Do you know anyone who has had shingles?  If so, you know how miserable the skin and nerve ending condition can make you for weeks to months.  Shingles is the reactivation of childhood chickenpox, occurring at any age in adults, but most commonly after age 50.  There is no effective treatment for shingles, but there is prevention.  A new vaccine, Shingrix, is coming out in 2018 for people over 50, even those that have had shingles or the earlier Zostavax vaccine (yes, the new one is so superior it is still recommended if you had the older one).  Shingrix is...

How exciting! Gulf Coast Family Living Magazine has published their 2017 reader’s choice awards for area's best in health and wellness! Windom Allergy, Asthma and Sinus was the winner for allergy specialists.

Holiday travel, gatherings and decorations can be problematic for those with allergies and asthma. Here are a few tips on how to avoid potential triggers:   Travel.   Allergies to pet dander and dust mite are worse during the winter when there is less ventilation. Pet allergen can be carried in the air, on clothes and in hair. Dust mite exposure increases during the holidays when we travel, spend time in hotel rooms and in other people’s beds.  When traveling, remember to take your allergy medication and consider bringing your own pillow with an allergen-proof cover, or request a down-free...

Back to school - With school back in session, here at Windom Allergy that means, bring on the contagious respiratory diseases.  Once one child has a ‘cold’, the rest of the class is sure to follow.  Kids with asthma are hit the hardest since viral infections almost always trigger asthma attacks.  Throw in all the rain we’re having and the subsequent burst of mold spores, and our allergic asthma patients are in for a double whammy.  At the first sign of a ‘cold’, we encourage our asthma kids to start their maintenance medication (usually an inhaled steroid) or increase the...

Born in Sarasota, FL.  Attended Phillippi Shores Elementary, Brookside Middle and Riverview High School.  Graduated High School in 1990, Manatee Community College in 1992 and University of Central Florida in 1995. I have known my husband since 1989 and although he went to Fruitville Elementary, McIntosh Middle and Sarasota High, we have been married since 1995.  I have 2 amazing children, Toni and Tyler, and a pet rabbit named “Mr. Nibbles”. My hobbies include Amusement Parks with my kids, theatre,  boating & fishing.  Sports/Activities growing up included Dance, Competitive Gymnastics, Softball, Racquetball, Tennis, Volleyball, Surfing, Cheerleading and I performed in...

Dr. Windom was appointed to a 2-year term as Vice-Chair of the Practice, Diagnostics and Therapeutics committee and the same position for the Ethics Committee of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.

I have been with Windom Allergy for the past 15 years! I started as an office nurse doing skin testing. In the past several years I've been the allergy shot nurse, making the serum and getting patients approved for special medications. I am now happily semi-retired, working 2-3 days a week. I met my husband when I was studying nursing in Brewster, NY. He was in the USAF and lived in many diverse cities before he retired in 1990 and we moved to Sarasota. We have three children and six grandchildren! Our hobby is our dogs. We breed show and...

Born 1967 Bronx, NY then raised in Westchester county NY.  Moved to Florida at the age of 21 when my parents retired.  Started my Medical career as an EMT at Bayfront Med. Center E.R. in 1990.  Graduated Nursing school with National Honors.  Received  Nurse of the year award my first year as a nurse at Bayfront E.R.  After being in the ER for 5 years I've decided to expand my knowledge and work in the Allergy field.  I worked for an Allergist in St. Petersburg from 1996 till 2006 when I joined Windom Allergy Asthma and Sinus. I'm now a...

Hives (Urticaria) Hives (Urticaria) HIVES: Hives have been referred to as welts, nettle rash, and by physicians, urticaria. They are raised areas of your skin that are warm, very itchy and red. They can suddenly appear anywhere on the body and last a few hours or as long as 48 hours. Lesions that are painful/tender and last for greater than 48 hours should be thought of as separate from hives. New hives can appear as others disappear, giving the impression of persistent lesions. Individual hives are irregularly shaped and are the size of a dime or nickel, though they often...

Almost any substance can trigger an anaphylactic reaction, but the most common offending agents are foods, drugs and insect stings. Less common triggers are latex and exercise. In the United States penicillin is the most common culprit among antibiotics, resulting in anaphylactic death in 100 cases per year. Insect stings from honeybees, wasps, yellow jackets, hornets and fire ants account for an estimated 40 deaths per year. There are individuals who will experience anaphylaxis without an obvious cause. This is called idiopathic anaphylaxis. Upon more intense investigation the doctor may uncover a substance of mechanism responsible for these reactions. Recently,...