Sneezing fits after showering
Allergies and asthma can be so hard to figure out some times. Sigh.
Daughter Kitty has some pretty severe allergies - to everything! In fact, she has already completed 6 year's worth of allergy shots (immunotherapy.)
Kitty is allergic to grass, trees, flowers, bushes, cats, dogs, horses, bunnies.......basically anything that is alive! The 6 years worth of allergy shots were supposed to desensitize her so she wouldn't have so many symptoms (sneezing, watering eyes, runny nose, asthma attacks). It was also supposed to decrease the amount of allergy medicine that she takes.
No. Such. Luck.
I buy allergy medicine and nose spray by the bulk at the warehouse store!
Now, she has sneezing fits in the shower. She can easily sneeze 20 times or more. Her whole face is red by the time she gets out of the shower.
The weird thing is that she won't have any allergy symptoms, then once she showers, the sneezing will start. And go on, and on, and on.
I did a Google search of "sneezing after shower" and came across a forum where a lot of people are having the same problem. They all suggest different solutions too. Not so helpful.
Has anyone else had problems with sneezing fits in the shower? If so, did you find anything that works?
It sounds like it's time to call Asthma Doc (again......)
It probably has to do with the humidity the shower creates and loosening up the mucus in your nose. As a CFer, this can be a good thing but I don't want that before I do the vest. If you don't already, try turning on the fan while showering. That also helps prevent mold because less humidity. I also leave the door open a crack while showering to help vent.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking! I need to remind her to open the door a crack (or the window)!
DeleteThis condition is not due to humidity. I am also suffering from this thing since few years. Based on my experience my body is too much sensitive to temperature and besides allergic to dust and maybe some other things that I don’t know yet. Even if I don’t take shower but expose myself to a sudden hot or cold weather then it happens.
DeleteIs water in Your city rich in chlorine? I ask, because in my city it is used for cleaning water from biological wastes and pollution. Chlorine can be really irritating for skin and even lungs.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Poland - from former Zim.
I should check on that, they send out an annual report for water quality. I'll check the last one and see what it says. Thanks!
DeleteMy son can sneeze up to 20 times after he gets water in his nose (from bathing or swimming). Maybe it is because they have "twitchy airways" and any foreign substance will set off a reaction? That is my theory!
ReplyDeleteI think you are probably right. Asthma is characterized as "hyper responsiveness" and "hyper sensitivity", so that would make sense.
DeleteI tell people that when you have asthma and allergies, it's like your body is a drama queen - it just over reacts to things that don't normally bother other people.
But - I guess it can always be worse!
I have a chlorine filter on my shower. Maybe give that a try?
ReplyDeleteI'll check the hardware store for one, thanks for the idea! :)
DeleteI always sneeze after a shower, not like a sneezing fit but more of a couple of sneezes. I use water from a bore well (underground table water). So there is pretty much no chlorine element involved. I always wash my hair and since I shower twice, end up washing it twice. I come from a temperate climate so my shower room is usually slightly warmer than my bedroom, and I think that is one of the reason I sneeze. The transition from moderately cold water (I don't use warm water btw) to a air conditioned room could be a trigger. PS I am a chronic bronchitis person and carry SOS inhalers for my breathing condition.
ReplyDeleteWow! I could never shower in moderately cold water! I'm glad you always carry your rescue inhaler, you never know when you may need it.
DeleteI always take mine everywhere, it's in my purse and has been to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Washington DC, Chicago, Paris, etc.
It should get frequent flier miles!
Thank you for posting this question! The same thing is happening to my son. He sneezes continuously in the shower, has a ridiculously itchy nose and comes out of the shower with red eyes. He looks like I do after cutting the grass but he is just taking a shower! I'm assuming it is high level of chlorine but took to the internet to see if others have this same experience. He does not have asthma but does suffer from seasonal allergies. If you discover any other culprits of the sneezing fits, please post. I will continue to research.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you have to go through that with your son :(
DeleteWe went back to Allergy and Asthma Doc and he adjusted her allergy medicine. She seems to be doing better now.
I think she had a lot of pollen in her hair and on her skin, and when she showered, it was washed into her eyes and nose. Then she would start sneezing.
I hope you can find something to help your son. Maybe the seasonal allergies are to blame too?
It happens to me. I think it allergens we collect in our hair and when showering it releases and triggers the sneezing
ReplyDeleteYes, these bodies to crazy things!
DeleteI have the biggest pain in my nose in the shower then come out and sneeze a lot, my eyes swell up, face goes all red and even my teeth kind of ache. It's so strange. I'm 31 and has only been happening a few months, i assumed water was getting in my nose and irritating it first couple of times but I don't think thats the issue. I'll try some ideas posted above and if anyone tries other things let me know. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe found out that we had mold in the wall behind the tiles, so this was most likely causing problems when we would shower.
DeleteIt cost us $1,000 to tear our the walls and have a professional put up new drywall and re tile the bathroom. :(
I am having the same problem only a few months now. The water is making me have severe hay fever reaction. We can't all have mold in our walls! I think they've added something new to our water supply to treat water! I put a chlorine filter on last night and it seemed to help but issue again this morning. This is insane!
ReplyDeleteYep, it's a mystery! Good luck !
DeleteI also have sneezing problems during and after I shower, and my eyes always go really red. Sometimes it will go on for hours afterwards. I get a runny noise like a leaking tap it just keeps dripping. I think it is from the humidity, but I dont understand Why it lasts for so long afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! Weird stuff! :(
DeleteI have the same thing happening. At first I thought it was mold behind the walls, but we just moved to a new build condo complex and it's happening again! The only thing that helped me in the past was wearing a facemask in the shower...I hoped someone had an answer so I wouldn't have to go back to using it
ReplyDeleteWe remodeled that bathroom a few years ago and found mold behind the walls, so we had to tear the walls down to the studs and rebuild. We haven't had any problems since then!
DeleteWe also found it helped to not let the water run on our face (after the water went through our hair. ) I felt like we had pollen in our hair, and when we got our hair wet and let the water run over our faces, it was just covering us in the water and pollen (if that makes sense?)
Its better to wash the body first and then wash the face and dry your face immediately with a towel and finish by washing hair and quickly dry your hair....dont let water to seep through your scalp and completely dry yourself up...also if your taking warm showers the pores in your scalp opens up and dont keep a towel over it,dry your hair and let the pores close.to get rid of congestion steam everyday two times.
ReplyDeleteActually, we discovered black mold behind the drywall. Most likely that was the cause of our sneezing every time we showered!
DeleteHello, I am from Pakistan. I am having same problem from so many years, but did not find any solution. Did you sought out this sneezing problem?
ReplyDeleteYes, we discovered water leak behind the tile in the shower. The drywall was full of black mold. We had to tear the shower down to the studs and rebuild it
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