I think I can feel them coming.
The weather”s been so bizarre this year. They are drawing nigh.
The Allergies.
Every spring, for as long as I can remember, I”ve suffered from seasonal allergies. During my childhood and teens, they were incredibly severe. I would regularly go home early from school during allergy season because they simply knocked me out. I could not function.
Those cursed sneezes. They seemingly never stopped. And when they did, an evil itch crept up my nasal cavity until it all started again.
I”ve lost many a battle to them. Aided by my trusty prescription Claritin in my teen years, I was able to gain the upper hand, only losing when I was late in taking it or if I up and forgot to take it.
As I became a young adult, they began to lose strength. Claritin became over-the-counter and I found myself trying to wean myself off of it. It was met with mixed results. Some days all was fine; on others, the itch would return.
One year I decided to switch to Zyrtec. A small bombardment of commercials for the brand got me to try it. It has seemingly worked well, controlling my allergies.
But I”ve found my allergies are hardly a problem anymore.
I admit, because of my past with them, I was quite worried about going through my first Lake County spring last year. It rained an awful lot last year, and that always means the pollen and dust count increases. I was prepared for an unwanted blast from the past.
But I don”t remember it coming.
I seem to have outgrown or adapted to my allergies. That blows my mind.
A similar thing has occurred with my sensitivity to seasonal colds and the flu.
I was a very sickly child. I regularly came down with ear infections, colds and the flu. I can remember having a very thick medical file from numerous visits to the doctor.
The ear infections were the first to go in my teens sometime. The sensitivity to colds and the flu stuck around into my 20s, until recently.
Within the last two years, I seem to only get sick once or twice throughout the year.
I can remember numerous weeklong ordeals with illnesses. Now, I seem to be quite sick for only one to two days total, and able to function nearly the whole time.
While I”m slightly baffled by these developments, I”m very much on board with whatever is happening.
In the last few days, I”ve really noticed the insects returning. This was always the first sign. My windshield is currently splattered with bugs; a sure sign spring is on its way.
I”m still on alert. This year”s weather was so dry, and then so wet. It”s making me pay extra attention to my breathing for any signs of tightness in my chest, another warning sign. Once I feel that, that itch is sure to follow.
I know I”m not alone. An estimated 60 million people suffer from allergies and asthma, something else I”ve outgrown.
For all you seasonal allergy sufferers out there, here”s to this allergy season being a light one for all. May your eyes not water and turn red, may your sneezes be few.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
