So the husband and I went in for our allergy testing this morning. While he is no doubt more allergic than I, I do experience some spring-time misery. I spend minimal time outside in the spring to avoid the crushing sinus headache that always hits once I’ve hit my limit; in bad tree-pollen years, such as we had a few years back, just walking to and from the car is enough to do the damage.
Turns out, after 52 scratch tests and 7 injection tests, that I am allergic to nothing. nada. There was no swelling or itching, just cute little pink dots at each of the test sites.
On the other hand, after 52 scratch tests and 3 injections tests, the husband is allergic to EVERYTHING. Trees, grass, weeds, mold, dust mites, and cats. Yeah, cats – like the two little darlings that sleep in the room with us every night, and who are unlikely to be banished anytime soon due to the husband’s general, um, pushover nature when it comes to the cats.
So the husband will soon be starting his allergy shot regimen, going in weekly for the next 6 months, to hopefully be desensitized to all of the ‘poisons’ that are currently plaguing him. After 6 months, he has 4 and a half years of monthly visits to look forward to. After a year, though, he should see a significant reduction in his allergies, and should be able to tone down the meds he needs to take.
I, on the other hand, suffer from a malady known as ‘non-allergic rhinitis.’ Which basically means I have all the same symptoms – runny nose, itchy throat, congestion, sinus headache – but not for the same reason. My nose is extra-sensitive, and anything sets it off. Like, say, huge amounts of tree pollen floating through the air. Or the dust in my office – my coworkers have given up on the ‘bless-yous’, seeing as I’m just a fit of sneezes all day long.
My treatment involves a lifetime of nasal sprays and neti-pots. There is no way to train my nose to give it up already. [sigh] Though, at least now I know I can give up the anti-histamines, seeing as I don’t seem to be having a histamine response. [achoo!] Excuse me.