My Allergy Arsenal

In order to help keep my allergies at bay there are several must have products I keep in my allergy arsenal. I have gone through lots of trial and error to find the best combination that what works for me. Here is my arsenal, the best weapons I have found in the fight for allergy relief.

1. Alkalol - As much as I rely on my Sinus Rinse, it is incomplete without a splash of Alkalol. Only add a little bit at first. If you add too much it burns. Add a little and a little more the next time to find the right amount for you. It’s very refreshing!

2. Sinus Rinse by NeilMed - I use the nasal irrigator two times a day. I rinse first thing in the morning and before bed. It has become so ingrained in my daily routine, not rinsing would be as bad as not brushing my teeth.

3. Omnaris - The best nasal spray I have used. It’s gentle, yet gets the job done by greatly reducing swelling in the sinus. I do one squirt in each nostril every morning. To achieve the best results you have the blow in and spray at the same time. That definitely takes some practice.

4. Ayr Saline Nasal Gel - At first the thought of rubbing gel in my nostrils was a gross concept, but the relief it brings is far from it. Be warned the relief does not last all day. It’s best to use in conjunction with rinsing or bedtime. As it feels great after a rinse and is very soothing for sleep.

5. Allegra - This is the holy grail of allergy medicine. Some say there are drawbacks like, it takes a week to get used to and you must take it at the same time every day. Also, you can’t drink juice for a couple hours before or after taking it. But for me the benefits out way any of the cons. No drowsiness, only relief.

As much as these products help, some days there is no relief. I find the more I maintain my routine the hard days become fewer.

The Road to Allergies, Part Two

During my appointments with the ENT, I was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. To top off this diagnosis, I had a severely deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. In a nutshell, no matter what I did for my allergies, I would never truly breathe right due to the structure of my sinuses. Surgery would be the only way to fix this. I was desperate to breathe again and game to do whatever it took.

A year after my endoscopic sinus surgery, I was fully healed and ready to take on the needed pricking to find out what I was allergic to. After a month of testing, I finally had my answers. I had gone into the testing thinking I was allergic to everything edible. For years, I was convinced I was allergic to eggs, when I actually I have a sensitivity to corn. No egg allergies to be found. Plus to top it off I learned, that I should just give up now and move into a bubble. If you can breathe in it, I am allergic to it.

Which leads me to today, I am now two years into immunotherapy, a possibly three year long process. During the first stage, I received two injections a week. I then moved to one injection a week. Next it was every other week and finally one a month. As it has turned out one month wasn’t working out very well for me and now I am back to one every other week. Each injection means a shot in each arm, during every visit. Oh, allergies what I do for you.

The road to discovering my allergies was long and bumpy. I have finally found away to keep the allergy symptoms at bay, for the most part. With this knowledge has come discipline, lots of it and new routines, even more of those. It’s with this blog that I plan to share the rest of the journey with you!

The Road To Allergies, Part One

For a long time allergies were something that happened to other people. Pounding headaches, monthly sinus infections, and swollen hands? Those weren’t allergies, I didn’t have any. It was during my senior year of college and my month long headache that I began to truly wonder what was going on. I had given up on my university’s health center. My patience for being offered acne medication or birth control, when I walked in with a sore throat had worn thin. Like millions in America, I grew up without health insurance. This lack of insurance didn’t exactly inspire a search for a diagnosis. The constant parade of stomach aches, swollen sinuses, and itchy limbs, were all treatable symptoms. So, for times like these it was CVS for me. On one of my visits, I walked away with some generic allergy pill. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention; all I knew was that once I took it my headache was gone!

Upon graduation I scored my first full time job with benefits, health insurance at last! During my first visit with my new primary care physician, I brought up my possible allergies. All I got back was:

My gut wasn’t sold on these tips, but since I was scared to go through with the actual allergy testing I decided to work with what I got. What I ended up getting was more allergic reactions. A year and a half later I landed myself in urgent care. I wasn’t experiencing fully fledged anaphylaxis, but close enough for the doctor to yell at me for not having seen a proper allergist.

The urgent care doctor referred me to a new primary care physician. At this point I was getting sick every few weeks. It felt like my nose had ceased to work. I was not taking in any air through my nostrils, I was falling asleep nightly while watching television on the couch, and only the jaws of life would have been able to remove the scarf I kept around my neck to fend the cold away from my constantly sore throat. This new primary care physician did the best thing any medical professional had done for me up to that point, he referred me to an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor that would be instrumental in changing my life.

I Am On A Mission

Dear allergies, there is no eloquent way to say how I truly feel about you. So, I’ve decided to keep it simple. You suck.

See, my affair with allergies is a torrid one. I so badly want to quit it, but no matter what I try there has been no end. Allergies and I have taken breaks every now and again. Just when I think I can breathe easier, there they are. Whether it’s a raging headache, a painfully stuffy nose, oh and of course the unforgettable itchy hives, I know they’ve returned.

I’ve had surgery to weaken the effects. I’ve given up my favorite foods. And I’ve allowed my arms to become pin cushions. Yet it hasn’t been enough. My allergies have officially reduced me to a walking time bomb of reactions. I hate it, and I’ve had enough. Two years ago, I began immunotherapy. As described by my ENT, it may be my last hope to ever know true relief. Suffering at the hand of allergies is getting a bit ridiculous, and I know I am not the only one.

With every injection, reaction, and day ruined by allergies I hope to learn and pass on what it takes to be rid of the annoyance known as allergies. Because I am on a mission to make the pairing of allergies and suffering a thing of the past, I am learning to love every day with allergies.