Summertime and the Living Is Itchy

I don’t know about you guys, but this summer has brought the most intense seasonal allergies. I have struggled with sniffles, sneezing, itchy mouth, itchy eyes, and extreme fatigue.

My experiences of contact dermatitis are becoming so frequent I have half-jokingly wondered to myself if I have a whole new type of dermatitis altogether.

What was forecasted for this year's allergies?

I was somewhat expecting this. I knew that the allergy season in 2024 was going to be severe. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America publishes a yearly "Allergy Capital" report listing the 10 worst and best US cities for allergies. They included a rather ominous preamble to this year’s report detailing the impacts of climate change, botanical sexism, and increased impacts of seasonal allergens.¹

Allergies are increasing in intensity, frequency, and occurrence, especially among those who have been previously unaffected.¹

How is my family impacted?

So, I was more than prepared to have a more difficult time this summer myself. I was not prepared for my previously seldom-seasonal-allergen-affected children to get it just as bad as I have. My oldest has had seborrheic dermatitis for most of her life. It comes and goes and is usually resolved with a bit of ketoconazole shampoo.²

My youngest doesn’t have seborrheic dermatitis but is insanely prone to various expressions of contact dermatitis. Most of the time the rashes are visually shocking. But luckily, sensation-wise they have been pretty benign.

How has their dermatitis fared this year?

This year is quite a different story.

My poor girl has been itching her scalp like it’s going out of style. My son has been having bouts of super itchy dermatitis patches every other day. My partner is having sinus symptoms so bad he only half-believes he isn’t just permanently sick now.

And me? A bit of all of the above. However, as I said at the beginning of this article: I was prepared for myself to suffer, not so much for my family.

What have I learned about managing allergies?

I think the most difficult thing to manage has been trying and failing to bring them relief. When they all first started displaying highly allergic symptoms right alongside me, I at least felt some relief that my arsenal of allergy knowledge and my resources on this site could make it bearable.

Well, I’ve just about read through every allergy article from here to the most random forums searching for all the home-grown, no-doctor-required, or at least over-the-counter remedies I could whip up for his itchy skin, her itchy scalp, and my swollen sinuses.

Have alternative options worked?

So far, it’s been hit or miss with finding solutions outside of prescription medicine. The waiting list to see an allergist is years long. So while we wait we have to use what we can buy or make.

It’s frustrating knowing my children are having a similar experience to me. I'm having a hard time finding solutions for them that work more than once or twice. We’ve also found that many of the products that work for me don’t work for my son or daughter.

When it was just me struggling so much with dermatitis in all its forms, it was easier. I can handle my discomfort just fine. Like most of us, I live a good portion of my life in some level of it. It’s harder with little people, especially when they're your little people.

What will next year bring?

If climate change is going to keep dishing out weather that makes our skin freak out on a worsening scale, I can only imagine this is going to get worse year after year.

I think next year, for the sake of all of our skin and sinuses, we will be exploring allergen desensitization shots!