Allergies

It's Allergy season again…..and I’m beginning to feel the misery, even through the veil of medications I take on a daily basis. What sucks is that although this is "allergy season" for people with spring allergies, I have allergies year round…they just get worse in the spring and fall.


It’s a bit ridiculous, really. I’m allergic to the earth!!!

Trees:

Ash

Cedar and Juniper

 Linden

 

Russian Olive (here! in Utah!?)

 

Birch & Alder (same family)

 

Mulberry (thanks, Brigham!)

 Sycamore

 Elm

  

Oak

  

Tree of Heaven (LOL! For real!?)

Weeds:

Firebush 

Found everywhere! right!?

 

Pigweed

   

Russian Thistle (another Russian?)

   

Cocklebur

   

Lambs Quarter

   

Plantain

   

Sagebrush

   

Marshelder

   

Robbit Bush

Everything else!

Grass - all the grasses in Utah

Cats

So sad, because I really like cats. The symptoms are too severe.

Dogs!

Dogs!? What!!

'tis true!

Although the symptoms can be frustrating, they are nowhere near as severe as with cats.

Shellfish

Symptoms

The spring symptoms are those of hay fever: sneezing, sniffling, itchy eyes...nothing too severe. They make me wheeze a bit and I KNOW it if I've forgotten to take my Zyrtec! Although Singulair is an asthma medication, it has helped me with allergy symptoms as well.

Summer symptoms usually affect my eyes the most. Even with medication, I usually end up falling asleep with an ice cold wet washcloth on my eyes (held down by a sleep mask).  Eye drops are my friend at this time of year.

Autumn symptoms are by far the worst!  The weeds are pollinating and I am miserable! My eyes have been known to swell shut. Sneezing is the least of my symptoms but after a while it hurts to sneeze so much! I keep Kleenex in business at this time of year. Hives are a common issue at this time as well. .... Miserable!!

I get some reprieve in the winter, although I am allergic to some of the Christmas trees, wreaths and such. There's dust in the air at this time of year, as we pull out the decorations from their dusty closets.

My worst symptoms are with cats and shellfish. I have had to go to the ER three times for anaphylaxis and no matter how hard you try to keep calm, when you aren't breathing and you feel your insides swelling up and collapsing, there is no calming down.....it's pure panic mode!

Last year I was given a prescription for an Epi-Pen and although I haven't had to use it, it's a nice relief to know I have it if I need it.  I am hyper vigilant with foods prepared by others (for parties and potlucks) because many pasta salads are made with shell fish or a lobster juice and that's no good.

My biggest peeve when it comes to the severity of my symptoms is when people think the word allergy means "hay fever" symptoms. Yes, I do have those symptoms for some of my allergies. But if we're talking cats and shellfish........I skip right past the sneezing to life threatening.

Treatment

I hope to begin the allergy shots soon. My allergist is including dog and cat into my serum in hopes to reverse the dog allergy and minimize the cat allergy. There's nothing to do about the shellfish allergy.