I started suffering from allergic rhinitis around October last year. December lang ako nagpa-checkup and since then, every month na ako pabalik-balik ng hospital —not for confinement though, pero for checkup and follow ups. And throughout those months ang dami ko ng na-try.
I was worst during my
Allergic Rhinitis x Laryngopharyngeal Reflux episodes.
Non-stop bahing plus non-stop ubo kamusta naman 'yon? Masakit na sa ilong, masakit pa sa lalamunan, ang ending madedepress ka na lang talaga. At yung tipong naka facemask at gloves ako matulog, at buong araw kahit nasa loob lang ng bahay. Pag-inom ng sampung gamot na worth ₱35 pataas per tab/cap (+nasal spray and nasal wash (yes magkaiba pa ito)) per day for 2-3 months hanggang sa nabawasan ng nabawasan, and fortunately ay
antihistamines na lang ang tinetake ko ngayon, kasabay ang proper eating habit.
Share ko lang mga ginawa ko, at sana makatulong —
I started by investing on
Air Purifier and
Dehumidifier.
Philippines po have very high relative humidity dahil pinapalibutan tayo ng dagat plus high temperature or init sa Pilipinas, hence high amount of water vapor, hence high humidity. With a hygrometer, you can measure the humid level sa place mo, and mine it stays 80%+ if hindi ko i-open ang dehumidifier or aircon. Yes, you can use air-conditioning unit as alternative for dehumidifier but depends on the AC unit at it must have a "dry mode" at least, and is not as effective as dehumidifier, since sole purpose and forte nito ay to dehumidify, to limit moisture.
Hindi ko na iisahin pa cons ng too much moisture sa bahay/kwarto or isang space pero marami itong negative effect sa health natin especially 'pag nagkaroon na ng
mold, and
dust mites. Don't get me started sa dust mites, ang lala talaga, I'm 100% sure this is my trigger hindi alikabok. Why? Inaatake lang ako lately pagkagising, or like hours after ko humiga. And check lahat below sakin;
Dust mite allergy symptoms include:
- Congestion.
- Coughing.
- Itchy mouth, nose or throat.
- Postnasal drip (mucus that drips into your throat).
- Red, itchy and watery eyes.
- Runny nose.
- Sneezing.
- Wheezing (breathing difficulty, usually with a whistling or gasping sound).
I don't want to scare you, or anyone here but I really believe na kahit pa gaano kalinis ng mga bahay or place natin, meron at merong dust mites.
Taxonomy
The dust mites are
cosmopolitan members of the mite family
Pyroglyphidae.
Characteristics
House dust mites, due to their very small size and translucent bodies, are barely visible to the unaided eye. A typical house dust mite measures 0.2–0.3 mm in length. The body of the house dust mite has a striated
cuticle. House dust mite faecal pellets range from 10 to 40 µm.
Diet
They feed on skin flakes from humans and other animals, and on some mold. Dermatophagoides farinae fungal food choices in 16 tested species commonly found in homes was observed in vitro to be
Alternaria alternata,
Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and
Wallemia sebi, and they disliked
Penicillium chrysogenum,
Aspergillus versicolor, and
Stachybotrys chartarum.
Reproduction
The average life cycle for a house dust mite is 65–100 days. A mated female house dust mite can live up to 70 days, laying 60 to 100 eggs in the last five weeks of her life. In a 10-week life span,
a house dust mite will produce approximately 2,000 fecal particles and an even larger number of partially digested enzyme-covered dust particles.
Wikipedia
TL;DR 
- high humidity ang nagpapaumpisa sa dust mite, yung moisture ang parang tubig nila
- maliliit 'to na hindi makikita unless i-microscope mo or magnifying glass that has 10x magnification bago mo sila makita
- they are usually there everywhere.. sa bed, sa unan, sa sofa, kung saan man tayo humihiga
- hindi sila kumakagat (myth daw ito), pero yung feces or dumi nila ang nantritrigger sa allergies ko/natin
- ang kinakain nila ay ang ating dead skin cells, mga libag-libag natin ba, skin flakes natin at mga pets natin, at molds
So fast forward na ako, sa kung anong remedyo o mga ginawa ko to help myself against allergic rhinitis.
1. Aside from having Air Purifier which cleans and purify the air I inhale on my place (and less alikabok), and Dehumidifier which limits or traps moisture, I also own beddings (kobrekama at punda) na
dust mite & allergen proof dahil sa paranoia ko sa dust mites.
2. Vacuum once a week (pati bed mattress at unan); at wipe/mop ng wall, corners, floor (using Mr. Muscle Mold & Mildew Cleaner) once a month.
3. Proper diet (but beneficial ito sa reflux ko); for allergic rhinitis pansin ko mas naging better nang naliligo or shower na ako ng 3x a day na dati 1/2 a day lang.
4. Even though I have dust mites-proof beddings, iniiwasan ko parin dumikit yung mukha ko, specifically ilong at bunganga, sa unan or bed (again dust mites).
5. If tinatamad ako gawin lahat above, that's the time I take antihistamines; and ayaw man natin to be dependent sa gamot forever, sadly ay it works and helps with allergic rhinitis talaga (at least for me).
6. Last tip: 'pag naglilinis, I recommend to have the proper cleaning tools like chenille dusters or microfiber cloth for wiping para trapped sa panlinis mo yung alikabok at hindi na kumalat sa paligid. Otherwise, maglinis nang naka facemask.
Bawal magkasakit, dahil talaga naman, magastos...
P.S. Don't ignore vitamins rin but best source would be fruits and vegetables, since hindi naman tayo magkakasakit kung malakas ang resistensya.
#adulting
