Quote:
Originally Posted by Elsewhere
Have you tried Zyrtec? It's the strongest over the counter med for both indoor and outdoor allergies. It comes in a generic now so it's very inexpensive, especially at a place like Costco. If medication doesn't work, generally shots are going to be your best option (you would want to check your insurance coverage, tho).
Have you seen an allergist and been allergy tested? That will be the first step before your shots. I have been getting shots for about 6 mths now. (I am extremely allergic to dust mites.) It will take about a year before they begin to work, and it truly is about a 5-year commitment. The first 3-4 mths required that I get the shots twice a week (from then on it is once a week). They generally don't hurt much at all (very tiny needle).
ETA: Most dogs are very happy in their own dog beds, still in the same room at night as their owner(s)...this is going to take some training, however. I don't have any wise words on getting your girlfriend to see this point-of-view (maybe someone else can help you there). She might just really love her dog sleeping in bed with her. I have found in past relationships that a dog plus two people doesn't fit very well on the bed!
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Thank you, and yes, I take zyrtec religiously when around an animal for a long period of time, and sometimes it definitely takes hold and I don't have an issue for a while (until night time, that is.) Still, other times it just fluctuates in how well it works, which is baffling to me because this has only ever happened around my girlfriend's dog, specifically, and when it does happen, my allergic reactions seem to be so much worse than they were before I took the medication. So as far as getting myself treated is concerned, I would agree that the shots would be a good option. But it does sound like a bit of a process...
Though if I'm thinking correctly, getting her to sleep without the dog will not necessarily solve all my problems; sleeping with the dog is a battle, the dander being all over the fernature and my clothes and such will be the war. In that case, perhaps I'd better seriously consider immunotherapy because there's no way she'd live without the dog, and there's no way I'd EVER ask her to.
But again, she doesn't seem to care much about sleeping with the dog even when there's no room; she'd rather kick me out of the bed or sleep on the couch herself. Does this suggest something weird about our relationship in and of itself???