used previously with no problems.
Foods are a great problem as I am intolerant of gluten and dairy which give me digestive problems and silly things like garlic make me wheeze too.
Shampoo's can bring me out in very sore spots on my forehead and face and I can't use any soaps at all on my skin or in the bath that have any kind of perfume in. I use aqueous cream to wash at the moment.
Environmentally I can't be near the smell of fuel or exhaust without wheezing and feeling quite sick.
Drugs are a real problem as many contain lactose which I can't have and I can't get near anything containing aspirin based substances i.e. rub in gels make me faint and cause great wheals on the skin. I also react to Voltarol pain relief. Penicillin causes nasty body rashes and asthma and I also found when having MRI scans using dye, I became worse with sickness, headache and tightening of my throat each time it was used. Now I won't have that type of dye used any more. I am now finding I feel quite unwell when given local anaesthetics at the dentist.
Now are these reactions to things worse because I am getting older or is my immune system a little compromised in some way? It seems strange that so many things now seem to affect me in one way or another. Both my children had quite severe allergies and asthma, and one continues to be like this even though she is an adult. She does have an auto-immune problem though.
Any wisdom to be passed on would be gratefully received.
Jenny

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Dr Chris Rutkowski
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:04 pm
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by Dr Chris Rutkowski on Wed Feb 13, 2019 7:25 pm

Re: getting older and more and more reactions

Asthma + sinusitis + sensitivity to Aspirin can develop at any age; you list many reactions and some of them might indeed be allergic in origin; talk to your GP but if they can't help an allergist would be able to address all issues: asthma; sinusitis; reactions to medication and food. Strong smells, fumes etc can make asthma worse as they irritate the lining of the lungs; it is not an allergic reaction though
Dr Chris Rutkowski
Consultant Allergist, MD, MRCP

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... kowski.php

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