# Trouble breathing and wierd voodoo



## Archdruid (May 29, 2021)

Has anyone had issues breathing? My father is laid up in bed, having issues breathing, keeps saying up for seemingly no reason.... We've been here for a week. And for some reason this happens every time he comes here. He feels like he's going to die. But then he goes back to Canada, and he's miraculously fine! It's really bizzare. Anyone else have this?


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Where's "here"? Are you at high altitude? Or in the middle of a smog cloud?

My first thought was covid, but you said it happened other times as well.


----------



## Archdruid (May 29, 2021)

eastwind said:


> Where's "here"? Are you at high altitude? Or in the middle of a smog cloud?
> 
> My first thought was covid, but you said it happened other times as well.


We are in peurto morelos. It's not covid.


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

No idea. Call a doctor.


----------



## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Maybe there is something in the air. Take a drive to Merida and see how he reacts...


----------



## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Here’s one possibility: I never had allergies until I moved to Mexico. I started getting a seasonal allergy from November to March. It took me a few years to figure it out. Since I had never been allergic to anything in my life, I thought for the first few years that I was getting a cold at the same time every year, and it was lasting a long time. I finally figured it out when I realized that it was only congestion and a runny, itchy nose, and no other symptoms, and that it was coming with clockwork regularity on the same dates every year.
Then again, maybe mine isn’t something in Mexico, but just age. I didn’t know that it’s possible to develop allergies in middle age to something you were never allergic to before, and you don’t necessarily have to move to a new, different place for it to happen. But I learned that it is possible from my doctor in Canada, who told me he developed allergies in his 40s. Much later, when I developed them in Mexico, I remembered what he had said.


----------



## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

He may have mild asthma. His triggers might not be common at home but he runs into them when he travels.

His doctor should be able to check when he gets home.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

Yes, could be allergies to some pollen in the air. Also many people have problems with the dust in dry season. Or if you are in a humid area, it could be mold allergies.


----------



## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Absolutely could be allergies which in susceptible people can trigger an underlying asthmatic type reaction. And there may be a specific plant in that area your dad is reacting to, or mould in the place you are staying. Personally, I’ve realized concrete dust - even just from the overlying coating used on concrete block construction - triggers a runny nose and allergic cough for me. Allergies can start at any age, and can also sometimes resolve on their own with time (especially airborne allergies rather than food allergies). Has he tried a non-drowsy antihistamine such as cetirizine or loratadine? I always have to take antihistamines when I first get to our place in Mexico, and almost never need to in Canada. After a while in Mexico I seem to adapt, although I still keep it on hand.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

ojosazules11 said:


> Absolutely could be allergies which in susceptible people can trigger an underlying asthmatic type reaction. And there may be a specific plant in that area your dad is reacting to, or mould in the place you are staying. Personally, I’ve realized concrete dust - even just from the overlying coating used on concrete block construction - triggers a runny nose and allergic cough for me. Allergies can start at any age, and can also sometimes resolve on their own with time (especially airborne allergies rather than food allergies). Has he tried a non-drowsy antihistamine such as cetirizine or loratadine? I always have to take antihistamines when I first get to our place in Mexico, and almost never need to in Canada. After a while in Mexico I seem to adapt, although I still keep it on hand.


Excellent advice from our resident M.D.!


----------



## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I have zero medical training - but I do have allergies. IMSS loves to shove loratadina at me but it really does dry me out too much. It is excellent if I get a rash from something in the garden. Alternatively - I have used Afrin/Lub which is cheap but can raise my BP (I need to take an extra Telmisartan). OR Avamys (kind of pricey).

Interestingly - in our 10 year of Mexican experience just this last week I had a second turbinate reduction to try an alleviate some of the allergy stuff. BUT I suspect I am allergic to red wine (well that is a problem) AND cat dander (I live in a house full of cats).


----------



## izzenhood (Jun 8, 2013)

Does your father always reside in the same house or hotel while in Mexico? It could be something to do with where he's staying.


----------

