Sniffles

My whole family gets allergy shots and I have been the lone hold-out, even though my mom (who is basically allergic to the whole world) really thought I should get checked out. When I was younger, I refused to see the allergist because the skin testing scared me and, really, everything seemed manageable day-to-day with over-the-counter and prescription meds - I just had some flare-ups to cats every now and then (which could often be cured with a [cat]nap)and seasonal itchy eyes and runny nose.

How I thought I was totally fine, I'm not sure. I recall one day, in my H2O Co. summers, when I went through an entire box of tissues while walking through people's yards doing my job, just readin' meters, and my nose turned into a faucet. I just sneezed and my nose leaked, all day long, because of my allergies - and I had taken my Zyrtec AND Flonase that morning!

When I moved to Nashville, my allergy symptoms changed - I had itchier eyes and I would get a catch in my throat, whereas growing up and in college it was more of a nasal thing. And this year, in Meadville, my allergy became (get ready for grossness!) more of a post-nasal drip that affected my ability to swallow and breathe, even when I was taking my Zyrtec. It also made me do this little pig-like snorting noise just to clear my nasal passages - I can't help it! I sound like I have a snout and am digging for wild truffles.

My insurance covers skin testing and shots, and I figured this was my sign. The plan was that after a week of being off allergy medicines completely, the allergist would check my throat, nose, ears, and eyes to see what symptoms really were and then see if we needed to do skin test.

He looked at my throat first and said "OKKK... I'll be back," and he sent the skin test kit in right away. So I wasn't kidding about the seriousness of my post-nasal drip! (How much are you loving reading this right now?!)

The testing was really not all that bad... some pricks on my back to see what I reacted to, and then a few injections on my forearm to make sure. And it turns out, on a scale of 0-4 where 4 is the highest, my allergens are: Weeds 2+, Dust Mites 3+, Cats 3+, and Grass 4+. I had a major reaction to the grasses, which might explain the leaky nose and full box of tissues that one summer day?

The good news is, that's all I'm allergic to! I thought I had some tree allergies, mold allergies, and a dog allergy, but they came back completely negative. It's so cool to know! And, the actual allergy shots (which I got for the first time on Tuesday) are the easiest shots ever - right into my arm jiggle, I couldn't even feel it.

Lesson learned: listen to your mother.