Take that Allergies!

I have suffered from allergies my entire life. I remember the day of my first Communion I sneezed and gross snot was covered in my white lace gloves that my mom spent a pretty penny on.  ALLERGIES ARE TERRIBLE. As I got older I got used to being very excited that Fall was coming but nervous because I knew I was bound to get a sinus infection and feel terrible for the next few months.

This year my Allergies were even worse. Typically I suffer more in the Fall but really any change in the season causes me displeasure. I went to the doctor four times in the month of September and ended up with an inhaler, antibiotics, nasal spray and antihistamines (sp)? My doctor recommended for me to be tested to see exactly what I was allergic to. I had wanted to get tested years ago but was told I needed to be staying and living in one city for two years before I could test.  During college I was back and forth and all over the place sometimes for months at a time due to breaks. Now that I had been living in San Antonio for two years it was a good time for allergy testing.

I was tested for airborne and molds that are common in the area. I was tested for 48 different things ranging from molds to cockroaches-yes cockroaches! EW! The allergist had what looked like all these vials of oil that she put into my arm just by touch-not injections.  I had bumps all over my arms and I felt extremely itchy within seconds.  I had to wait 15 minutes before they would stop the test and luckily I had paper work to fill out to keep my mind off of the itching.

 Once canceled, the allergist removed the oils off and measured the bump size where I had positive reactions. A definite positive sign is a bump that looks similar to a mosquito bite that is around 5 mm big. I had some that measures 17-23 mm big! My biggest things that I was allergic to were cedar, bermuda grass(that is the grass that is like EVERYWHERE) and molds from dead grasses,plants and fruit. The allergist told me she had never seen anyone allergic to so many molds. I tested positive for 12 out of the 14 molds.

 Lets just say I was a great candidate for immunotherapy!

The allergist took the top 10 Airbornes and top 10 molds that I was allergic to and made my diluted vials.  I was trained for three sessions on how to give myself the injections and at first I thought " Man, there is no way I am going to be able to give myself a shot!" However, I have been and it has been simple. I give myself two injections every other day.

I have one of those red containers to put my syringes in and my mom got me a package of alcohol swabs.  I have an epi pen in case there is every a bad reaction where I am unable to breathe and Holland and my portable suite mate know what to do in case I ever cross that bridge which I HOPE I NEVER DO.

The vials of diluted allergens will increase over time as my body builds up immunity towards it. My doctor recommended to do this for a year- possibly two. I am thinking of doing it as long as I can so the effects will last longer as well.

If you are in San Antonio and looking for an allergist let me know! I have had a very positive experience so far and I hope that next Fall I won't be losing my voice and feeling terrible from my favorite season coming in.