I don't, but that sounds really uncomfortable. I'm also not a proponent of meds. Have you considered acupuncture for the pain?

My dad was sensitive to aspirin for ages. Twenty-ish years ago he had a heart attack, and the doctor wanted him to start taking aspirin regularly. He had to go to the ICU while they gave him increasing doses. I don't remember how long he was there ... a day or two? He laughed that the nurses told him he was the first ICU patient they had, that walked in under his own power!

Chisue, things may have changed, but please do consult a real-life medical doctor, as you have planned.

Chisue, you must do this under medical supervision. Taking asprin under these circumstances can be fatal.

I have tried three time to undertake the regimen of acupuncture for arthritis. One, a licensed Medical Doctor in the US, originally from China and trained there for acupuncture. The other two were people who had trained in the US. None of them were able to deal effectively with my arthritis pain.

I cannot take aspirin anymore due to some side effects. I just hope that my heart holds out. The aspirin would help the heart, but the side effects would have me nutso within a few days.

Jim, why do you need asprin for your heart? As a blood thinner?

Desensitization can be done, but under the supervision of a pharmacist experienced in the process.

Aspirin makes platelets less sticky, so less likely to stick to rough plaque on artery walls and cause a coronary thrombosis (heart attack).

nickel_kg -- So...your dad WAS ultimately able to take that daily aspirin?

Don't worry. I know I could have a severe reaction trying this on my own. An MD in the ER once prescribed Ibuprofin, despite my listed allergy to aspirin, and I took it; not pretty. Other MD's since then have *tried* to prescribe an NSAID -- but I'm on to them now!

I just wanted to know if anyone reading here had been desensitized, and how.

Lindsey -- Does your DH have 'the triad' (nasal polyps and asthma)? Thanks for the warning about yellow dye. Aspirin doesn't make me itch; I just have upper respiratory swelling.

The usual daily dosage of aspirin for "heart health" is 81mg (which is what my cardiologist has me take every morning). A regular strength aspirin is 325mg per tablet.

ChiSue, no, Hubs doesn't have "the triad." He developed the aspirin allergy from taking too much aspirin. He was having a lot of lower back pain, and was using those Salonpas patches every night. He was also taking Excedrin PM pretty much every night. Then he started taking an 81mg aspirin in the morning, too. I guess it was just too much for his system, and it revolted. Luckily, we've gotten really good at reading the teeny, tiny print on ingredients labels, and always ask in restaurants if there is yellow 5 in "potentially problem items" on the menu. If in doubt, he just won't order/eat that item. It's not worth the risk.

Yes, my dad was able to start daily aspirin. He's turning 89 soon, and still takes a baby aspirin per day. To be honest, I don't know why he was sensitive. No one else in my family shows any particular reaction to aspirin.

Thanks, Lindsey and nickel.

This is worth pursuing with my internist once we get home in April. I had a 'funny spell' with my heart before we left home in January. A quick EKG was 'slightly different' but not enough for us to cancel our usual time on Maui. I'd had a couple of "suddenly breathless at rest" events years ago; wore a monitor; showed nothing. I have a congenital murmur that supposedly worsens with age. Aspirin could be heart-helpful as well as easing my osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis.