So if you've known me only a day, you probably are aware that I have allergies. It is no secret... mainly because they don't allow me to keep it a secret. They have been a part of my life since I am old enough to remember anything. They are the reason my eyes are red and I am itching my nose in a weird way to keep from sneezing. I figured since I've been doing this blog thing for a little while now, it was only right for everyone to get to know me on a little bit different level and be formerly introduced to the life of my allergies. (If you so choose to skip this post, it will not be held against you.)
Let's begin with the sneezing fits, shall we? So ever since I was young, I always remember not being able to sneeze just ONCE. Oh no. My body seemed to be taken over in these convulsions that last at least ten to possibly fifty sneezes. You think I'm exaggerating. Ask anyone I know. It got to the point where people don't say "God Bless You!" anymore. They wait for me to pause for a second and ask "Are you done?" Once I realize that I am and tell them so, then I might get a courteous "Bless you." I can always tell when I'm hanging out with someone new and a sneezing fit takes over because they bless me on the first sneeze. Usually if someone else is around, they will be quick to tell them it's not worth it. Ahh, the love. I do have to admit that I have a fear that comes along with these sneezing fits. I'm convinced that a possible way I may die is one of these sneezing fits will get so out of control while I'm driving that I will wreck and die. I know that's morbid, but I'm just being real with you. A true sneezing fact is that your eyes are shut. You do the math... fifty sneezes plus my eyes being shut equals a possible disaster (and the way I die). Just saying.
So what am I allergic to, you ask? Life. Ok but seriously although it may feel like that at times, I have been able to narrow it down just a tad. (And this is my own research... not one of a professional expert.) When I was younger, I do believe it was either me or my wise mother that figured out I was allergic to dust and fresh-cut grass. Awesome. I can't go inside or outside. However, my favorite chore was dusting. Hmm.. maybe that's how we figured it out. But no worries... I took it upon myself to completely avoid cutting grass at all costs. I'm obviously just thinking of my allergies. When I got a little older and moved to college, I would come home and visit and sneeze NON-STOP. Especially when those furry little animals also known as our pet cats would come up and love on me. Interesting. Apparently living in clean air for the first time in my life made me aware that I was now allergic to cats. So my sophomore year of college, I got a dog. Life was great until I moved to Fort Worth three years later and Jazzie moved in with her grandma. (Yes, we are those people that refer to my mother as my dog's grandma. Don't judge us.) Now when I go back down to visit, I sneeze. Oh, the pattern. Clean air makes me allergic to dogs now. Great. Needless to say, Jazzie still lives with her grandma.
*Side note... I'm also allergic to sulfa drugs if anyone ever has to take me to the hospital while I'm unconscious. Just didn't want to lead you astray with my statement of allergies.
Have I ever taken medical action when it comes to my allergies? Yes and no. I do take prescription medication everyday for them. Thank you, Allegra-D. This all began when my doctor wrote me a prescription before leaving for college along with a note that stated I could not live in a dorm because of my allergies. (Was there an ulterior motive for doing this so I could live in an off-campus apartment with my sister? Perhaps, but that's a whole other post.) I've never actually been to an allergist though. But I HAVE been to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist who told me that my sinuses are AWFUL. Um, duh. He listed at least five things that were going on with my nose/sinus cavity region that I will not go into the details here to save you the gross-out. So he immediately strongly recommended the sinus surgery that is apparently amazing and will change my life forever (which could also be known as the grossest surgery ever). So I did it. I looked forward to being able to breathe through my nose for the first time in my life and not sneeze a million times a day. Did it change my life forever? No. I knew it wasn't good when I went back for my post-op check-up and Dr. ENT said "Wow, you should be feeling and looking a lot better than this. You poor thing." (I would like to state that he was looking up my nose at that point rather than my outfit.) And then he said, "I think you might have some severe allergies as well as severe sinus issues. You might want to look into an allergist." Um, thanks. I could have told myself that for a whole lot less amount of money. So I am now educated about the differences in sinuses and allergies all thanks to paying Dr. ENT lots of money. And I still sneeze a lot. It's best if we just move on now.
How do you handle the allergies? With grace and style, of course. Actually not at all. My allergies bring out the tackiness in me that just wants the itchiness to go away. I used to try to avoid sneezing at all costs. I just knew the craziness and embarrassment that was about to ensue... so if I was in public, I would try to prevent it from occurring. This resulted in me rubbing my nose in such a way that could potentially mimic a cocaine addict. Did that stop me from doing that? No way. But it did stop the fit from coming. Success. Another fun thing that comes along with awful allergies is redness and itchiness of the eyes. If it gets to where it is so itchy and unbearable to the point where I am gnawing/rubbing at it with my hands, I warm up a washcloth and put it on my eyes. Sweet relief. Who cares if I look strange? The people that judge me don't understand. So if this occurs in the middle of the night, chances are the eyes are going to look a little crazy in the morning. It got to the point where before I put my contacts in, I put redness relief eye drops in. Everyday. Hey, if they weren't red at that moment, just consider it prevention.
So there is a little background information on a huge part of my life... my allergies. Just think of it as being educated about the lives of people that are stricken with severe allergies. If you're not one of us, maybe it will help you understand us. And to not judge us. Especially if our eyes and nose are both red and we look like we haven't slept in days. Just let us be. We're in enough pain without your ignorant comments.
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