Will moving to Oregon help my sons health? (Eugene, Salem: allergies, living)

[wicksn_wax]

When my son was just a few months old he got RSV. Which is a very bad virus for babies, similar to Bronchitis for adults. He has had it proably 4 times and now everytime he gets a cold, its horrible. We live in the dry desert and everytime he gets sicks....doctors all tell me....... humidifier, sit in a sauna, turn on a hot shower and just make steam....everything is humidity.
So my question is, would it be better for him in a moist climate....instead of a dry climate? Or could it actually be worse? How about allergies....I know everyone is allergic to different things, but does anyone have any thoughts?

I appreciate your advice....
thank you,
wicksn_wax

[buzzkirk]

it's only moist here (Eugene) half the year - rest of the time it's pretty dry, albeit more humid than the desert. but the way this winter is going - dry and sunny with inversions trapping the pollution in the valley - I wonder if it will ever rain again.

[Waterlily]

We have plenty of humidity in western Oregon. I'd suggest asking your sons doctor about the possibilty of moving to Oregon. Yes some places are worse for allergic reactions. I understand that Eugene is bad for that during the grass growing season.

[mefeelinfroggy]

I lived in Klamath Falls for 33 years. I have asthma. In the summer I would have to do breathing treatments 1-2 times a day during fire season.

1 thing in the summer to think about is the amount of forest fires that go on all the time. Klamath Falls is in a basin and there can be fires in every direction. The wind picks up and takes the smoke out of the basin and another fire from a different direction has filled it up again.

You need a place with much humidity and that would be by the coast. In Klamath Falls you are on the edge of the desert with very little rain.

I live in Eastern Canada now and have much humidity and I have been here for 3 years and only had less than 10 breathing treatments

I love Klamath but dont think it is the place for your son.
Good luck!

[nocoldiron]

My son had severe asthma and allergies but never had an attack the year we lived next to the ocean in Morro Bay,CA.It was thought that the fresh air blowing off the ocean (less pollen) and the constant humidity helped him a great deal.He resumed having attacks as soon as we moved back to the midwest.Just my experience. Inland OR is very high in pollens/mold on the wet side.

[tiffela74]

definatly talk w/your sons peditrician, also, call some around here in Oregon and get their opinion. I will say, my 5yr old had RSV when she was 6 months old, pneomonia over Christmas when she was 3, and again came down w/it ON her 5th birthday last October (poor kid, crappy bday present!) Noone has ever ever smoked around her, we've never lived in a smoggy area, in fact when she got the RSV, (my oldest got it too and she was 8 at the time, rather rare for the olders to get it i hear) we were living waaaayyyy out inthe middle of nowhere, on over 80acres that backed to hundreds and hundreds of forestry land, so no smog there. Last 2 times has been since we've lived at the beach. Funny enough, i was just talking to someone the other day about looking into moving to a dryer climate to see if that might help my kids and these dang respitory probs! I worry about all the mold around here too could be causing more probs for her.
So talk to the Drs, on each end, just dont expect a miracle cure. Some kids are just more likely to get it. Just curious, was he premiee? Also, im sure your Dr has told you, but once they get RSV, they are more likely to develop respitory issues (like pneomonia) later on.
Best of luck to you!!! and hopefully you can find a climate that will help your son.
Tiffany

[buzzkirk]

This was in today's (Feb. 7) Eugene Register Guard newspaper:

Several factors converge to create area's foul air
By Diane Dietz
The Register-Guard
Published: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Eugene-Springfield air cleared somewhat on Tuesday after an unusually sooty day Monday, when pollution soared to levels considered unhealthy for people with lung and heart diseases.
High soot levels come along here a handful of days in most years when wintertime inversions trap cold, dirty air along the ground.
The Eugene-Springfield's official Air Quality Index averaged 111 on Monday. That compares with 50, which is considered good to breathe. For much of the day Tuesday, the level remained unhealthy, but the pollution began dissipating in the afternoon.
The Eugene-Springfield index broke 100 on 20 days in the past six years. The high was 132 on Nov. 27, 2002.
An accumulation of factors this week made the air particularly smoky, said Ralph Johnston, meteorologist at the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.
The cities experienced a 10-day run of low late-night temperatures, so residents fired up their wood stoves and there was no rain or wind to flush away the smoke.
Most of the rest of the Willamette Valley was sucking soot, said Jeff Smith, air monitoring manager for the state Department of Environmental Quality. On Monday, Salem's air index was at 113 and Albany's was at 101.