Ep. 13: Surprising Allergy Symptoms You Might Not Suspect
Show Notes
Today’s episode of the Dr. Momma Says Podcast discusses that even though allergies are common, there are many surprising allergy symptoms.
Most people understand what allergies are. Or what they think they are! But every day in my private practice, my little patients complain of problems where I readily think about allergies. But, many parents have found them to be surprising allergy symptoms that they never considered.
And because of the fact that it is ALWAYS an allergy season, I feel it is important to discuss what allergies are and how the symptoms can vary.
First and foremost I want to emphasize the importance of understanding that allergies can affect the entire body. Because people usually think of hay fever as the classic allergy, this explains why many people do not suspect some of these surprising allergy symptoms.
So that we can all start on the same page, let’s just agree that the following are classic or commonly accepted allergy symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Itchy eyes
- Watery eyes
- Postnasal drip
- Sneezing
- Throat clearing
And if we accept these symptoms as causing allergies, then most people can accept or not be shocked by common complications of allergies like ear infections, sinus infection, sore throat, and hoarseness.
By the end of this episode, you will belong to the group of wiser people who can think about their symptoms in a different way and perhaps get started on an allergy evaluation or treatment protocol sooner rather than later.
Below is the list, but be sure to catch the details on the podcast which include a lot of extra tidbits of useful information about each symptom!
9 Surprising Allergy Symptoms
- Hearing loss
- Ringing in the ears
- Nosebleeds (Treating with Vaseline may be dangerous, so learn the best alternative to treat)
- Headaches
- Croup
- Chronic Cough
- Asthma
- Eczema
- Stomach problems
Bottom line, medical care is not straightforward; consequently, every symptom you have may have many different causes. I highly recommend you do not give up attempts to get to the bottom of a chronic illness. Initially, it is absolutely appropriate to be treated for basic common problems. However, at some point, other options may need to be considered.
Remember that an allergy is not always what you think it is. Allergies are immune system reactions that can happen due to a lot of different triggers and can impact many areas of the body.
Your physician may need to refer you to get an allergy evaluation
If the symptoms do not improve, consider seeing another specialist since many symptoms overlap with several specialties, and we all approach diagnosis and treatment differently.
Primary care, ENT, Allergy & Immunology, Pulmonary, Gastrointestinal and Dermatology physicians all care for these allergic patients.
Before changing specialties, you might want to check to be sure that you have been evaluated and treated by a physician.
Just as medical students and residents do not have the same experience as attending physician, physician assistants and nurse practitioners do not have the same experience and training as attending physicians.
Even when you are evaluated at a specialist physician’s office, non-physician providers are often very helpful and are part of your treatment team. I personally hired and worked with nurse practitioners for over 15 years; however, problems that were not resolving needed to be seen and managed directly by me.
Before deciding to escalate your treatment options, I simply remind you to verify the credentials of the provider you have been seeing. Complicated problems may require more experience to consider more unusual options.
In summary, I think it might be a good idea for you to widen your concept of what allergy means. This may help you to see other associated symptoms that you had previously ignored and help you get healthier sooner.
As always, much love for supporting my work. I will be adding many more posts to highlight parenting and healthcare tips, so be sure to consider subscribing to my podcast or to my blog to avoid missing a post!
Resources and References mentioned in the podcast:
Facts which help you understand how allergies occur
How Do You Know if You Have Allergies
The Best Nasal Allergy Treatments
WebMD Categories of Allergy Types
12 Common Causes of Nosebleeds
40 comments
I probably wouldn’t have thought of any of these as allegy symptoms! ringing in the ear especially makes sense to me though since I have noticed it before when my allergies are really bad.
Yay! You are one less surprised person who can now proactively start managing your allergies before they get worse.
I’ll keep these in mind. I’m in Texas, so my allergies can go nuts. I do get bad eczema sometimes, which I hate.
You might focus on when your eczema flares and see if your other allergy symptoms are starting. Might be a good time to start treating your allergies before the symptoms worsen!
My husband and son get nosebleeds when their allergies are really bad. I had no idea until my husband mentioned anything that nosebleeds could be a symptom of allergies. I also believe stomach problems can be a sign of allergy problems. My daughter is allergic to peanut butter and how we found was she threw up and then broke out into hives. Before that, I never would have guessed stomach problems. These are good signs to watch for along with the common ones.
Your family is a classic example of many people with allergies who all show different symptoms. Each person may need a different treatment regimen so getting tested is important.
I’m severely allergic to molds, and I know when I’m around it because I get pulsatile tinnitus in one ear. It took 4 visits to the ENT, who found nothing but a ‘sucked in’ eardrum, and loads of research on my own (plus discovering that our basement had black mold under the carpet in our old house) to realize that it could have been the issue. When I was tested, the Dr. said it was as severe a reaction as you could get. So important to get tested!
So glad you found your issue and a treatment that worked. However, most ENT physicians do not do allergy testing. Most of us are mostly surgeons so it is always important to see a physician who does allergy testing. I have taken care of people who find they have a specific allergy (like mold) but they did not get tested to find out they also have other allergies. The combination of reactions may be important.
Super interesting! I have always said I do not have allergies but I have had eczema my whole life!
There are many causes of eczema and allergy is one of them. Sometimes people who have been treated by dermatologists also have “mild” nasal congestion and cough and have never considered an underlying allergy.
I had learnt about hypersensitivity last semester itself. It is important that people know of all this and get tested when they manifest symptoms. Thank you for making it public.
That was my goal. I want people to consider other symptoms which they might report to their physician and consider getting an allergy test.
Is there any allergy symptom that involves these small marks on the back..like little boil marks? Idk why I have them though
Allergies are so tricky that we cannot list everything. I have never heard of anything like what you describe but you should definitely discuss this with your physician.
I am going to share this blog on my channels. Very few people know about the symptoms of allergies. Thanks for sharing this article.
I love sharing knowledge that can help keep people healthy. Sometimes health problems do not have an obvious cause so it is important to have more options to explore.
Interesting. I never knew that Ringing in the ears and stomach problems could be a sign of allergy problems. Thanks for sharing.
Yes I see many ear symptoms related to allergies, especially in kids.
When I think of allergy’s its runny noses, sinus pressure, sneezing, etc. I never would of thought things like nose bleeds, stomach issues, etc could be related. This was very informative, thank you
You are in good company. Many many people only think of the classic allergy symptoms so it is good to have a wider idea about what allergies can do.
This was great to read! My kids both have some intermittent allergies, so I will be on the lookout for these other symptoms.
With kids, things become more tricky because they are growing and increase the amounts of time outside or playing sports. Many of their symptoms change over time but still are allergies.
I knew the usual symptoms of allergies, but the surprising allergy symptoms are something totally new for me. I’ve got at least three of them and now that made me wondering whether I have any hidden allergies!
I am so happy I could share this useful information. Everyday I see people with these symptoms who have never considered allergies as a cause.
I never experienced allergies until last summer. We start our hiking season in April and that is when I noticed many of the symptoms you describe in your post.
You are not alone! Many people do not know they have allergies without classic symptoms.
What an interesting post! I had no idea you could get croup or nosebleeds from allergies. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I am glad that my post was able to share something new to you!
wow I had no idea there were so many other symptoms. I tend to get ringing in my ears every now and then I wonder if thats why I do.
This really is a common symptom that is annoying but people do not have any idea how to start treatment. Considering allergies should be on the list but if it is persistent you should be evaluated with a hearing test to be sure there is not another problem.
Hmmm..among those that you have mentioned, I think it is the allergy that has affected me. I do have a lot of allergic reactions to different things — from sneezing, to runny nose, rashes, constricted throat, and also angioedema. But now that you mentioned it, I have experienced headaches, too.
Yes, most of us have more than one allergy symptom. Recognizing them all can help with your treatment options
Thanks for sharing these information. Very helpful especially for parents. Allergies must not brushed off even those simple one.
And allergies can change over time. So what is mild now may worsen based on your exposures.
Omg I never know there were soo many symptoms… These are some great tips.. Thank you soo much for sharing them. I get some of them I never knew it was allergy symptoms…
Most people have mild, non-bothersome symptoms. That is a good thing!
As a long time allergy suffer I didn’t know some of these symptoms. Interesting!! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I love hearing that allergy sufferers are learning possible new symptoms. Could help you recognize when to start treating sooner.
A well detail on allergies. I am allergic to few things I though but these symptoms will help
Thanks for sharing Dr.
It always good to understand how your allergies can impact different parts of your body. Glad this is helpful to you.