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Blog Post CommentI was wondering if there was a Canadian counter part to the AAFA?
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Blog Post CommentMaryrita - there isn't anything in Canada officially associated with AAFA. There are a few national Canadian organizations that do focus on asthma and allergies.
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Blog Post CommentI take prednisone. The warnings included with prednisone caution about live vaccines: " Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using this medicine. Prednisone may increase your risk of harmful effects from a live vaccine. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), and nasal flu (influenza) vaccine." Perhaps I should avoid the flu shot ?
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Blog Post CommentHi, William! I would talk to your doctor about receiving the flu shot. I know my doctor encourages me to get a flu shot every year. You can get a flu vaccine that is NOT live. Here's what the CDC says about the flu vaccine :
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Blog Post Comment❤️Hi @William - it's the Flumist nasal flu vaccine that has the live virus. The flu shots do not. It's always good to discuss with your own doctor what treatment is best for you. Are you always on Prednisone? Or just when you have an asthma flare?
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Blog Post CommentUp until 2 weeks ago, I took prednisone only for a cold or flu symptoms . Also I had started on Stiolto 3 months ago, replacing Alvesco and Spiriva. My doctor recommended the change. I should have researched it. I had used Symbicort, then Advair, then Breo all with the same results: quite pronounced chest pains after a few weeks on the new med. The first time resulted in extensive testing, focusing on potential heart problems, but with numerous other tests for physical, chemical, even...
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Blog Post Comment❤️Thank you, Kathy P for the heads up on flu vaccine. Very informative.
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Blog Post CommentWilliam, that's a tough road you've had to travel to figure out what was causing the chest pains. Here's hoping that your doctor can help you figure out the next step. In the meantime, feel free to post a new topic or join in on our online support community.
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Blog Post CommentWhy not share your situation on our Asthma Support Forum so you can get more feedback from other folks in a similar situation? If you're on desktop view, just follow the link above, and click on the big green POST. On mobile, click the three horizontal lines in the upper left hand corner, and you'll see POST. Click that, and you'll be able to type your comment as a new post.
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Blog Post Comment"Have family members without asthma get the flu shot to protect those that do have asthma". Why? Isn't it enough that the person(s) with asthma get the flu shots?
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Blog Post Comment❤️Hi @Venkata Aspari , Welcome to AAFA's support community. It is important for all family members to be vaccinated so as not to bring flu into the home and potentially cause those with asthma to get sick. The flu can be accompanied by other illnesses, such as pneumonia, so even if someone is vaccinated, they could still get sick from others in their house who have the flu/other contagious illnesses. If everyone in the home is vaccinated, there is less risk of bringing other illnesses into the...
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Blog Post Comment❤️Hi, @Venkata Aspari and welcome! Everyone in my family gets a flu shot -- that way everyone is protected from the flu.
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Blog Post Comment❤️Thank you for the welcome and the response. I understand that flu vaccine protects. My question was: if the asthmatic person gets the shot then he/she is protected. How will the vaccination status of others in the family affect the asthmatic? But Jen did answer saying there are other flu-related illnesses like pneumonia which could be passed on even if flu itself could be avoided.
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Blog Post CommentThank you, that helps.
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Blog Post Comment❤️Yes, Jen's exactly right. Plus, the Centers for Disease Control says this about who should get the flu shot: My DH isn't a fan of shots, but he gets his shot every year to help protect me and our daughter -- side benefit is that he hasn't gotten the flu himself since he started getting an annual flu shot. Could you talk to your doctor about what your doctor's recommendation is for flu shots when it comes to your particular family? Your doctor will know your situation best.
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Blog Post Comment@William How are things going with your medications? Were you able to find one that works without the side effects?
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Blog Post CommentThanks! I wonder if this is what my surgical team used when I had a reaction following surgery last year. I wound up with hives that required a trip to my doctor for a shot.
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File Comment❤️My sincere apologizes @K8sMom2002 for the delay in getting back to you! Oh, they have been on big adventures this summer. We flew across the country to visit their great grandparents and grandparents! (It was our first time in 3 years that we were able to make a trip back to our "hometown" in Michigan). We then drove to Canada to get him and big brother some safe snacks! Went orange picking, bike rides, walks, and at home learning lessons.
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File Comment❤️How did the flight go? And yay for safe snacks!
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File Comment❤️They went well - Wahoo! Flights are so nerve wracking. We have only flown Southwest and since we have had good experiences, it has become our preferred airline. The first flight, there were a handful of people pre-boarding with us because they had peanut allergies too. Our second flight, the pilot told me that our previous flight also had a peanut allergy passenger so they did not serve peanuts on the flight before us. Southwest did not serve peanuts and since we were able to pre-board, I...
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File CommentOh, that's terrific news, AshleyAnn! Yay for a busy, fun summer and yay for safe snacks and flights!
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Blog Post Comment❤️During religious services, don't forget the effect that blooming flowers such as lilies has upon people with allergies.
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Blog Post CommentGood point, Peach! In years past, during our Easter service, our congregation was encouraged to purchase Easter lilies to honor the memory of a loved one.
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Blog Post Comment❤️My parents had a dog for a couple years before I was even born. As soon as I was brought home I started to show signs of allergies. Allergic to milk was the first one .By the time I was 3 years I was having asthma flared and had a severe attack that kept me in the hospital for about a week. The only thing that helped me was removing the pet from the home.
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Blog Post Comment❤️Thank you these are great reminders! I always carry allergy-safe treats and any time my son or I gets candy that are no allergy safe I trade them out for the allergy safe ones.
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File Comment❤️@AshleyAnn , where all have your little guy and his pig been off to this summer? Have they had any adventures? Hope so!
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File CommentFind out more about Spring Allergy Capitals to see where your city ranks on the list.
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File CommentMore from the Washington Post: Pollen, misery and the allergy-afflicted: Our season of suffering has arrived
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File Comment❤️Great action shot! Hope you guys had a great time at the event!
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Blog Post CommentKeep your house clean to avoid allergies. Check out for the cleaning products too which might trigger allergy in you. Now while you clean remember work from top to down, do one room or area at a time. Save your time by multi-tasking,make small repairs and invest in good rubber/vinyl gloves. Always dust before vacuuming. Buy mops with squeeze mechanism. Dont keep your brooms on its bristles. better to use swiffer for light dusting. Check out for some creative and easy tips on spring cleaning...
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Blog Post CommentThis was an awesome post. It is funny, I personally love reading about spring and summer cleanup's because of the before and afters. It is often looks like a bigger mess than it really is. Once it is all cleaned out though, it looks spotless and the effort is well worth it. Here is another similar article I read recently that outlines the importance of Spring Clean-Up just like this one. Give it a read and let me know your thought Spring and Summer Cleanup Summarized
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Blog Post CommentGreat article! It is very important to remove any clutter from your home.
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Blog Post CommentOh nooooo i love sunflowers when i planted them last year and again this year in my yard!!!
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Blog Post Comment❤️Marie, could you tell a difference or a reaction from the sunflowers? It could be that you are okay with them. My DD is allergic to some things, but does okay with some plants or other allergens that are related. Could you talk to your doc about whether sunflowers would be a problem for you in particular?
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Blog Post Comment❤️K8SMOM2002 Last fall undecided to dry the flowers so I cut them before the birds and squirrel could get at them. Oh my word I didn't realize how much pollen was in them. So I won't be drying them this year but I will plant the seeds again next year will just have to buy them.
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Blog Post Comment❤️If you make the picture bigger you can see the squirrel having a meal
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Blog Post Comment❤️Those are beautiful sunflowers! I hope they didn't aggravate your asthma! And I'm sure that squirrel enjoyed a tasty treat.
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Blog Post CommentWhen i got home today one plant was broken in half and another is laying on the ground and there are seeds all over the side walk, so think they are having a good time. I'm not going to have a good time cleaning up their mess....lol...
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Blog Post Comment❤️They are beautiful Marie! The squirrels have a field day in our front flower bed.
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Blog Post Comment❤️This is great to know about when considering future cleaning at home. I am also interested in how to use quality essential oils in laundry loads and as a diluted spray to help minimize dust mites. I have read on numerous sites that oils such as peppermint, lavendar, and eucalyptis have shown promising results when stored and used correctly and in minimal amounts so as not to be an irritant. By chance have any companies such as Do Terra or others that make essential oils applied to be tested...
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Blog Post Comment❤️Hi, and welcome to the community, Allison! I know that some of AAFA's members do use essential oils if it doesn't aggravate their asthma. This would be a great new topic to start on the community!
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Blog Post Comment❤️And I forgot to mention this helpful blog about essential oils ... AAFA Explains: Can Essential Oils Help Asthma?
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Blog Post Comment❤️Remember “Borax”? Grandma loved it, & it’s still around (check grocer, or local hardware.) A quarter cup per load, kills mites in laundry! It is an excellent cleaner & polisher of nearly everything, read the box. I use a teaspoon in bottom of dishwasher loads to rinse more thoroughly. Remember to use as little soap as possible, to protect our water supply. Usually a quarter to half what is called for, is plenty of soap to get the job done. Try using less toothpaste too, about 1/4 of...
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Blog Post Comment❤️Thank you, and also thank you to the other individual that reminded me of Borax too; it sounds familiar. I definitely agree with using as little soap as possible too; plus it saves money when we don't add a washer pod to our washing machines when it doesn't do much of anything anyway! Yes. I am glad to hear that essential oils are used by some members and, as I learn more, I will be glad to post about this with links etc. within the awareness that I am sure everything I read about their use...
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Blog Post CommentHi Allison! Welcome to AAFA! So glad that you found us!