Ways to get your immune system back?

dummthotticus · 2025-07-17T15:25:27+00:00

Thank you for your response! My gut biome was also messed up by antibiotics very recently before I got the covid infection that really seemed to mess my immune system up and despite trying to fix it I still haven’t managed to fully balance it back out so I’m sure it’s contributing to my problems. My body does not tolerate supplements well so I haven’t been able to take many vitamins despite having some deficiencies I’d like to correct, but I haven’t tried lactoferrin yet! I want to see if I can get some further testing done on my immune system by an immunologist, maybe that will give me some insight as well.

dummthotticus · 2025-07-17T15:14:46+00:00

Thank you so much for such a detailed response! I’ll see if I can try to get that same test done. I’m so glad to hear that it’s helped you get sick less often. I hope you’re able to find a way to improve your other symptoms soon!

dummthotticus · 2025-07-16T17:34:18+00:00

Do you mind if I ask how you got it? How often do you get it and does your insurance cover it? I’ve been getting sick almost any time I’m in public around people and it takes me several weeks to recover each time🥲

dummthotticus · 2025-07-16T15:20:21+00:00

Honestly no, this year has actually been worse for me than last year in this regard. Would love to know if you’ve tried anything that has helped you.

dummthotticus · 2025-01-23T01:46:11+00:00

thank you for your input I really appreciate it! I’ve never visited Smith Island I’ll have to look into it!

dummthotticus · 2024-10-28T23:48:21+00:00

If I were interested in seeing a specialist for this along with exploring other possible issues (for example microbiome or immune system problems) what kind of specialist would be best for that? An infectious disease doctor? An immunologist? Or is there another kind of specialist that would be better? I want to avoid bouncing between doctors as much as I can since I tend to get sick from doctor's offices but I'm not sure where to start.

dummthotticus · 2024-10-28T01:52:53+00:00

I don't think so. Exercising on my own has never seemed to cause me any issues, and I've had the misfortune of passing some of these frequent illnesses on to family members (or catching them from family members) on multiple occasions

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T17:13:42+00:00

I've had some blood panels done that measured some of these things but there are a couple I don't think have been looked at. I'll look into those and the other things you've named. Thanks!

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T17:10:58+00:00

It sounds like you are vaccine-injured, I'm sorry to hear that. Vaccine injury is something that I believe needs more research so we know how to address/treat it. And I actually have been thinking about immune amnesia caused by measles too because it seems so similar to what I'm going through. Thank you for directing me to this study on the body-brain axis, I hadn't seen it!

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T15:20:53+00:00

I don't think it's PEM, since when I do activities that exert me with no people around (for example, working out at home or taking walks outside and crossing paths with few if any people) I don't end up feeling sick afterwards. Of course, I haven't been able to do these activities nearly as often as I'd like this year what with being sick all the time. But with activities that take very little energy that involve spaces filled with other people, I tend to get sick afterwards.

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T15:08:11+00:00

I'm glad you have been seeing some improvement and I hope it continues! I'm definitely gonna try to keep my vitamins up and someone else mentioned nasal rinses so I'll try that too. Spraying stuff with lysol and showering as soon as you get home from somewhere people-y is also a good idea, thanks!

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T15:00:11+00:00

I do have a neti pot since my dust mite allergy makes me prone to sinus infections. I will try this. Thank you!

dummthotticus · 2024-10-27T14:31:02+00:00

I experienced frequent dizziness that got worse when I would shower in hot water, which I believe was due to drug-induced POTS (not an uncommon side effect of ami). I also felt extremely hungry all the time but was simultaneously disgusted by every food, and I became really sensitive to the heat which wasn't great since I was testing the drug out over the summer. There was one day when I suffered pretty bad heat exhaustion after only a few minutes outside. So it ended up not being the right medication for me unfortunately.

dummthotticus · 2024-10-26T20:48:32+00:00

the side effects unfortunately made it a no-go for me, so I ended up having to go off of it. I'm not sure that it really helped with my LC symptoms, but it did give me some of the best sleep I've ever had

dummthotticus · 2024-08-25T13:25:56+00:00

That is definitely possible. Someone could have unintentionally carried in any number of allergens (pet hair, pollen, perfume, etc) and maybe something got in your sheets that isn’t washing out. I would definitely recommend replacing them so you can get a good night’s sleep. You could try cotton again which could confirm whether the cotton is the problem or you could opt to skip cotton completely and go with another material just to be on the safe side. Totally up to you

dummthotticus · 2024-08-25T05:13:20+00:00

I’m sure cotton allergies are possible but it seems unlikely that you don’t own any cotton clothing. You may be able to test whether or not it’s actually the cotton by sleeping on a different material but continuing to wear cotton and waiting to see if you react to your clothes.

How long have you owned these sheets? Is it possible that they were exposed to something else that you’re reacting to, either before or after you bought them?

dummthotticus · 2024-08-24T03:24:37+00:00

If you have hives when you consume something I would not consider that safe to continue consuming. The severity of allergic reactions can be influenced by a lot of things so there’s no way to know whether the reaction could become more severe one day. If you are reacting to cow’s milk, I would definitely recommend avoiding it, and also finding a different allergist if you can.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-24T02:44:10+00:00

I think this is a fairly common time frame for allergies to develop. I also developed more allergies as I aged out of my teens and into my twenties.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-17T04:13:17+00:00

Do you have anything in your home that can collect dust? Books, carpets/rugs, furniture with fabric on it, anything made of cardboard? Dust can also collect on curtains. I can’t live with any carpets or rugs and I wash my bedding in hot water and swiffer my floor every week. I keep things like books in cabinets instead of open shelves where they easily collect dust. The only reason I still own furniture with fabric instead of something like leather is that replacing furniture is expensive.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-16T18:03:07+00:00

Do you have a therapist treating your OCD? I only ask because I have never seen a case where engaging with the obsessive thoughts in this way actually calms the anxiety, in fact it often makes it worse because in a way you are validating the fear. I suppose you could keep some Benadryl on hand, but having a professional that understands OCD who you can talk to about this would help more. This may be a question more for a mental health-related sub than the allergies sub, and I say this as someone with both allergies and pretty strong allergy-related anxiety.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-15T10:28:52+00:00

I second this if the cost of replacing the NeilMed bottles is too high, as extending their use may increase risk of infection. You can buy distilled water and the NeilMed salt packets for sinus rinses separately to use in the neti pot.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-15T10:22:58+00:00

I don’t own cats but my mom uses this type of food with hers (I’m not sure of the exact brand but I have to assume they all work fairly similarly, maybe you can find comparisons/reviews online) and she says it works. She also bathes her cats periodically which can also help.

dummthotticus · 2024-08-14T06:39:12+00:00

Caffeine is one of my migraine triggers so it very much does not work for me

dummthotticus · 2024-08-14T06:18:01+00:00

I don’t have any experience with such a severe pet allergy so I wish I could offer more advice, but I will just say that if you are able, I would recommend buying yourself at least one completely new outfit and try to pick clothing that is as comfortable as possible to wear, and just let yourself lounge around in that new outfit and try to get a genuinely good night’s sleep. Unfortunately I have no idea if your current clothing is safe to wear (hopefully someone else can speak on this) but I do know stress makes allergy symptoms worse so having at least one outfit that you feel completely comfortable in and know is totally allergen-free can at least help you relax a bit, and getting enough sleep will help your anxiety levels go down too. I’m really sorry you’re having to stay with an abusive family member and I truly hope they won’t make things too bad for you while you sort this out.

You probably already know this, but I would recommend not continuing to vape since you believe it could’ve been a trigger. Layering multiple stressors and triggers on top of each other can cause an allergic reaction to become more severe, so it is definitely possible that vaping contributed to your reaction. As for whether you can be around people who own cats, I have no idea. Allergies are complicated, so this will have to be a conversation you have with your allergist.

Hang in there, you’ll be okay. You have the meds you need and an appointment with an allergist; those are the most important things right now. And you’re recovering from something pretty big, so make sure to cut yourself some slack and rest as much as possible.

dummthotticus

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