My pal Brian said that because of all the hostile, freezing weather we’ve had this winter in certain parts of the country, we’re in for one hell of an allergy season this year. Boy is he right! Here in San Diego, we didn’t even have that “when hell freezes over weather” that they had in the rest of the country. In fact, it was probably one of the mildest winters on record, with scant to no rain.
Yet I’m feeling the allergies coming on like nobody’s business. In fact it’s so bad I’m awake at 2 in the morning having already used up one box of Kleenex, rubbed two jars of Mentholatum ointment on my nose, and downed enough Benadryl to make me drowsy for a month. All to no avail.
Allergies can be ruthless and when they come on, it’s no laughing matter. So I reckon Brian is right. A real know-it-all that Williams kid is. It’s not for nothing that he has his own nightly news show on NBC. One could say he’s the only anchor I tether my anchor to.
But seriously, not since I lived on the east coast have I had it this bad, and it’s a good thing you didn’t know me then. When I lived in Boston and then near Baltimore, I’d get an attack of allergies so bad it was downright debilitating. Like I couldn’t get out of bed because I just couldn’t function, and there weren’t enough tissues in the world to satisfy this nose of mine. That’s how bad it was. Which meant I’d have to hunker down in the face of abject misery, staying indoors and praying every night for the end of summer and subsequently, relief.
In fact, if I’d own stock in Kleenex I would’ve gotten rich based solely on my own usage of the product.
A runny nose, eyes so teary they stung, and the unrelenting heat and humidity that burrowed itself into my pores, left me downright irritable.
Make that irritable with a capital “I.”
Sometimes it was so bad I wanted to shoot my nose off and rip my eyes out of their sockets. My nose so filled with snot, I felt like I was drowning in it, and I was having the kind of incessant sneezing that causes so much pain in your chest you can’t cough or even laugh because it feels like you’re gonna split open if you do. Not that you’d want to laugh, mind you. Cause like I said, allergies are no laughing matter.
Turns out, I’m allergic to summer–grass, trees, pollen and basically the outdoors. Don’t invite me on any picnics. Forget romping through the tall grass and picking dandelions. All these things are to me like Kryptonite is to Superman.
Of course I blame my mother. As a kid, I didn’t know the ways of the world. No one ever told me allergies existed, and every spring she would insist I tend the garden with her. I hated gardening but I didn’t realize why. I assumed everyone would have sneezing and coughing fits when gardening. My mother would watch me and not say a word. Maybe she figured I’d eventually build up an immunity. Fat chance.
So there I was, digging up dirt and planting tulip bulbs, pulling weeds and, as I did, little did I know I was inhaling all this stuff that was killing me. I was swallowing my very own Kryptonite, hand over fist, and all the while I was in agony. But I kept at it because that’s what I was told to do. My brothers didn’t have allergies yet they didn’t have to garden. It was girls’ work, which made it mine by default. Suffer the fools, that’s what.
Watch out. Here comes pollen hell!
One of the reasons I live in San Diego is because allergies don’t bother me as much here. But lately when I do get a bad allergy day in San Diego, I worry. With climate change, am I going to start having more crippling allergy attacks?
Oh and before anyone tells me I should be tested, or I should take this pill or that one, or sign up for injections, believe me, I’ve tried it all. It’s no good. I have an allergy that is immune to all that. I carry a virus or bacteria or what have you that, if it left me, would wipe out the world. So don’t even think about it.
Ah…ah…ah….CHOO!
Well, you know what they say. Misery loves company. So how about it? Anyone else have allergies and is willing to commiserate?
Monica's Tangled Web 
For those of us back East, rumor has always had it that San Diego has the best climate year-round. Those of us back East also tend to forget that you do have seasonal changes. Sorry you’re suffering . . . even if it is in beautiful (mostly sunny) southern California.
Oops I hit reply before I finished my sentence …
What I wanted to say was that the non drowsy claim is untrue because every over the counter antihistamine puts me to sleep, I’ve given up and the herbal remedy seems to be working as long as I take it regularly. If only there was just the one thing I could take to alleviate all symptoms.
As I finally catch up with your post Monica, I am digging into my eyes to stop them from itching. Eye drops – useless, nasal spray – a thing of the past, Zirtec, Benadryl and children’s Claritin all make me dopey. I have now resorted to carrying wet wipes so my nose isn’t dry, peeling & unattractively red; which it is constantly.
I am so sick of not being able to breathe through my nostrils and have my mouth open, so much so that when I run, I am certain, I swallow bugs – gross. I have now developed a little exercise induced asthma – I am defiant, in that I refuse to allow my blocked nostrils and breathing keep me from being outdoors. Although the outdoors is currently winning. Sigh.
I wish we could meet up and commiserate. These allergies aren’t going anywhere. The only thing I’ve found is that a little wine keeps the allergies away temporarily. Well, we could sip it all day, but that would not bode well for us.
Maybe the wine idea isn’t a, ahem, practical one, but we could have a lot of fun trying to be cured, don’tcha think? 😉 In any case, I’d love to meet up and commiserate. By the way, have you tried Nasonex? I must admit, I generally don’t like taking any drugs of any kind on a regular basis, but my doctor said I have to use the nasal spray everyday in order for it to be effective. And she was right, I think, because I haven’t had an attack since I started using it. And you know we’ve been having the worst Santa Ana’s, so that’s saying a lot.
Darn it, wine would have been fun.. I do use Nasonex and these eye drops- Alaway… Which like Nasonex needs to be used everyday. I also use something called Sabadil a herbal supplement which doesn’t put me to sleep unlike all the others that claim to be non- drowsy but act
I am so sorry, allergies are the worst. Everyone is different and what works for some people simply flies right over the next. The best seasons of the year cripple those who suffer and worse yet with what is happening to our climate it truly is getting worse, this is what I believe anyway.
All I can offer you? Spend the extra cents on good Kleenex so you aren’t rubbing your nose raw. Try some natural remedies, not to make the allergies go away but to at least ease your suffering a little tiny bit. I don’t have the solutions but some research maybe?
Thanks for the tips. When it comes to allergies, I only buy the best tissues. For me, that’s Kleenex. But it’s another reason I apply Mentholatum to my nose. It keeps the skin lubricated, and helps me breathe. And yes, you hit the nail on the head. At it’s worse, allergies can be crippling. Sigh.
Yes, I’m STUFFED up all the time. It’s embarrassing as hell.
xx Wanna get together for a Pity Party? Xxx
Yes, I’d love a Pity Party? You’re place or mine? Meet you in one hour! 😉
Sorry to hear you’re suffering. It’s no fun and I can attest. And the Benadryl’s not working? Hmmm…Wish I could help but that Benadryl works fine for me. You may need to wear a space suit. You should be able to go in the garden with that.
Totsy,
Someone told me, for Amy medication to really work, you’ve got to take it regularly, even when you don’t have the allergies. Actually it was my doctor who told me that, when I told her the Nasonex spray wasn’t working. So now I’m taking it every day. We’ll see…
Bless your sneezing heart, Monica. I’m one of those fortunate few who has never had any allergies. I know. Don’t kill me.
Of Lexington, Kentucky, where we last lived, everyone says, “If you didn’t have allergies before you moved here, you will have them afterward.” Still, I was never afflicted.
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
Lucky, lucky you, Kathy. I wish I never knew the meaning of allergies. But come to think of it: at least I don’t get migraines. My daughter does and they can be as debilitating as allergies, from what I’ve seen.
I wonder if that’s why I’ve been coughing so much lately, especially today, it’s non-stop guttural, from the chest. If it’s allergies, that sure would explain a lot.
And Karen, it was so HOT today. Shades of things to come. I bet that’s what you had with the cough. It’s certainly been bugging me these last few days, that’s for sure,
Poor Monica, I can empathize. I didn’t have allergies growing up, but as soon as I moved away — BOOM, there they were! I endured them for several years before finally consulting an allergist and getting on sublingual drops designed to neutralize the bad effects. That must’ve worked, because now I take Allegra year-round and seem to be coping relatively well. It’s not fun having allergies, though, and this year really IS supposed to be miserable for most folks. Everything blooming at the same time is to blame.
Debbie,
You and my pal, Brian, must be on the same wave length. He totally agrees with you. I’m glad you found the cure, I’m still waiting for mine. Sigh.
I’m mostly allergic to Midwestern prairie plants and up to now I’ve managed okay in San Diego. But this year is different. I’m starting to sniffle and have that itchy eye feeling. I love to garden and spend time outdoors, so I hope this isn’t a sign that I’m developing west coast allergies now, too. I feel for you!
Sounds like you’re getting them, too, Shary. Brace yourself. Seems to come out with the heat and if today is any indication, we’re in for one long, hot summer!
In your 100s of things, have you tried Linden Flower Infusion? (Made like tea from dried flowers)
Not familiar with it, Jodi, but will be sure to look into it. Thanks for the tip!
I’m allergic to everything as well, with asthma besides. The allergy shots haven’t cured me by any stretch but they have kept me out of the hospital. it seems to get worse every year. In my case I’m beginning to think if it’s not one thing it’s the other. If it’s not dust it’s mold, if it’s not pollen it’s dander. I do live in the “hell freezes over” north and my eyes itch this week too.
I remember as a kid, Lisa, I had an asthma attack. It was awful, gasping for air. My parents were in a panic but they didn’t know what to do for me. Finally they called the doctor. Don’t remember what happened after, but luckily it never happened again.
I do!!! But in the spring and summer, not in the winter. I sneeze literally a dozen or more times a day. My classmates find it a tad bit odd and have told me a myriad of times to visit a doctor, but alas, I’ve just lived with having to carry half a Kleenex box in my pocket at any given time..
I know what you mean. I often suffer through it, rather than take a pill, because I swear they just don’t work on me anyway. But, allergies really are a miserable experience. Like they say, wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Thanks for your comment!
Allergies are nothing to be sneezed at……..
Though thankfully I don’t seem to suffer from any, but those that do have my sympathy.
My eyes itch so bad. I literally bathe my eyes upstairs and downstairs. Like not being able to pass up a water fountain, I can’t pass up a sink to bathe those stinking, itchy eyes. I keep a stack of fresh new washcloths by the sinks and toss them into the washer daily. Like you, I just want relief.
I do, but not as bad 🙂
Itchy eyes make me crazy!
Itchy eyes are the worst!