Eastern/Southern Transplants-Did Your Allergies Improve? (St. George, Boulder: to rent, live, move to)

[alicenevada]

We are in the early stages of a move out west, as can be seen from my other posts on this board. The areas we are considering are St George, Boulder City, and Bullhead City Az. One of our reasons for wanting to move is our health. My husband's chronic sinus infections are getting worse w/ age (we're 33) and the doctors have given him virtually no hope for improvement as long as he lives in Tennesse, the worst state in the country for allergies and sinus problems. My boys and I also suffer from allergies for a large part of the year and I am of the opinion that this affects our immune system and prevents us from fighting off normal viruses as well since someone in our family is ill about ten months out of the year.

I am a realist in that I know a move to the west will probably not solve all of our problems. I've heard some people say they developed enitrely new types of allergies out there and they are no better off than before. But I've heard some say that they were competely cured w/ the change. I anticipate that the truth would probably fall between those two categories. We plan to rent for a year and see how we like it before deciding to settle in the area.

I'd love some feedback on this.

Thanks in advance

Alice

[kaytidid]

I don't have allergies, but my husband has terrible allergies with asthma. We lived in Jersey for 9 years and he was always having asthma attacks and needed an inhaler. We just recently visited OH and even *I* was having some allergy problems. He still has to take allergy medication here, but it isn't nearly as bad as it was back east. He also doesn't have any asthma problems here.

I have also heard that some people have a hard time breathing here. I haven't found that to be the case. I have a hard time breathing in the oppressive humidity.

Good luck with your move. Hopefully the change in climate will do your family well.

[alicenevada]

Originally Posted by kaytidid

I don't have allergies, but my husband has terrible allergies with asthma. We lived in Jersey for 9 years and he was always having asthma attacks and needed an inhaler. We just recently visited OH and even *I* was having some allergy problems. He still has to take allergy medication here, but it isn't nearly as bad as it was back east. He also doesn't have any asthma problems here.

I have also heard that some people have a hard time breathing here. I haven't found that to be the case. I have a hard time breathing in the oppressive humidity.

Good luck with your move. Hopefully the change in climate will do your family well.

Thanks so much katytidid. I represented myself as a realist in the OP but I am actually an optimist. I am pretty confident it will be a good choice for us.

[Katiana]

I will introduce a word of caution here. When you move, it takes a while to get sensitized to the allergens in the new place. So your allergies may not bother you for a while, but it is possible they will pick up later. That is why some relate that very experience. A year will probably not be long enough for you to learn if you are allergic to something new in Utah.

The treatment for allergies and sinus infections includes lots of humidity, something Utah does not have.

[alicenevada]

Actually, my doctor tells me the exact opposite...humidity is the worst thing for sinus infections and allergies. Because allerens thrive in such an environment. That is whypeople w/ respiratory problems are usually recommended a drier environment

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by alicenavada

Actually, my doctor tells me the exact opposite...humidity is the worst thing for sinus infections and allergies. Because allerens thrive in such an environment. That is whypeople w/ respiratory problems are usually recommended a drier environment

I agree. My husband's doctor told him the same thing. We have lived here 14 years and he says without a doubt, his allergies are much easier to deal with here than back east.

[alicenevada]

Cool. I talked to one guy in St. George whose wife is from Murfreesboro (close to where we live) and he said her allergies were virtually 'cured' when she came there. It would be awesome if that happened to us.

[kaytidid]

I don't know if I would strive for cured, my husband still has allergies. Sometimes he has to switch between allergy medication each year, but they are still much better than they used to be.

Hope you enjoy it here. I love it!

[alexei27]

My wife has terrible allergies (she was found allergic to 46 of the 50 allergins on her last skin test).

We moved from upstate NY to Utah in 2003...and virtually all of her outdoor allergies disappeared and she she was able to stop taking her daily dose of medication.

We moved back to NY (Long Island) in January and her allergies are back in full force. She had to go back on Allegra unfortunately. There was a huge difference at least for her.

[alicenevada]

YAY! I'm so excited. I hope it works out for us...I'm so ready to try it.