Is it possible to be allergic to potting mediums?

[butterfly_muse]

I know this sounds farfetched, but there is a new allergen in my house that is driving me CRAZY!!

The only things I've changed is that I got some CHC for my oncidium type (which arrived Friday), and I repotted my phals with a mix of sphag and bark because they were drying out very severely.

Fiance said he noticed he has been getting a very slight headache for the last couple weeks (when I bought the moss)...I am actually allergic to moss, which I didn't even think about...because I thought I was more allergic to the green stuff that grows on the north side of rocks and stuff. I'm allergic to the spores when they're wet.

Granted, there could be something - like dust - in the vents or maybe it's just the tremendous amount of cat hair. But fiance brought it up and I hadn't thought about it before this.

And ever since I got home today, I've been sneezing, my eyes itch, my throat itches, and my nose is running so fast it might make it across the world before the night is over. Even my ears itch!!

Has this ever happened to anyone?

[Orchidflowerchild]

It is possible, but more likely a mold or mildew. Which often do live in pots.

-Ceci

[butterfly_muse]

I recently repotted everybody, and I've only got 9 plants total. I asked fiance to look in the air vents for mold..=\ But whatever it is, it's REALLY severe today.

[Orchidflowerchild]

Are you allergic to coconut?

-Ceci

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by Orchidflowerchild

Are you allergic to coconut?

-Ceci

Not the yummy delicious innards of it. Not sure about the hairy outside, though...o_O

[Orchidflowerchild]

doubtful that the issue is the CHC. You'd probably need to be allergic to cocunut for it to carry over, but i mean, any potting media will have dust, though. Perhaps it is just the dust.

-Ceci

[WhiteRabbit]

Even if it's possible and you are, the husk itself has been washed, and isn't alive, so I don't know that it could cause respiratory allergy symptoms ...

I cannot say positively so, but seems unlikely. It could be coincidental. Perhaps it has been breezy weather, coinciding with the change of potting media ...?

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Even if it's possible and you are, the husk itself has been washed, and isn't alive, so I don't know that it could cause respiratory allergy symptoms ...

I cannot say positively so, but seems unlikely. It could be coincidental. Perhaps it has been breezy weather, coinciding with the change of potting media ...?

It has rained a lot over the last couple days, it could be something to do with that. I'm going to go through my house and vacuum it to death and see if that helps. It could just be the abundance of cat fur now that the monsters are shedding all over EVERYTHING. Or it could be dust from the medium, but I can't imagine it actually spreading through my whole house like that. But I guess it can...it's dust.

[silken]

It sounds like when I used to be very allergic to cats. But if you have had the cats for a while, you'd think you would know if you are allergic. Could it be blooms or pollen from some trees or plants outside that are blooming at the moment?

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by silken

It sounds like when I used to be very allergic to cats. But if you have had the cats for a while, you'd think you would know if you are allergic. Could it be blooms or pollen from some trees or plants outside that are blooming at the moment?

I have heard of ppl who have had cats when they were young, only to get a cat a few years later, and have developed an allergy to them. Allergies can change w/ age... I used to be lactose intolerant, and have grown out of it at this point... But, my allergies (reg. "hay fever" tree pollen/cut grass) have continued over from spring, they r just now settling down, w/ exception to my (ever-present) grass allergy.