Spring's Not-So-Fun Side
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:18 PM
It’s unseasonably warm for Michigan right now, with highs in the 50s all week.
How fondly I remember the springs of my past, when I could enjoy the suddenly warm temperatures, the melted snow trickling along the gutters, the trilling of birds newly-arrived from the south. Early spring, with all its promise, was one of my favorite times of year.
I’ve even managed to enjoy it through the past few years, when it became clear that adulthood had brought me a gift inherited from my mother: allergies. The approach of winter’s end meant I must keep a box of tissues nearby to deal with my watery eyes and runny nose, but I still felt that the warmer weather was worth a little congestion and discomfort.
Unfortunately, over the past year I’ve developed a case of chronic sinusitis. So far my doctor and I have not been able to figure out the cause. Using a neti pot helps some with relieving my symptoms, but I have to do it daily for it to make a difference.
Even more unfortunately, allergy season - previously a time of minor discomfort for me - is now a time of major headaches. Literal ones. I’ve had a little bit of outdoor exposure over the past few days and this morning it felt like an elephant (okay, maybe a baby elephant) was sitting on my forehead. Ibuprofen barely helped, and I’ve been in pain all day. I can’t help but think that my allergies have to be making my sinus pain worse.
Since I’m fairly new to the world of seasonal allergies, having never had them before age twenty-five, I feel like a rookie when it comes to managing my reaction to the outdoors. If you’re a long-time allergy sufferer, what remedies have worked for you? Do I just have to wait it out?
Oh, and if you don’t have advice to share but just want to commiserate about your allergy sufferings, please feel free to do that too!
Print Blog
Email a FriendPost a Comment
By submitting this form, you give Faith And Family Magazine permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.
