An Awful Allergies Week

"After 10 plus years, FINALLY immune to Max"  

Allergies this week have been the bane to my existence! What a tough week. I had hoped the storms earlier in the week would've washed all the pollen away but I was mistaken. I woke up each morning with swollen eyes and suffered through the nights with sneezing attacks. Each morning, I hit the bottle of allergy medicine even before I hit the shower.

I have lived with allergies throughout my 40 something years but these last couple weeks have been particularly tough. Allergies are a part of my life though. Most of the time, they're just an annoyance. I have eye allergies, asthma, skin allergies, and of course the sinus/nasal allergies. The prescriptions taken for each one arranged neatly in my medicine cabinet. I take what I need depending on what I'm suffering from that day and then go on about my morning.

When I was younger, I went to an allergist in Cherry Hill, NJ. They gave me a skin prick test on my back to test what allergen antibodies I reacted to. Well, I reacted to EVERY ONE (except seafood, thank God). Every food allergy: dairy, wheat, strawberries, peanuts, corn. Not to mention every grass, tress, pollen, dogs, cats, birds. You name it.

My entire back swelled up in one big hive. I was dying to scratch but couldn't until the doctor saw the results. After 15 agonizing minutes, he came in, looked at my back and exclaimed, "What the hell!?" All I wanted to know was ... "WHEN CAN I SCRATCH!?" The doctor replied, "Go ahead" and while my Mom and Dad finished up the appointment, I feverishly contorted my body scratching EVERY inch of my back.

I began taking allergy meds immediately. They put me on allergy shots and I was allergic to the them immediately. They gave me nausea and an upset stomach. After every dosage and subsequent visit, they lowered the dosage because I became nauseous. It came down to the point where the dosage was pretty much nonexistent and wouldn't have helped the allergies anyway! They stopped the shots and put me on allergy pills. I got better. Imagine that!

Years later, I found I grew a resistance to certain allergy meds and then started others. After 6 months, we tried something new. It worked for me. On and on the cycle went. But... at 48 I have survived these allergies. It's no big deal unless it's a bad week and then I need a day to drug myself up and get over them. And please don't talk to me about the homeopathic remedies. Tried them, didn't help to much and I'll pass. Give me my allergy pill!

So another annoyance in life and yet here I am. I have outgrown pretty much all of my food allergies. Interestingly enough, discovered an allergy to white vinegar in my 20s. Starts to close the throat up. But doesn't happen with red wine or balsamic vinegar. I developed asthma in my later 20s so that's a pain in the ass. I also found I'm allergic to erythritol. See my previous blog on that one! http://frazzledatforty.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-monster-allergic-reaction-erythritol.html

I am still allergic to cats and dogs. There are certain dogs which I am NOT allergic to. I think those are terriers and poodle breeds. And my cats too. I think I have developed a resistance to my own cats, Max and Moxie, after 10 plus years of being exposed to those pains in the ass. LOL. Life goes on and I deal with it.

I don't complain that much about it but decided to write a blog on the topic after suffering a particularly bad week due to seasonal allergies. How are other's faring? Do people take as much allergy meds as I do? LOL It's just a part of my life I deal with. Just don't bring a Shetland pony, a Saint Bernard dog, or a Himalayan cat around or we will have major problems. Unless there is Benedryl and then I'll be OK. But I'll fall asleep on ya. LOL