Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Zella]

7 minutes ago, not you again said:

I was prescribed Singulair, also for allergies too, and it made me want to murder my family.  And I'm not being hyperbolic.  Proceed with caution, anyone who tries it.  There are warnings about it but since I'm normally as sunny as the Mediterranean I never thought I would react the way I did.

I also live in the south and have been doing immunotherapy (fancy name for allergy shots) for the past year.  I'm allergic to every tree they tested me for, grass, weeds, dust, and mildew, and dogs.  LUCKY ME.

In addition to immunotherapy, my allergist prescribed Xyzal at night, Allegra in the morning, Astelin (hate it!) twice a day, and Singular.  Xyzal is supposed to be Zyrtec with the drowsy component removed, I think?

I still prefer Claritin.  It's the only thing besides Seldane that doesn't sedate me.  Ugh.

That's interesting. I didn't seem to have any reactions to it for the 10-ish days I was on it, but I have had my weird share of med side effects, for sure. (Hallucinations on Tamiflu? Yes, that would be me. LOL) 

I've got the grass, weed, tree pollen combo thing too, plus some other things, and you've got my sympathy. It is so miserable, and it is frustrating that there is never an end to it. 

Does the immunotherapy help for you? I've had it recommended to me, but I have never really seriously considered it until now. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by Zella

[Zella]

Just now, not you again said:

I think it does.  I'm much more comfortable in my own house, because wouldn't you know it, we have a dog.  I thought it was the dust bothering me so much, but it turns out I'm highly allergic to dog dander.  🙄

If this spring is not a lot different, I will be very disappointed.  The expense has not been too bad because this is one area of my insurance that has paid amazingly well - I only pay my portion of the serums, and nothing for the shots.  But going as often as required for it to build up (twice a week in the beginning) is a real commitment and I've done it faithfully.  I will report back in a few weeks!

Thanks! I would appreciate that! The initial time commitment for the appointments has been one of the sticking points for me. 

[emma675]

I do the allergy shots/immunotherapy, too! I'm allergic to every tree known to man plus dust, so I'm screwed no matter where I live. They help a lot, although it didn't totally solve my allergies so I'm also on the OTC stuff. Xyzal made me crazy, I felt like I was coming down with the flu the entire time I was on it.

Finger crossed, but the Zyrtec seems to be working better than the Claritin after just two days! 

[DangerousMinds]

3 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

I paid for my books and left. I didn’t call the cops.

This is not the first time I got molested/assaulted in public or private. It’s a part of being a female I guess. Men feel like it’s okay to do what they want to women,

I say report the assholes. They need to be stopped.

[Absolom]

One thing to beware of with the allergy shots/immunotherapy is that they can make a small percentage of patients worse.  They did that to my dearly departed husband.  He was mildly snuffling when they began and was edging toward constantly snuffling when I encouraged him stop.  

[latetotheparty]

6 hours ago, not you again said:

I was prescribed Singulair, also for allergies too, and it made me want to murder my family.  And I'm not being hyperbolic.  Proceed with caution, anyone who tries it.  There are warnings about it but since I'm normally as sunny as the Mediterranean I never thought I would react the way I did.

I also live in the south and have been doing immunotherapy (fancy name for allergy shots) for the past year.  I'm allergic to every tree they tested me for, grass, weeds, dust, and mildew, and dogs.  LUCKY ME.

In addition to immunotherapy, my allergist prescribed Xyzal at night, Allegra in the morning, Astelin (hate it!) twice a day, and Singular.  Xyzal is supposed to be Zyrtec with the drowsy component removed, I think?

I still prefer Claritin.  It's the only thing besides Seldane that doesn't sedate me.  Ugh.

I miss Seldane so much. That and aerosol Beconase kept my allergy symptoms so well controlled. It really made a difference with my asthma. 

[Sew Sumi]

I just live with the sneezing and swollen eyes. It's only bad when the wind kicks up, like today. 

I did dry my eyes out with OTC drops. As a result, I have Rx Restasis drops which I can supplement with OTC Systane on super dry days. It doesn't help with the swelling, but I can live with it. 

[crazycatlady58]

7 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

I paid for my books and left. I didn’t call the cops.

This is not the first time I got molested/assaulted in public or private. It’s a part of being a female I guess. Men feel like it’s okay to do what they want to women,

Have you thought about taking self defense classes? It would be good to report it to the police and also the store manager.

[Absolom]

I vote for shriek and make a scene from the instant of first contact.  That's what I used to do and they would run from me glowing red with embarrassment.  

[McManda]

8 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

This is not the first time I got molested/assaulted in public or private. It’s a part of being a female I guess.

No. It's not.

I'm sorry this happened to you, and seemingly not for the first time. That is not okay. There are no excuses for someone invading your personal boundaries without explicit consent, least of gender.

I would definitely report it to the store - they should have cameras they can pull footage from - and the police. Even if they they can't get the person on this, it will build a case to protect someone else in the future. Whoever did that to you this time has done it in the past and will likely do it in the future. Even if you feel like you don't want to do anything for yourself - but you absolutely should! - do it for anyone this person might attempt in the future.

[McManda]

8 hours ago, not you again said:

Xyzal is supposed to be Zyrtec with the drowsy component removed, I think?

Very simply, as I understood it from my pharmacist...

Xyzal (levocetirizine) and Zyrtec (cetirizine) are chemically the same. The difference is that they're enantiomers, meaning they're mirror image of the same compound. Sometimes that means there's a clinical difference, for example with amphetamine (Adderall, a simulant) and methamphetamine (Meth, a recreational illicit drug) or dextromethorphan (Robitussin, an OTC cough suppressant) and levomethorphan (a schedule 1 opoid pain med that's not actually commercially made), but sometimes that just means it fits into the receptor it's meant to slightly better. Like a handshake; a right hand to right hand handshake feels most comfortable, but you can do a left hand to left hand or a left hand to right hand and it might work, just not the best that it could.

Anyway, all that to say I'm not sure it would be something that eliminated the drowsy component, but maybe. In this case it's more that there was little clinical difference but it was an opportunity for the drug makers to creat a "new" medication they could patent with very little effort, especially because allergy meds are a try-it-and-see kind of med. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

On 2/29/2020 at 4:47 PM, emma675 said:

Fellow allergy sufferers, have you found your body builds up a tolerance to meds after a while? Claritin and Nasacort nose spray used to work pretty well for me but neither seems to be doing its job anymore. My nose is like a faucet lately and I've got a lot of drainage down my throat (gross). I have year round allergies thanks to dust and pollen. Guess I'm going to search for a new routine (and I already do allergy shots on top of this).

Absolutely! My ENT and PCP both told me to rotate the meds out after a while. After about 8 months on Allegra, I switched back to Claritin. I also take allergy drops every morning, use an inhaler called Xhance (miracle in a bottle) and take Singulair every night. They also told me using Flonase for too long would do more harm than good. I’m allergic to mold, ALL mold, dust mites, pollen, sycamore trees (there’s one next door) and ragweed.  So basically the air and the soil.  I had sinus surgery in December and that helped tremendously, as does using a HEPA air purifier at night.

And, my ENT told me to use the NeilMed sinus rinse. That helped just as good as my navage and it was cheap and easier to clean.

TL:DR- try the NeilMed sinus rinse, and get a true HEPA air purifier if you don’t have one because it’s worth the cost.  Also if you don’t have them yet, try covering your mattress and pillows with good quality protectors.  They eliminated my early morning headaches after the first night.

https://www.natlallergy.com/allergy-bedding-1

[Ijustwantsomechips]

21 hours ago, Zella said:

Thanks! I would appreciate that! The initial time commitment for the appointments has been one of the sticking points for me. 

@Zella maybe you can do the allergy drops like me. I was told my allergies were too severe for shots as all the allergens wouldn’t fit in the vials.  With the drops, I do them at home every morning. They are disgusting though. 

[readheaded]

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the "Counting On" forums and I'm sorry to "crash" but despite deliberately avoiding "Counting On" and all things Duggar, I've inadvertently caught some shows in the early mornings lately.  Unfortunately, the political climate has nixed all the news shows for me that on at that time and I've already seen the George Lopez show episodes about 1,000 times, so it's TLC for me.

Anyhoo, I really had no idea just how truly ignorant the "Counting On" crew is.  I figured maybe they wouldn't be "worldly" which I have no problem with, but they honestly seem "simple" and not in a good way.  It terrifies me that there are just so many of them.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  My apologies again, for barging in!  🙂 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

1 hour ago, readheaded said:

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the "Counting On" forums and I'm sorry to "crash" but despite deliberately avoiding "Counting On" and all things Duggar, I've inadvertently caught some shows in the early mornings lately.  Unfortunately, the political climate has nixed all the news shows for me that on at that time and I've already seen the George Lopez show episodes about 1,000 times, so it's TLC for me.

Anyhoo, I really had no idea just how truly ignorant the "Counting On" crew is.  I figured maybe they wouldn't be "worldly" which I have no problem with, but they honestly seem "simple" and not in a good way.  It terrifies me that there are just so many of them.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  My apologies again, for barging in!  🙂 

Welcome @readheaded.  Feel free to join in at any time.  It’s a friendly, welcoming bunch here and there is much to snark about.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Ijustwantsomechips

[galaxychaser]

1 hour ago, readheaded said:

Hi Everyone, I'm new to the "Counting On" forums and I'm sorry to "crash" but despite deliberately avoiding "Counting On" and all things Duggar, I've inadvertently caught some shows in the early mornings lately.  Unfortunately, the political climate has nixed all the news shows for me that on at that time and I've already seen the George Lopez show episodes about 1,000 times, so it's TLC for me.

Anyhoo, I really had no idea just how truly ignorant the "Counting On" crew is.  I figured maybe they wouldn't be "worldly" which I have no problem with, but they honestly seem "simple" and not in a good way.  It terrifies me that there are just so many of them.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  My apologies again, for barging in!  🙂 

Hi welcome here!

[emma675]

ijustwantsomechips, thanks, I'll have to try the NeilMed stuff! I do have an air purifier in my room and I regularly change out the air filter in my HVAC system, but my house is over 70 years old so dust is a way of life, lol. I also have the mattress and pillow protectors, too. 

I'm worried about spring allergies this year since my area didn't really get a winter. I think it only got below freezing a few times. The mosquitoes are going to be brutal this summer. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

I feel like I’ve found my people. I’m in the same boat as far as mosquitoes and weather. This spring will be the test for the success of this sinuplasty/septoplasty.  I will say the Navage worked wonders too but I can’t use it so soon after surgery, and cleaning it afterwards is annoying.  

You’ll need distilled water for the NeilMed too but that’s a small price for the convenience of being able to breath again. 

ETA: I’ll just add a pic of the rinse here for all of us allergy sufferers. I like to heat my water for about 10 seconds to be a little more comfortable. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Ijustwantsomechips

[Rabbittron]

Someone please hit me upside the head. I was on another website and there was a ad for P D disease and they used a curved pickle and all I thought of was the Duggars. 

[sixlets]

read-Welcome!  Please feel free to hang around.  I've seen you around, and I can safely say we don't bite over here 😉 

Has anyone had a real winter this year?  At least Mr. Six has been able to take his car to work all winter instead of taking mine, which makes him happy.  Our coldest day of the next 9 is Saturday, but it's still forecasted at 48*.  I'll take it.

Do we have anyone from the Nashville area?  I have an online friend that lives in one of the hardest hit areas.  The school her daughter used to attend was severely damaged, but her workplace only lost power.  Thankfully, she had no damage to her home and her family is safe.  My heart is breaking for those affected in any way.

[galaxychaser]

No real winter in NY. 3-4 inches of snow whole winter. It was real cold, but tolerable due to no snow.

[Sew Sumi]

It's rainy season here, but we haven't had measurable rainfall in over a month. It was 76 today. We do have rain in the forecast for next week, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[Westiepeach]

Welcome to the family @readheaded! I think you will like it here! We always have snacks and wine (or your beverage of choice) over in the Prayer Closet. Happy to have you join us!

[Zella]

12 hours ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

@Zella maybe you can do the allergy drops like me. I was told my allergies were too severe for shots as all the allergens wouldn’t fit in the vials.  With the drops, I do them at home every morning. They are disgusting though. 

Thanks! I'll look into those! 🙂

Welcome, @readheaded!

[ChiCricket]

Welcome @readheaded. 🙂

Illinois here, and hardly any winter at all...so weird.

I also have horrible spring/autumn allergies.

I look forward to snow and ice usually covering up everything I'm allergic to.😜

[Rabbittron]

Very real winter here in Colorado. 

[crazycatlady58]

Here in Houston it has been a mild winter. We have had some cold days but no hard freeze. We usually have one last cold front before Easter so we could still have that freeze. If we don't, the bugs will be bad.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Just got back from a vacation in Florida...Though we had some warm days, there were also a few where the temperature there was only a few degrees higher than that back home in Connecticut. I think that Spring seems to really be on the way here - there are a couple of nights still below freezing in the forecast, but mostly above, and daytime temperatures in the mid 50s up into the low 60s. We had one snowfall. maybe 4" or so early in the season, then another, just slightly bigger, later on, with a couple of dustings here and there. It's just not winter without at least a couple of good solid blizzards with a foot or more on the ground. 

At least it might be good for our bees...Checked the hives when we got back in yesterday, and while it looks as though we may have lost one, the others looked OK. We didn't harvest last year's honey, since we had just started the hives back up after a couple of year break while Mr Jyn was working/living in VA, so there wasn't a huge surplus, and we were afraid that if Spring followed the pattern of the last few years, with late, bitter freezes, the bees would need the extra food. Hopefully the five hives which still seem to be OK will continue. In recent years it's been more or less expected that a good half of all hives (or more)  don't survive the winter with the strange new weather cycles and other threats.

[Minivanessa]

3 hours ago, Rabbittron said:

Very real winter here in Colorado. 

Lord, yes it has been. We had more snow than usual for Denver, in October and November. And stupid me, I followed the conventional wisdom that the time to have your winter tires put on your car here is around Thanksgiving. Which I did. Just in time for the snows around here to get shy and leave us alone in December and January. 

February? Holy moley, it felt like it snowed every other damned day. I missed the frequent sunshine we usually enjoy. At least we need the moisture, became my February mantra. Now it's March, which is historically our month with the most snowfall. The upside is, it's warmer and if your power doesn't go out or a tree fall on your car because it's heavy spring snow? The stuff melts off pretty fast. 

Winter tires will be removed in April, unless I've traded in the car by then. I'm ready for nice weather, and this week we're having some, hooray!

[galaxychaser]

@lookeyloo how is your son? I am keeping your family in my thoughts.

[Minivanessa]

Okay, there's nothing funny about a disease, including the Corona virus.

But seeing the shelves of our supermarkets swept clean of disinfecting wipes, and hearing that there's been a run on those surgical masks (that DO NOT prevent you from catching the virus especially since so many people ignorantly don't even wear them correctly)? I found this meme I found on FB to be a lone voice of common sense in a wilderness of nutzo nonsense:

Yes. Wash your hands, keep them away from your face, cover your coughs and sneezes. And leave the masks for those who really need them. A little common sense would be welcome about now. 

Just to emphasize, I really feel for people with health conditions that would make them extra vulnerable to this, or any, infectious disease. Which is why I get irritated with hysterical nonsense about it. That cr*p doesn't help anyone!

[emma675]

Yeah, it's been a mild winter for most. We got a "cold snap" here today and it's raining and in the 50s, but it will be back up to the 70s by tomorrow. That was our entire winter, freezing cold for a day or two, then warming back up the rest of the week, then freezing cold again. Repeat ad nauseum. It's probably why half my office has been sick this winter. 

[Rabbittron]

3 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Lord, yes it has been. We had more snow than usual for Denver, in October and November. And stupid me, I followed the conventional wisdom that the time to have your winter tires put on your car here is around Thanksgiving. Which I did. Just in time for the snows around here to get shy and leave us alone in December and January. 

February? Holy moley, it felt like it snowed every other damned day. I missed the frequent sunshine we usually enjoy. At least we need the moisture, became my February mantra. Now it's March, which is historically our month with the most snowfall. The upside is, it's warmer and if your power doesn't go out or a tree fall on your car because it's heavy spring snow? The stuff melts off pretty fast. 

Winter tires will be removed in April, unless I've traded in the car by then. I'm ready for nice weather, and this week we're having some, hooray!

I don't know how they take the snow measurement because they said the snow totals in my mom's city ranged from 1 to about 5 inches but the hoa president measured the amount of snow and the snow total was any where from 18 to 28 inches. 

[Lisa418722]

17 hours ago, sixlets said:

Do we have anyone from the Nashville area?  I have an online friend that lives in one of the hardest hit areas.  The school her daughter used to attend was severely damaged, but her workplace only lost power.  Thankfully, she had no damage to her home and her family is safe.  My heart is breaking for those affected in any way.

I live in Atlanta now, but I'm from an adjoining county and still have family and friends that live in the area. One of my friends said she was about 3 miles from the tornado and her daughter lives about 1/2 mile from where it hit.  Thankfully neither one of their houses were damaged. Her daughter is a teacher and her school had only minor damage.  But the pictures of the main highway in the area got to me. It looks like a war zone. 
Years ago (as in the 1990's) a weather forecaster said "tornadoes don't hit downtown areas."  I remember thinking, "you don't say that."  A couple of months later a tornado hit downtown Nashville.  One hit my hometown in January 1997.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Lisa418722

[lookeyloo]

4 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

@lookeyloo how is your son? I am keeping your family in my thoughts.

Thanks for checking. Unimaginable nightmare. We just don’t know if he will get better as in maintaining. There has been no mention of a cure. Lots of tears all around not to mention his pain. Appreciate the thoughts. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Just when I think of my troubles, like a terrible cold, I am reminded of other's suffering that is so unimaginable. Thinking of you and your family Lookeyloo.  

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by SunnyBeBe

[marypat57]

34 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Thinking of you and your family Lookeyloo.  

Add my prayers for your son and the rest of your family, as well as you...

[Temperance]

@lookeyloo My thoughts and prayers are with you. 

Its sounds dumb, but please wash your hands to combat Corona Virus. It's small, but important.

So is voting. Please register to vote. And make sure your friends, family, etc. are registered, etc. particularly your kids, grandkids, and young people. Older voters are equally important; young voters are statistically less likely to be registered and vote.  

[Nysha]

GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!
I was in Billings last week for part of the trial. Even though all the evidence was circumstantial and there wasn't a body or murder weapon, the prosecutor's office was all in. They had a week's worth of testimony and the defense had about 5 hours.
 

[emma675]

Nysha, yessssss!!!!

[Sew Sumi]

Justice prevails! I hope that bastard rots.

[Minivanessa]

@Nysha, thanks for letting us know. Glad they could put him away. 

[crazycatlady58]

Yes!!!! That is wonderful news.

[galaxychaser]

Scum should say where he buried your sister.  Hope he dies in prison.

[CalicoKitty]

I was just on the Sister Wives forum, and they were having a discussion on ways to prevent contact with various viruses and bacteria.  Wiping the shopping cart handle was mentioned.  I posted about the shopping cart handle covers that I have found on Etsy.  Heavy cloth with velcro closure.  I have been using mine for several weeks--before this latest scare--because so many stores around here either don't provide wipes, or the container is empty, and I know they don't wash the carts.  So far I like them.  Only my hands touch the outside of the cover, and I never have to touch the "dirty" side that has been in contact with the cart.  I just ordered a couple more so I can have one in the wash and still have a couple in the car.  As yet, I haven't left it on the cart, but I purposefully bought bright patterns so I can spot them easily.  Just a suggestion to help keep the hands clean.  I am surprised that dress gloves have not come back into fashion.  We would never go to church without them in the "old days"!

[Temperance]

2 hours ago, Nysha said:

GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!
I was in Billings last week for part of the trial. Even though all the evidence was circumstantial and there wasn't a body or murder weapon, the prosecutor's office was all in. They had a week's worth of testimony and the defense had about 5 hours.
 

Wow! The prosecutor must have had a great case. Two hours of deliberation is fast for a trial of this scope and a few missing pieces. I hope this brings some peace to your family and is a sign of better things to come for you. 

[latetotheparty]

@Nysha this is wonderful news. I hope they put him away forever. 

[MargeGunderson]

Nysha, I hope that this brings your family some measure of peace. 

[Turquoise]

On 3/3/2020 at 7:09 PM, sixlets said:

Do we have anyone from the Nashville area?  I have an online friend that lives in one of the hardest hit areas.  The school her daughter used to attend was severely damaged, but her workplace only lost power.  Thankfully, she had no damage to her home and her family is safe.  My heart is breaking for those affected in any way.

I'm in Nashville. We were very fortunate, the tornado went north and east of us so no damage and we didn't lose power. There wasn't much time between the phone alert/sirens and the storms hitting, and it was the middle of the night, so unnerving. It has been heartwarming to see everyone banding together to clean up the devastated areas.

[MargeGunderson]

Well, the corona virus has officially been diagnosed In employees at my company. Not in my immediate office, but it’s possible that the employee was in contact with people in my office; it’s a multi-building campus, though, so maybe not. I suspect that we might be instructed to work from home the rest of the month. The flu is also going around, so I would not be surprised to only see a few people on my floor tomorrow.