Managing Severe Allergies (instead of them managing me)

   It seems like the majority of people deal with allergies during different seasons of the year.  In the last 2 years I have experienced some major allergy problems.  At first I felt that I would be able to go to the doctor, have her prescribe me some medicine and be done with it.  Wishful thinking...Allergies are more complicated than that for most people and I'm apparently not the exception to that rule!  So after 2 years of fighting with them while taking lots of Zyrtec-D, I am on a mission to learn as much about allergies and my body's reaction to them as I can! 

What I've done so far:

     Step 1:  GET AN EPI PEN or TWO!!!!!  After my first reaction just one week after my youngest daughter was born, I realized that I never wanted to feel the fear of helplessness I felt as my throat was swelling closed along with my eyes, my lips tingling and my respiratory system shutting down. All of the "what if's: that went through my mind that day like; What if I had been home alone with my four children? What if I had not thought to take benedryl before I left for the hospital even worse what if I hadn't had any benedryl in the house! What if the hospital had been further than 5 minutes away? Thankfully the Lord saw fit to have my sisters up visiting me while my husband was away in California.  I did have benedryl and although I had never had an anaphylatic reaction I did think that it had to have been some kind of allergy related reaction so I did take benedryl before heading the hospital and my sister drove me.  Now I always carry an Epi-pen and I started carrying a pill box with benedryl in all my purses (you would too if you knew it saved your life). I also gave benedryl pill boxes to my family members for their b-days because you never know when you or someone you know will have an allergic reaction to something and it will save your life.  I know, I know I should be sales rep. for Benedryl but I have a feel passionately about the subject.

  Step 2: Allergy Blood Panel - Did this last October and learned a lot of good info.  After having had FOUR anaphylatic reactions my doctor and I were pretty sure I must be allergic to something I was eating but no foods came back significantly high.  I have a slight allergy to sesame seeds but not enough to cause a severe reaction.  However, I learned that I am severely allergic to mountain cedar tree pollen and mold came back pretty high as well.  I had NO idea that you could be so allergic to a tree's pollen that it could cause you to have a severe attack and even go into anaphylatic shock just from exposure to the outdoors. 

  Step 3: Change all of house and vehicle filters to allergen filters.  These do a better job of filtering out the pollens from outdoors.  I also changed my vacuum filter to Febreze allergen filtration bags.  Only $5.88 for 3 at Wal-mart and they smell really good when you vacuum too.  We also had our outdoor airconditioner unit cleaned too but I don't know if that affects the allergens indoors it is good for your airconditioner though :)

  Step 4:  Keep track of your good and bad days and what the weather and pollen counts were on those days to see if you can see any patterns forming. 

  Step 5:  Look into getting allergy shots and/or homeopathic treatment.  (I'm still working on this one).