I consider myself a pretty tough cookie. I believe I have a high tolerance for pain and an overall suck-it-up attitude. I don't like negativity and whining is negativity at its most annoying. Zut alors! I must tell you about my weakness. Every Spring, I'm brought to my knees by my kryptonite: tree pollen.
I know that millions of Americans suffer from allergies. Seasonal allergies, hay fever, indoor allergies, food allergies. For most, they are a minor irritation to everyday life. To me, my battle with allergies has been a battle of epic proportions. I suffer with allergies on a daily basis, year round. However, the Springtime brings me to my knees.
My journey with allergies started like most over 25 years ago: Ignorance. As a child, I was diagnosed as allergic to dairy products. One doctor told me that since I recently had the flu, my body mistakenly made antibodies to milk, too. My childhood is filled with many colds, ear infections, eye infections and a lot of overall sickness. I have permanent hearing loss in my right ear. Did I ever see an ENT as a child? No. Did I ever see an allergist as a child? No. To be fair, I think the medical community didn't know that much about allergies back then. Looking back, it is easy for me to see that I had problems with airborne allergies in addition to the dairy issues.
Around 18, I entered the next stage of learning: Ignore-ance. I was told by an eye doctor while getting a contact eye exam that I suffered from allergies and my eye lids were inflamed. Was I sure I didn't want to consider glasses? And block my beautiful face? Doc, you are crazy! My senior year of high school, I had severe nose bleeds. Talk about embarrassing! Running from the classroom while blood is pouring everywhere. This resulted in a trip to the doctor, prescription of Clarinex, and a recommendation ofwq1 saline rinse for the honker. Did I ever fill the prescription more than once? Of course not. Later that year came sever tonsillitis. Solution: yank 'em out. Did I see an allergist or consider regular medication? Nope, not me.
Then came a new locale and enlightenment. In my mid twenties I moved around some. I moved back home to Ohio for about a year then decided to try my luck in Tampa, Florida. Sunshine, rain, heat and LOTS of tree pollen. My second Spring in the Tampa area brought a level of misery that sent me running to my primary doctor for relief like a crack addict searching for a high. Doc, you gotta give me something!! This brought a prescription for an antihistamine, a nasal steroid and antihistamine eye drops. I considered seeing an allergist but what would testing do? Tell me which exact tree pollen made me sick? What good would that do if I couldn't avoid the pollen?
But then something wonderful happened: I got pregnant! Pregnancy brought a huge relief to my allergy symptoms. Then, when my beautiful baby was not yet a year old, Spring brought me to my knees. I broke down, saw an allergist and got tested. I discovered that I was allergic to many things but severely allergic to tree pollen. (I could have told him that!) The doctor told me I had asthma. "How could I have asthma and not know it, Doc?" "Jessica," he said patiently, "wheezing is not normal." He also informed me that I showed a food allergy: soy. Since I outgrew my milk allergy and I didn't have any gastrointestinal symptoms, I completed ignored this fact. (Ok, so a little ignore-ance can go a long way.) I also discovered there was a treatment that could allow me to be symptom and medication free. But there was a catch. I had to get weekly shots for at least 5 years and possibly for the rest of my life. Who has that kind of time? I had a baby, who I was nursing full time. I worked a full time job. The doctor's office was over 20 minutes from my home and I would have to wait 30 after the shot before I could leave the office. Also, it was expensive. My insurance would only cover a portion of the costs.
When my daughter was two, I decided to but my money where my mouth was. I had relocated my family to Jacksonville for my job. I had another bad Spring. I must mention that I am a property manager. I support my family by managing large apartment complexes. This is a job that requires many hours, usually more than the customary 40. I have to frequently go outdoors and my property was covered in mature Oak Trees (my most severe allergy.) I can't call in sick everyday for three months straight and I can't do my job well if I only stay indoors. I was suffering in all areas of my life and I said ENOUGH! I made an appointment and started allergy shot treatment.
Then another miracle: I got pregnant again. Now Doc says I'm not that far into my treatment and they cannot continue to increase my dosage as scheduled. I would have to stop the shots and stick with the medication treatment. At this point, I was looking at around $200 per month in medication and doctor copays.
2011 is going to be a new year for me. I'm moved my family back to Tampa for a new job. I got retested for allergies in January. I tested allergic to 41 out of 44 possible allergens. In this: many food allergies: soy, wheat, dairy, corn and tomatoes. My new doctor remarked, "I'm surprised your not presenting sicker than you are." "Its not Springtime yet, Doc." Truth be told, I began to realize that my "Normal" was relative. Since I was so sick in the Spring, I didn't realize that I was living a restricted, sick existence year round.
My solutions: first of all a complete diet change. I've gone Paleo. More on this later and how it has completely changed my life! I also started allergy shots again. I have eliminated other elements in my home that can contribute to dust mites and when my dog passed away last year, we have not sought a replacement. The Doc says that it will be 6-12 months before I start to see a significant relief to my symptoms. So in other words: I'm still screwed this Spring. Just last week, I made an emergency appointment with my allergist asking for more relief. I am taking three antihistamines per day in addition to asthma medicine, nasal steroids, and optical antihistamines. Doc's answer, "You are pretty much maxed out on medication." I broke down and cried in her office.
I am optimistic that allergy shot therapy will work for me. In the mean time, I just have to survive my kryptonite.
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