Rats Causing my Asthma Attacks??

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Adrienne

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
907
Location
Kingston Ontario
I Have been having a lot of Problems with my Asthma lately but it always seems to be worse when I am home... I went away for 3 days to my boyfriends moms house ( which is rat free) and I had no attacks i didnt have to use my puffer once I got home Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon and I have had 4 attacks since then... I am wondering if my lil babies are causing it to Flare up?
I used fleece and there cages get Wiped down every other day and Cleaned 2 times a week. Do you guys have any Suggestions?? :sad3:
 
Its a possibility. Has your asthma gotten worse since youve been home or is it just the same?
Try opening windows and getting some air circulating more. Was your house empty while you were away for 3 days? It could be dust if it was, maybe?
 
I'm allergic to my rats as well. Thank god Singulair keeps my breathing in check. My sister is asthmatic and the rats are a trigger but she's got so many triggers, she's on two puffers and that helps control it.
 
My rats CAUSED my asthma. I never had it before. We had our first girls for about ten months and I used to get hives, then brought the babies home and I developed asthma. :gaah:
We vacummed, run a humidifier, and keep the apartment and cages clean. I haven't had an attack since my first two after we cleaned everything.
I recommend vacumming a bunch. Not a lot of help, sorry, but its the best I can do!
 
ryelle said:
Its a possibility. Has your asthma gotten worse since youve been home or is it just the same?
Try opening windows and getting some air circulating more. Was your house empty while you were away for 3 days? It could be dust if it was, maybe?
Click to expand...

Umm no I had a cold about a month ago but that is long gone... and My house wasnt empty there were cats and rats and my friend :)
 
This time of year can be gruesome for people with allergies and asthma. The dreaded snow mould always makes life miserable at this time of year. I always forget about it until I wonder how come I am having trouble getting enough air. So it could be making things worse.

It helps if the rats are not in your bedroom.
 
Oh god, I have alot of trouble with my breathing but it's not due to "having trouble breathing", its due because I alwas have a very stuffy nose. But I don't think it's caused by my rats because I had it before I had my first. Although, it could've gotten worse because of them.. Dunno really.
 
I've had asthma since I was a kid, and I use two puffers to control it (Advair and emergency puffers), the rats irritate me a bit, but I've heard from others that male rats tend to be the main cause. Also this time of year is bad, you might be developping allegies to the outdoors like I did one year out of no where. If you also feel like your eyes are itchy and your nose is clogged try reactine or claritan, or generic brand. if thats not the case talk to your doc about preventative asthma meds (like advair, the purple puffer).
 
Chel said:
I've had asthma since I was a kid, and I use two puffers to control it (Advair and emergency puffers), the rats irritate me a bit, but I've heard from others that male rats tend to be the main cause. Also this time of year is bad, you might be developping allegies to the outdoors like I did one year out of no where. If you also feel like your eyes are itchy and your nose is clogged try reactine or claritan, or generic brand. if thats not the case talk to your doc about preventative asthma meds (like advair, the purple puffer).
Click to expand...

I have the same issue as you Chel.
 
Colds do usually lead to increased asthma sensitivity for some time afterwards - even a couple of months. Annoying, I know!

I do love Singulair.

Not allergic to ratties though - I'm allergic to every furred creature except rodents!

I AM terribly allergic to mold - rotting leaves outside that get uncovered as snow melts, mold waking up as snow melts (other than rotting leaves), pollen, mold inside the house, dust inside the house... there are so many things that can lead to asthma. Is your apartment/house old? And how old compared to your boyfriend's mother's?

I REALLY recommend an air purifier - HEPA filters are a MUST. Try to get a purifier where you don't have to replace both filters by buying new ones, but where you can run one of the filters through the dishwasher and reuse it (the initial investment might be a bit more expensive, but it sure does save down the road!).

While you are cleaning though, and I cannot stress this ENOUGH, WEAR A N-95 MASK. My mother refuses to do so when she cleans, and she wound up with mold poisoning once, and pneumonia most recently.

Back when I had extremely low levels of cortisol and was in university residence, I couldn't leave my two-times HEPA-filtered room without wearing a N-95 mask - even if I just had to walk down the hallway. I can safely say that the N-95 mask (and I have boxes) kept me from living inside one room 24/7 without even being able to go to the bathroom down the hallway...

If you'd like, I'd be more than willing to mail you a couple of masks - I still keep a box of them on-hand.
 
Not all pharmacies carry them, but that's where you'll find them (or maybe a meds supply store?). I'd do a bit of phoning around first where you live, to save you the gas and energy running to different pharmacies.

They were especially popular during the SARS outbreak in Toronto - the brand I use is able to filter particulate matter down to 0.3 microns in size, which eliminates a vast majority of viruses, bacteria, mold, pollen, and other things that can irritate your airways.

This is the kind that I use - it's FAR more comfortable than another one I tried (didn't have adjustable straps around the head and pinched my nose, and also abraded my skin like crazy):

http://www.amgmedical.com/site/our_prod ... v1=018-232

It's latex-free too, if anyone's allergic to latex (which I know many are). That's not to say that other brands might not be comfortable - this is just the kind I use. A box has 20, and it costs $30, but they're very re-usable, and come individually wrapped so you can stick one in a purse or a backpack (which is especially good for me and my environmental sensitivities). To be honest... sometimes when it's really cold outside in the winter, I like wearing one - it keeps the air warm that I breathe in, and also keeps my nose from freezing!
 

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