when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Allergies suck ass
I grew up in a very rural region of Pennsylvania. Dairy country. Endless fields of hay and corn surrounded by vast forests of maple, oak, walnut and cherry. Oh so pretty.
I was allergic to it all. In spring it was the trees and flowers; the summer, grass; the fall, ragweed. When I was about 10 I tried to get a summer job helping a local farmer bring in hay. My brother and several other boys were working there too.
After 15 minutes in the hay loft, my eyes swelled shut. A few weeks later my mom took me to an allergist. This is a big deal in the country since we had to drive more than an hour to get there.
He pricked my arms about 30 or 40 times with various allergens. All of them reacted. Two-thirds were faint to average. The remaining dozen were bright red, very itchy, nickel-sized circles. The doctor prescribed shots. So once a week for 18 months, I walked from school to a trailer that was a local clinic where a nurse jabbed a needle in my arm.
The allergies never went away until I left for college. Suddenly I was in a new environment and not sneezing. After four years of college, new allergies slowly crept into my life.
When I graduated, I moved to North Carolina and voila -- my allergies were gone again. Mostly, at least. Again new allergies popped up, but nothing like before. Probably because I moved around quite a bit. After five years there, Andree and I moved to Texas.
For three golden years I lived allergy free. And again, it was only temporary. You see in Texas they have what's called Cedar Fever. Everyone gets it. I lucked out for a while.
My body has finally succumbed to the allergens. Claritin helps quite a bit and my eyes no longer swell shut. But still.
Allergies suck ass.
Question for comments: Are you allergic to anything?
I was allergic to it all. In spring it was the trees and flowers; the summer, grass; the fall, ragweed. When I was about 10 I tried to get a summer job helping a local farmer bring in hay. My brother and several other boys were working there too.
After 15 minutes in the hay loft, my eyes swelled shut. A few weeks later my mom took me to an allergist. This is a big deal in the country since we had to drive more than an hour to get there.
He pricked my arms about 30 or 40 times with various allergens. All of them reacted. Two-thirds were faint to average. The remaining dozen were bright red, very itchy, nickel-sized circles. The doctor prescribed shots. So once a week for 18 months, I walked from school to a trailer that was a local clinic where a nurse jabbed a needle in my arm.
The allergies never went away until I left for college. Suddenly I was in a new environment and not sneezing. After four years of college, new allergies slowly crept into my life.
When I graduated, I moved to North Carolina and voila -- my allergies were gone again. Mostly, at least. Again new allergies popped up, but nothing like before. Probably because I moved around quite a bit. After five years there, Andree and I moved to Texas.
For three golden years I lived allergy free. And again, it was only temporary. You see in Texas they have what's called Cedar Fever. Everyone gets it. I lucked out for a while.
My body has finally succumbed to the allergens. Claritin helps quite a bit and my eyes no longer swell shut. But still.
Allergies suck ass.
Question for comments: Are you allergic to anything?
2 Comments:
I am allergic to penicillin. I had very bad allergies for many years and shots for at least 10 years (so shut up you whiner), but unlike you, I got lucky. They all seemed to have gone away.
Oh, and I never sneezed. I coughed. I coughed until I wanted to die.
Andree
Nothing like you.... freakazoid!
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