Allergies without Antihistamines

Earlier this week, I finally decided that it was time to call anallergist to find out what I'm allergic to. I was told that until myappointment a week from Monday, I wasn't allowed to have anyantihistamines. Considering that I am regularly having fits ofsneezing--mostly in the evening hours--not having antihistamines isjust a wee bit uncomfortable. Apparently they interfere with allergy testing as the linked article explains.

Myallergies are odd. When I lived in California, my allergies mostlyaffected me in the winter. Here in Washington state, my allergiesaffect me in the Spring--a more common time. When I lived in Hawaii, myallergies didn't affect me at all! (There's a solution--move toHawaii!) There are many days where they can be controlled withover-the-counter medications. However, I will have the occasional daywhere nothing I take will have any impact and I spend the day sneezingand blowing my nose.

My whole life, I've never really beenable to pinpoint what triggers my allergies. It's always been a mysteryto me. The timing for my allergies has always been odd. In fact, when Iwas in Florida a few years back, I had by far the worst allergies I canremember since the 5th grade. And they kicked in as we were driving infrom Atlanta. Just shortly after crossing the state line, the sneezingbegan. Things were bad enough that my wife got me to go to a localdoctor to see if I could get some serious drugs for them. He perscribedsomething I had never herad of before: steroids. He gave me a steriodshot, and let me tell you it was by far the best treatment I've everhad for my allergies. Once those bad-boys kicked in, my allergies wentaway. I had two weeks worth of orally-taken steriods perscribed to meto keep me allergy-free until well after I got back home. It sure madethe rest of my vacation much more pleasant.

It will be nice tofind out once and for all what causes my allergies to flare up and getthe appropriate treatment. Hopefully that's what will come out ofvisiting the allergist. Meanwhile, a little bit of suffering.Hopefully, it will be worth it in the end.

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