Why I Hate Allergies

Hello everyone!

Recently I went to the allergist because I had an allergic reaction to who knows what that wasn't going away. I've had allergic reactions before, but they usually went away after I took a Benadryl. Or, if the hives and rash from the reaction were persistent, my doctor would give me a round of prednisone and the rash and symptoms would be gone. But not this time.

Nothing was working. All Benadryl was doing was making me sleepy, and the prednisone would make it go away before promptly coming back. So, my doctors decided that it was time to see an allergist. Joy.

For three days before my visit to the allergist, I couldn't take any antihistamines. Which means no allergy medication. No Benadryl, no Zyrtec, nothing. It was awful. By the time I got to the allergist, I wanted to tear my skin off. Literally. I thought I couldn't be any itchier. Boy was I wrong.

When I finally saw the allergist, he had me scratch tested on my forearms. This is where things get really bad.

I reacted to almost everything, which my made my arms itch and swell like crazy. Even my face started to swell from the scratch test. The worst part was I couldn't touch my forearms for 15 minutes. 15 minutes of wanting to dig my nails into my skin and just rip it off. Not fun.

After those agonizing 15 minutes, my allergist finally came in and read my arms for allergies. The result? I am allergic to:

• Peanuts. No going nuts for me. Not unless I want to explode into a balloon and tear off my skin.

• Horses. No majestic riding into the sunset for me. It's so bad I can't even go down the same street as a horse without exploding. Want to go to Dunkin Donuts? Oh no sorry I can't, some guy has a horse-drawn carriage on the same street. It also really sucks because my aunt has a horse and I have actually learned how to ride a horse. I just had to take a Benadryl before and after the lesson and shower the instant I get home.

• Dogs and cats. And I know what your thinking: Jenn, you have a dog and a cat? Do you have to give them up? The answer is no. My reaction was only mild. It's mild enough that as long as cat hair doesn't get on my face, I'll be fine. Plus, an allergy pill everyday will keep me from experiencing symptoms. 

• Several (and when I say several, I mean at least 8) different types of tree pollen, which are most prominent in the springtime. Looks like I just gained another reason to hate the spring.

• Several types of mold prominent in the fall. (Sorry there is no picture they were all really nasty and gross.) Guess what? I hate the fall too.

And there is probably more too! The scratch test just tested for environmental things. (We threw the peanuts in there because we already knew I was allergic to peanuts. And we were right.) Now my allergist wants me to get a patch test to test for other things I could be allergic to. And that involves getting stickers on my back for two days. Oh, more joy!

That was total sarcasm by the way.

From my itchy, scratchy corner to yours,

Jennifer Whyskers