It turns out that I’m allergic to every kind of grass, and about half of the trees and shrubs, which thrive here in the sultry humidity of East Tennessee. And not just a little bit allergic, either. So pretty much, if it’s green and grows here, I need to stay away from it. I’m also allergic to cats, which I knew but for some reason I never had an adverse reaction to Ginger so I’d hoped I’d developed an immunity to them. Turns out, not so much. Ginger must not shed a lot of dander is all. I’m also allergic to dust mite droppings (ewww!) which is apparently a very common allergy. My only food allergy is scallops, which again I knew before seeing the allergist. Other shellfish are OK.
The temporary solution is Allegra and Rhinocort. Since I’m taking them jointly I don’t know which is more effective. Rhinocort is squirted directly into the nostrils, and contains an artificial steroid, so I’d better not try out for a professional sports team any time soon. (Not much danger of that.) It’s annoying and I’d rather not have to do that.
The long-term solution will be a three- to five-year long course of shots intended to immunize me from my allergy triggers. About 1% of patients undergoing this therapy experience anaphylactic shock and must get immediate, massive injections of adrenaline or risk death. On top of that, it’s expensive! So of course I signed right up.
