Allergies
 

Hi,

I'm an ATCO. I have found i have an allergic reaction to our new kitten (arm was twisted by the other half!!) get a tight chest, and some difficulty breathing. When at work or away from the house i am fine. And i was fine before we got her....

I have contacted my occupational health people, but whilst i am waiting for the reply, what have people used to combat this whilst at work? I have tried some hayfever tablets (cetirizine) whilst off work to see if they fix the problem, and they do, but want to make sure i could take them and still work as per the regulations......

any thoughts would be greatly received.... :)

I used a herbal thing called 'Luffa' for a dust allergy and I never get blocked up or sneezy anymore. I realised the hayfever tablets were not the way to go since you only get about 10 tablets for 6/7 euro.

If it was an animal I would get rid though.

Shoot the cat or see a quack/pharmacist):)

(I was only kidding, don't really shoot it-try everything you can to negate the symptoms- wooden floor, posh hoover from Dyson, anti-histamines - (check with your ame), wash the affected part(s), (eyes/nose/throat) with isotonic saline, frequently, try some steroid spray, or spray the poor thing down daily in a fine mist of water).

Herbal remadies may work, but check their product licence.

Thanks for the responses....

My OHS has said, "as per HSE directives the best way to stop a problem is to remove the Hazard" well.... thats a no go for the time being. They also suggested a prescription anti histimine of 120mg per day!!! seems an awful lot, so i dont want to go that route.

I have laminate floors, which is good apparently, gonna get the other half to wash the cat. Making sure she doesn't go in the bedroom at all (the cat that is ;) ), and have just purchased a fancy HEPA air filter. Lets see if this helps things at all.

Interesting fact i found doing my research, is that the cat allergen is actually in their saliva, not the fur as i believe is the common thought. As they say, you learn something new evry day!

To be fair though, having difficulty breathing must be one of the more severe reactions you can get from something like this. Even with the air filter and floors I would be afraid of the reactions becoming worse the longer the cat is around.