5.31.2007

ACHOO! Plagued with Allergies

Is anyone else noticing their allergies to be particularly awful right now? My main culprit is grass--always has been. However, I cannot recall having been bothered this much, especially so many days in a row! It's really irritating me. I go outside, even for just a few minutes, and I'm sneezing my head off. Itching all over. I had planned on taking a break from work and taking a bike ride this afternoon, but after I headed to the store and came home 15 minutes later, sneezing like a mad woman, I decided to take a rain check. I just returned indoors after watering my plants and sure enough, the sneezing had begun.

I noticed it last weekend--even with the cooler weather. I'd head out. I'd sneeze. I'd sit inside for awhile, I'd feel better. When it's warm outside, especially in the early evenings (my absolute favorite time of day, especially in the summer), I WANT TO BE OUTSIDE! Outside and comfortable, I should add. I have some prescription nasal spray I take--it's the only thing I've found that works, although right now it isn't working so well. I do the nasal douching, which at least cleanses out my sinuses and provides some relief. Homeopathic and herbal remedies haven't done a thing. I did shots for 3 years and they didn't do a thing for me either. I later learned the likely reason was that synthetic allergens are used instead of the real deal. How stupid is that?! Once our pre-existing 6 month waiting condition is over though, I plan on going to an accupuncturist (local MD here in town) and trying that for my allergies.

Oh well. Once July hits, I'm better. Although when the field burning begins, I have to hibernate again. Gawd..... Grass allergies annoy me. Field burning though, oh man, you want to get me started on a tirade, ask me what I think about that practice. I'm hopeful for its elimination though, being we have an excellent Rep. in our State Legislature--Paul Hovey out of Eugene--who is a strong proponent of banning this practice. His latest attempt at a bill made it through the Health Committe and stalled, in all places, :::shock shock::: the Agriculture Committee. The grass seed lobby is, of course, huge in this state. Rep. Hovey won't be giving up though. There are talks of the introduction of another bill and perhaps even a ballot measure.

In the interim, pass me a tissue, please.

2 comments:

nolocontendere said...

I truly feel sorry for you I've seen how bad people can get.
Two things I'm happy about myself is that I don't have any allergies and I've always had good knees. Rest of me is going to crap, though.
That'll be my epitaph - "He had good knees".

tkn said...

i've heard that eating honey produced locally can help with allergies. i don't get it that bad, but a few years ago while out on a bike ride, i had a hay fever episode. i tried something different. namely inundating my sinuses with whatever was in the air to hopefully build up a resistance to it. i snorted lungfuls of the pollen-rich air and spent the next five minutes or so sneezing and having watery itchy eyes. my face was like a spigot, with mucus membrane fluids pouring out of my nostrils, tears out of my eyes and sweat dripping from all the sneezing. after that i actually felt better and continued on my ride.

i'm no doctor but allergies always struck me as sorta strange. its not an acute infection or disease perse, just your body not liking what it encounters. well, what if you could change how your body reacts to things like say, grass pollen? its easy for me to say, especially since i've never had allergies as bad as others, but i think the body is pretty amazing, especially the immune system and the brain. i'm sure you've heard this kind of thing before, but honestly, believing you're severely allergic and expecting certain reactions when you step outside seems to be more conducive to allergies than believing your body can handle it (whatever it is), that some part of allergic reactions are psychosomatic, and that not having allergies can be learned.

if you're suffering that bad, maybe its worth a shot.