All I can do his relate my experiences. From 1948 - 1969 I was at my grandparents farm / woods almost every 2 weeks, hunting, fishing and doing what kids do. I went in the Army for 2 years and they both died shortly thereafter and their land and house was sold, house demolished, and the land divided up. During that time the only allergy I ever had was to honey bee stings, nothing else. In the late 70s I began to have serious allergies in the Spring and some in the Fall. I went to an allergist and he did the scratch tests and made a serum which I took for several years and it helped a great deal. I believe I stopped taking them in the 80s sometime. They have returned over the past 10 years ( mostly Spring and some in the Fall ) and if I do not take Sudafed and Benadryl during the times that I have them, I will have a sinus infection. I also use eye drops for allergies which help me a lot.
I did not become allergic to poison ivy until the early 80s. I was clearing a honeysuckly vine off our back fecnce and got into some. Prior to that I never had any problems. It has progressively gotten worse, and as I am unable to identify the plants, to the point where I very seldom do yard work, because I do not want to get into it... My mother's allergy to it also got worse over time, and the last time she had it she had to get Benadryl shots.
I cannot speak for anyone else. This is what has happened to me.
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