I’m an allergy sufferer. That’s how they always refer to it in the commercials, no?
“If you suffer from allergies… ” “If you’re an allergy sufferer…”
I’m one of those people that is allergic to basically everything; we’re talking near Bubble-Boy status. Somehow, my immune system rejects the majority of the physical world around me. The list is long, and quirky.
MOLD.
DUST.
COCKROACHES. (Shouldn’t everyone be allergic to them, really??)
TREES. (Fine. Not a fan anyway.)
GRASS (God’s carpeting…. REALLY?? Why? Why???)
DOGS. (The fun part? Not all dogs. It’s a game of chance until I go near the “wrong” one & start wheezing like a whistling teapot.)
CATS. Seriously, is that some sort of cruel cosmic JOKE??
Unfortunately, most of my allergies are on the more intense end of the spectrum, requiring a strict regimen of allergy medication, nasal sprays, and weekly allergy shots.
For someone who grew up with five cats & a dog, it’s safe to say that I suffered.
But sometimes love hurts. And itches.
And when The Captain and I got engaged, of course we immediately adopted a kitten, because, that’s so sweet!
And then we adopted another, because breathing is overrated.
I may hate dust, but I love cats. And I have unwittingly sacrificed my sense of smell for them, in favor of constant nasal congestion, ear itching, and attempts to clear my sinuses upon awakening with sounds that are something like THIS:
(You’re welcome for that fantastic visual; isn’t The Captain a lucky man??)
This nasal sensory deprivation has continued through the years. I’m sort of like a drug addict in terms of how I approach my allergy treatment.
The nose seals itself off. My ears itch, my throat flutters, and I become scratchy and grumpy. In a desperate bid for help, I head to my allergist, and do the following:
Me: “Doc, you’ve gotta help me. I can barely breathe, I can’t smell anything, I’m miserable.”
Doctor: “Ok, use this nasal spray EVERY DAY, take this medicine EVERY DAY, and come in for allergy shots EVERY WEEK.”
Me: “Oh, thank you, Doctor! I will! I will!”
(And then I don’t, because life gets in the way.)
I live in denial for awhile, until I run out of tissues, and the taste of coffee goes bland. And then finally, I creep sheepishly back to my allergist, begging him for more. More spray. More medicine.
And so on. The struggle is real….
Image Courtesy of www.kappit.com
I’ve lived like this for a long time. Other things come up, life gets busy, the kids’ needs coming first.
My kids have grown accustomed to being my personal “sniffers”, as in having an item thrust under their nose with my grumble: “This milk… is it bad? SMELL IT!”
I’ve managed to live with it, perhaps not QUALITY living, at least until recently. Because recently, my allergies decided to go on the offensive.
Allergies: “Remember when we used to make your nose stuffy and your skin itch?”
Me: “Yeaaaahhhhh.”
Allergies: “giggling* “Well, check THIS out!!!”
One night I was petting my cat, Queso. I rubbed my eye.
Once.
Then again.
Ouch.
Itchy.
Verrrrry itchy.
MY EYES… ARE ON FIYYYYAAAAA!!!!
Ten minutes later, I’m writhing on my living room floor, slobbering and scratching my eyes.
The end result:
I finally ended up at the allergist’s office.
And did the treatment help? Of course it did.
But more than that, it reminded me just how easy it is for us parents to deny ourselves even the basic necessities as we focus on the needs of our children first. There’s nothing wrong with putting others before yourself, BUT– when your sense of smell becomes something negotiable, well…. it’s time to reassess your priorities.
#6 is also allergic to dust & cats, but has allergy meds for it. I wouldn’t let him go without because I’m “too busy”, so why would I do that to myself?
And I’ve been pretty damn good about taking my Allegra & nasal spray daily, too. In fact, the few times I haven’t, my husband helpfully reminds me how important it is…
https://twitter.com/Six_Pack_Mom/status/1352828039969832960?s=20
…and he’s not wrong. Because being able to be a Crazy Cat Lady & petting all.the.cats while still bring able to see, breathe, and smell is well worth the daily allergy med regimen.