Have you had allergy shots?

Have you done allergy shots?

• I am 37 yrs old. I've had allergies since I was in Kindergarten. I've always avoided allergy shots because my mom got them for a while from a military clinic in Germany some 30 years ago and hated them. However, my allergies are getting worse and I've developed oral allergy syndrome in the last 10 years so I can't eat any raw fruits or veggies -- and I actually like them! The combination of allergy meds that work best for me are interfering with other meds that I have to take, but the shots wouldn't. The shots may mean that I can eat the raw fruits and veggies again too! What experience have you had with shots? Would you recommend or not? What things would you have liked to have known before you started the shots?

• Answer:

  Yes, I would strongly recommend the shots. I had a series of allergy shots lasting nine years. Before I had the shots, I was allergic to nearly all raw fruits and vegetables. Even getting the juice on my skin made me break out in a rash. After being on the shots for five years, my oral allergy syndrome went away! Now I can actually eat salad and even watermelon and it does not bother me at all. I have not even had hay fever in the fall and I used to be nearly housebound for five weeks in August and September.