Hi All!
Ten years ago, when Hubby and I moved to Texas, I accused him of moving us to Hell. Why? Well, we moved in September and the temperatures were still in the 100s! Compared to mild Ohio weather, that seemed like Hell to someone who doesn't like heat (me). Little did I know that there was more to come.
Hubby has always had allergies. In Ohio they were annoying but not really too bad. Once we moved to Texas, however, they began to increase in intensity and duration, much to his disgust. Me - I had never experienced allergies in Ohio. After about a year in Texas I noticed that I got a "cold" every year around the same time. As time went on these "colds" got worse each year. Finally, I talked to a doctor and was informed that I didn't have a cold, I had allergies.
Allergies???? I didn't know what to do with that information since I had never experienced allergies before. With Hubby's help I found some meds that made my yearly allergy experience bearable. Then we started to ponder just what I could be allergic to.
On the news here they always give you a pollen and mold count. I didn't think that was odd at all because every channel did it. Hubby and I started paying attention and narrowed my irritants down to . . . Mountain Cedar. Each time Mountain Cedar numbers started to rise I got a stuffed nose. Each and every time. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was the cause of my suffering.
Well, this year has seen my allergies at the worst that they have ever been. My nose clogs, I sneeze (which, by the way, is messing with my throat and my voice), I have drainage (lovely to talk about, isn't it?) and coughing related to the drainage. What fun!
In the past three days I have added a new symptom to my allergy arsenal - headaches. I wake up with a headache. I end the day with a headache. It is not a good thing. I know the headaches are allergy related and not migraine breeders (thank goodness) because of their location and the fact that when I take allergy meds again, they go away. Each time the meds start to wear off - headache!
This year I found out some very interesting facts about the "hell" Hubby and I live in. Not only are the temps HOT in the summer but, apparently, the area is at a convergence of five (count them - FIVE) major "allergy zones." Allergens from five different "high concentration" areas blow.drift, waft, migrate to exactly the area where we live. GREAT! This explains why Hubby's allergies are a billion times worse here than in Ohio AND why I have allergies now when I never did before.
My problem is that a major concentration of Mountain Cedar, located in the Austin area, always sends pollen and allergens north during this time of the year. The problem goes as far north as northern Oklahoma. Super!
I think I will just buy stock in allergy meds and Kleenex.
Trisha
Voice Update: Not too bad considering all the allergy junk going on. Each time I sneeze, it hurts my throat and my voice is a bit rough for a few minutes. Not good. I didn't do my massage yesterday - I don't really know why. I think I was just tired and distracted (I spent about 3 hours in the ASL lab). I am determined not to forget today!
2 comments:
Northern California in an ag area is also hell on the allergies. I am dreading the Spring to no end! It's awful taking the pills that then dry you out so, so much.
Tulsa's one of the worst places in the nation for allergies. My Hunny had horrid problems when we first moved - the whole first year. Then he started eating a teaspoon of honey a day from local bee farms and the allergies stopped. Something about the histamines the bees create from the local pollen combating the allergens.
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