My Thoughts on Allergy Shots for Asthma
I went through allergy shots when I was a kid. If I remember right, I was 10 years old when I was first tested for allergies. I remember hearing the doctor say to mom, “He’s basically allergic to everything.” And then, every Tuesday after school, mom picked me up and drove me to the doctor’s office for my weekly allergy shot.
As I got older, I would walk to the doctor’s office after school. After getting the shot I had to sit in the office for a half hour. This was to make sure I did not have an anaphylactic reaction to the shot. And mom would time it so she would arrive right about the time my 30-minute wait was up.
I did this every Tuesday (or almost every Tuesday) for 5 years. Although, instead of my allergies or asthma getting better, it actually continued to get worse. In 1984, I was in the emergency room for asthma several times. And in 1985, I was admitted to an asthma hospital in Denver for 6 months. So, it was at this time that the allergy shots were stopped.
Why were they stopped? I do not remember. Was it decided they were not working? Or was it because there were so many other things going on in my asthma life? I am not sure what the discussions there were.
Fast forward to 2020.
Of course, I was tested again for allergies. And once again I was allergic to everything. My ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT) recommended allergy shots, and I asked him questions like, "Will they really do any good? I already went through this in the 1980s with poor results."
And he said the modern allergy shots are way better than what was available in the 1980s. He said that he thinks about 90 percent of his patients who have gone through allergy shots benefit from them.
So I reluctantly agreed to go through with it once again. I say "reluctantly" because I did not have much confidence that they would do any good. Still, I agreed because I am happy to have a doctor who is willing to try something new to help me. If it actually helps so I can breathe through my nose and have better asthma control, I am all for that.
So, here again I find myself going to the doctor’s office every Tuesday for my allergy shot. Now they make me wait 20 minutes after the injection. I am also allowed to go twice a week if I want to speed up the time to my maintenance dose. So sometimes I do 2 shots a week.
Sometimes, though, I am bad and I forget to go to my appointment. I always feel guilty when this happens. But my lack of enthusiasm for getting my shot makes it easy for me to forget.
Looking for answers: Will the allergy shots start working for my asthma soon?
So, while I am waiting, I often have conversations with the other people at the allergy clinic. There are a few people I have talked to who say they notice they feel better since getting the shots. But, most of the people I have talked to say they do not notice any difference.
One guy said, "I think this is a waste of time. I have been doing this several years and I still don’t notice any difference."
The next week this guy was at the clinic the same time as me again. And I said, "So, are the shots working yet?" And he said, "Nope! Still nothing."
I am not an expert on allergy shots, as I am on asthma. I am not sure how long I have to get shots before I get to my maintenance dose. I continue to ask questions about them at my appointments, which are about every 4 months. At my last appointment, I said, jokingly, "How long until these shots start working?"
He said, "Once you get to the maintenance dose you notice a difference."
When I do a Google search, it says you should get to your maintenance dose after a few months. Although, perhaps the reason it is taking so long for me is because I am allergic to everything and it takes time to desensitize your immune system to everything. LOL.
What is your experience with this?
Did you go through allergy shots for your asthma? Did they work? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. And if you have any wisdom to share about allergy shots, I am all ears.
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