Monday, December 22, 2014

Flying, new sneezing, and Q+A

(sorry!  I thought I posted this on Sat, but I discovered tonight that I forgot!)

Yay, I am posting for the second time this month!

Monday early morning I am flying back to Seattle for a week to be with my family.  The sucky part is that flying really messes with me cause of my congestion.  I get horrible sinus pain and pressure.  It takes about a day to recover from it.  It hurts as much as having a migraine, and makes me feel nauseous too.  It also makes my ears hurt a lot, and for a day or two I feel off-balance and like my ears are stuffed with cotton. 

Yesterday I discovered a new way of sneezing, lol.  I felt a sneeze fit coming and I was trying to hold back sneezing til I could get to my tissues, and I suddenly started sneezing these really quiet high-pitched sneezes.  I found I could make them happen when I need to sneeze.  The good thing is that they are quiet and they are not snotty at all.  The bad thing is that they just keep going with no stop to them until I let myself sneeze regularly


And I already have two questions, so here we go:

Q: What would you say your worst allergy symptom is...the congestion, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes etc..?
A: It would have to be the sneezing.  Its just crazy how much sneezing I do, its what draws the most attention to my allergies and is the most disruptive, both to me trying to do stuff, and to other people.  It can be really tiring too.

Q: I am sure you have had many terrible allergy days but can you pin point one that was worse than all the rest, and can you tell us about it?
A: I can't think of one that was the worst vs. another very bad allergy day. I'd probably need a bit of prodding and real-time questioning to get that exact, but I can talk a bit about a bad day in general.  When I have a very bad allergy day, I wake up with a long sneezing fit and my eyes are all goopy.  I am just really out of it all day.  Its hard to focus, and I have so many long sneezing fits I am wiped out.  My congestion is really bad and I feel the pressure in my nose and all in my sinuses.  My ears can also feel clogged, and my nose is constantly runny and snotty.  My nose and eyes are all itchy and red, and my eyes r swollen and watery, and I just don't have the energy or ability to do really do anything.  Sorry if I am kinda vague, let me know if you have any follow-up questions.


Be sure to comment and ask questions and feel free to message or e-mail me!  Enjoy the holidays!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Mid Dec. Q+A

I am still so far away from getting to the point where I post once a week.  I think I am lucky to post once/month!

Its wintertime, so my allergies are generally improved, but I still get some bad times/days from random things.  Also, some holiday time things like scents, some trees, etc can give me problems.  Its not usually as bad as other seasons though.  My allergies haven't been too bad lately, but for some reason today they are acting up really badly.

Here are some Qs for me to A:

Q: What do your sneezes sound like? Have you ever considered recording a sneezing fit, for umm.... science?
A: I guess they sound normal?  I am unsure how to describe them.  They are usually a bit on the quiet side, but still loud enough for people to notice.  I have been told my sneezes are 'kinda cute', but they can get intense when I am having a really bad sneezing fit. 

OMG no way would I ever record them!  Its too embarrassing to even just sneeze in front of people.  To have it recorded and around all the time would be bad!

Q: Over the years what tips/tricks have you developed to help deal with your allergies?
A:  I don't really have anything that is an amazing help, other than being able to avoid what I am allergic to, but there are many things that I think help slightly.  Washing clothes often, tying my hair back when I can, avoiding going out at times of day/days when pollen count is high, washing my hair often, I usually use pillow and mattress covers, I usually try to get someone else to do the cleaning, but since Allison is also allergic to dust, we trade off.  I have hepa filters too.

I do other stuff too, but this is what I can think of off the to of my head.  I know I have also tried lots of other things that haven't helped, but I'd really have to try to remember them.  Nothing helps that greatly, but every little bit counts.

Q: Now that winter is starting do you find yourself with less allergy symptoms or does winter bring about new challenges?
A:  Winter is the least worst of the seasons for me, as there isn't any pollen to deal with.  I am still allergic to so many other things, so I still have some allergy problems but not usually as bad as the rest of the year.  I guess the big challenges in the winter is dust tends to get stirred up when all the heating systems come on, so that flares up my allergies at that time.  Also, during the holiday season there are things that I am allergic to: scents, dusty fake trees, possibly mold on real trees, etc. 


I'd love to be able to make another post before the  end of the year, but I can't promise anything.  As usual, feel free to comment and ask questions here and contact me directly too.  The more ideas I get, the easier it is for me to post.

If I do not post again this month, have a great holiday!


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Some dreams and one Q to A

I don't have much to write about, but I didn't want to go so long without another post.

I recently had a dream having to do with my allergies.  I was just doing things in the dream like walking to a store, in a store of some kind, at a friends house, etc.  I didn't have any tissues on me for some reason.  Every time I needed to wipe my nose, blow my nose, have a sneezing fit, etc., someone would come up to me with tissues and do it for me, like hold them to my nose while I was sneezing, wipe my nose when it was runny, etc.  It weirded me out, but I couldn't get anyone to stop doing it or to hand me the tissues instead.  I could talk to them about anything, except abut why they were doing that with the tissues.  The whole dream was just a bunch of that.

I had another weird dream recently.  It had nothing to do with allergies, but I just wanted to post it anyway.  In the dream it was like I was progressing through months of being pregnant in just minutes, and then reversing, and it as going back and forth like that a few times.  I'd suddenly start getting bigger and have to unbutton and unzip my clothes and then when I got so big I had to start taking off my clothes, I started to become 'unpregnant', and when I got back down to my normal size and had to rebutton and such, soon after I'd start to get pregnant again.  Very weird (no, I am not wishing for kids right now, lol).

Not much in the way of questions, but here is what I have:

Q: Earlier, you wrote about the sneezing room. Growing up, did you wish for other ways of dealing with your allergies?
A: I feel like this should be a long and interesting response, but sadly I do not have much else to say.  The only other way I wished for to deal with my allergies that I can remember is not to have them.

Sorry if this post was a bit lame, but I wanted to get something up before TG.

As usual, please make comments and feel free to ask me questions or to contact me.  I'd like to know that more than just a few people are reading!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Sorry it has been so long, and some Q+A

OMG, its been so long since I posted, like about 3 months!  I was waiting for some questions to answer.  I got 2, but then I wanted to wait to see if I got a few more, then I kinda forgot abut posting, then felt bad about not posting, so I started avoiding it for a bit.  I even had a dream I wanted to post about but I have totally forgotten it now.

The late summer/early fall has been horrible for my allergies.  It felt worse than last year I think.  I am very allergic to ragweed, and when my allergies are bad, I react stronger to everything else I am allergic to.  They have been getting better over these last few weeks, but I still have days that are really bad.  Also, heating systems are being turned on, and that moves dust around, which I am also pretty allergic to.

Now for the Q+A:

Q: Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend and how does she/he handle this?
A: Yes.  I have a girlfriend.  Its the best relationship I have had.  Its getting close to 3 years we have been together.  I think part of the reason its so good is that she is extremely understanding of my allergies.  She has allergies herself, although nowhere near as bad as mine and only to a few things.  She is always being helpful and considerate.  She will do things for me when I can't, do her best to help me avoid things I am allergic to, and she is very patient when my allergies are being really bad.  I feel so very lucky to have her, and I am so happy that she feels the same about me :)  I hope that answered the question, let me know if you want to know more.


Q: If you're comfortable answering this…is intimacy difficult with you SO because of your allergies? I imagine feeling like you're on the verge of sneezing while making out would be distracting...
A:  This is one of the things she is very patient about.  Sometimes just my allergies being so bad makes me not be in the mood for anything.  Being so congested makes it hard to be kissing for any length of time, cause I have to stop to take a breath.  If I am sneezing a lot, it obviously also makes kissing and making out difficult.  If my nose is being very snotty, I get too worried my nose will be messy too.  When my allergies are acting up, sometime we have to pause for me to deal with a sneezing fit or something, and sometimes I just am unable to be as active as I'd like to be when we are being intimate.  Allison is really my first SO that hasn't gotten upset about it and she is always understanding about it, and really tries to accommodate me.

I am sorry I took so long to make this post.  I really hope people are still reading it.  I guess if I get more people reading, people will give me more idea of what to post and more questions to answer.  So please let people know about my blog and please give me ideas and questions.  As usual, feel free to e-mail or message me on yahoo messenger.  I also use msn messenger/skype, but yahoo is easier for me.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

End of July Q+A

I don't have much to add to this post, other than the questions I recently got, so here we go.

Q: Often when I'm walking out in to the sunlight I will start sneezing from the light, it's like when the sunlight hits my eyes it triggers a sneeze immediately. Does looking at sunlight make you sneeze too?  
A:  I think it might, but I sneeze so much anyway that its hard to tell.  There are so many things outside that make me sneeze, that I don't know if the sun is doing it or not.
Q: Does your significant other (if you have one) bless you? I finally asked mine just to not bother and not even comment or say anything. It's more comfortable for me that way because I don't feel so aware.
A: Same as you.  She used to early on, but I asker her not to, for the same reasons.  I don't like so much attention being brought to it, and it would be crazy to hear so many blesses even in one day!

Q: Later on in my sneezing fits, after they start to slow down a bit, I find I have a lot of 'false start' sneezes, where at the very last second the need to sneeze goes away. It's really frustrating because I don't get the relief from that build-up. It's also embarrassing around others because I can sit there with my breath hitching over and over. Do you ever get these?
A: I don't usually get them at the end of fits.  I get them when my congestion is really bad and I need to start a fit.  I get all these build-ups and false starts before the fits start.  I find it embarrassing too, sitting there hitching over and over and someone asking something like 'whats the matter?' 


Wow, these answers were kinda short, sorry about that but I guess the questions didn't need long answers.  I am happy to answer follow-up questions if anyone has any.

As usual, feel free to contact me with questions so I can keep posting, or just to chat.  yahoo messenger and e-mail is usually best.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Sneezing room and an allergy dream

When I was in high school I used to always wish something I called a 'sneezing room' existed.  They are small rooms, sound-proof, with a small bench or chair, a few boxes of tissues and a sink.  This way I could go in there, not be disturbed when I am having an allergy attack or sneezing fit, and noone would see or hear it.

Last week I had a weird dream about my allergies.  My nose was really long, longer than my arm.  My nose was being very drippy, but I couldn't do much about it because my nose was too long.  Everyone was telling me that if I sneezed, it would stop.  I told them I didn't want to sneeze, but they kept doing things to make me start sneezing, then right as I was about to start sneezing they all told me not to sneeze and someone would grab and squeeze closed the end of my nose.  It was very uncomfortable for me, and then when the feeling of needing to sneeze went away, they person would let go of my nose.  Then when it started dripping again, they started to tell me to sneeze again, etc.  That cycle went on a few times before I woke up.

I had another allergy dream recently but I can't remember it.

Please be sure to send me questions to answer, and feel free to contact me to chat on e-mail or yahoo messenger, or possibly skype.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Late June Q+A

I am sorry again for waiting so long between posts.  My allergies have been really horrible this spring and summer.  I think its the worst it has ever been!

Since it has been a while, there are a good number of questions for me to answer now:

Q:Do you remember your worst allergy day/period in your life since 14? Can you describe it?
A: Probably this spring/summer.  I have constant full congestion, I feel like I am always about to sneeze, and I have very long fits, my nose and sinuses and eyes are itchy and all red.  My nose runs like crazy and its hard to get things done or even sleep well.

Q:How do you cope with the allergy symptoms when you need to meet someone important when you have a bad allergy, or you just stay at home?
A: I stay at home if at all possible.  If I HAVE to go, I suffer though it the best I can, feeling very embarrassed the whole time.

Q:How much tissues do you take to go out on your typical allergy day(like a box, or a few packs)?
A: If possible, I'll take a box and a few packs.  I'll always put packs in pockets, etc.  If I have a bag big enough, I'll take a box too.

Q:I'm wondering what your sneeze sounds like, if you listen there are so many ways people sneeze, there is the big plain EHOO and the HITshoo and just TCHH with no 'oo'. And then there are the more high pitched girly ones like etCheeeeewww (high pitched). I know you try to be less noticeable so I'm wondering which one you try for.
A: I have a hard time describing it.  Each sneeze is not big-sounding.  I guess its closest to 'ha-chew' or 'hit-chew'.  I guess its kinda 'girly' but not super-high pitched.

Q:Have you ever sneezed while a dentist is doing work in your mouth? I've always wondered how you let them know you are going to sneeze if you can't talk!
A: I haven't been to the dentist that much and I have never though about it.  Now I have something else to worry about!  lol.

Q:Do you have the worst allergies of anyone you know or is there someone else who suffers from allergies worse than yours
A: Yes, I haven't met anyone who has allergies near as bad as mine.  I have run into one or 2 people online who seemed to have them almost as bad as me, but I haven't heard from them in a long time.


Thanks for the questions.  Please keep asking me more, and feel free to contact me and chat a bit.  I am kinda stuck lately not being able to do much, so I'd love the company!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

End of April Q+A

This spring has really been miserable for me so far.  My allergies have been getting really bad.  Tried a new med, but its not making anything better.  I have 2 questions to answer.


Q: How do you deal with nose irritation from all the moisture of a runny nose? I imagine after a while your nose must become very raw and painful. Do you use things like Vaseline or those fancy aloe tissues?
A: My nose gets really red, like right now.  There isn't too much I can do about it, so it does get pretty irritated.  I have tried creams and such but it all gets wiped off too quickly to do anything.  I can only use plain tissues.  I have found I am allergic to something in the lotion tissues and extra-soft tissues.
 
Q: You've said before that on a bad allergy day you can easily use an entire box of tissues. What do you do when you're out? Do you carry multiple pocket packs in your purse? Keep a spare box in the car?
A: I try to never run out.  I keep tissues everywhere, like in different rooms, in my pockets and bag, and car, etc.  For the times I do run out, I have used napkins, paper towels, etc. and if I get really desperate I have used paper, a towel, a shirt.  My nose can get snotty really easily and I hate for anyone to see my nose so snotty.

I am really totally out of ideas on what to write about, so please keep questions coming.  Feel free to talk to me directly too if you want.  yahoo messenger or e-mailing my hotmail is best.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Q+A for begining of April

Even though the weather has been up and down temperature-wise, the last few weeks my allergies have been getting pretty bad from the tree pollens I think.  I don't have much else to say that I can think of right now, so I will answer a few questions I was sent.


Q: What's the worst allergy day that you can remember, how did you deal with it?
A:
I remember a few.  No breaks in sneezing all day, totally congested and a runny mess and eyes and nose itch and burn like crazy, etc.  The only way I have been able to deal with them is to just do nothing.  I can't even really get out of bed on a day like that, even things like eating and drinking is hard.

Q: Do you remember the longest time that you call sick from school and stay at home because of allergies? After the leave, how do you catch back the stuffs at school?
A: I don't think I have been out more than a couple of days in a row.  Of course it can happen numerous times without many days in-between.  Its hard to catch up on stuff.  At times of the semester that my allergies aren't too bad, I try to get as much work done as possible so I do not fall too far behind during bad allergy times.  I also am lucky in that I have an advisor that is very understanding and helpful in getting me more time to finish things when I need.

Q: You have once said that you suffered from runny nose. How constantly do you need to wipe your nose with tissues? How runny nose interferes with your life?
A: Some days are worse than others, but I always have tissues with me.  I put a lot of effort into making sure no-one sees my nose being snotty, so it can be kind of tiring.  It can slow me down, especially if its very runny because one hand is often occupied wiping my nose, or holding a tissue to my nose.  I wipe my nose often, so some days my nose can get pretty irritated.  Sometimes I have to be careful about leaning forward, as a bunch can spill out quickly.  Its frustrating when my nose runs on something too.

Q: Which period (like march to ...) in the year do you suffer the most? How do you cope with it? ( For example preparing tons of tissues everywhere you pass by, prevent going out during high peaks of the day, wearing masks when going out,e.t.c)
A: probably mid-April to sometime in June, and then August through October.  I keep tissues all over the place, and keep as many on me as possible.  I try to avoid going out, etc when I can, but sometimes I try anyway because I don't want to be stuck doing nothing all the time.  Not much I do seems to make a difference.  For me, wearing a mask is a bad idea.  Having a runny nose in a mask is annoying at the least, and having long sneezing fits in a mask is really bad.   


As usual, please keep questions and ideas coming.  Also, feel free to say hi or chat if you want.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Sinus ramblings and Q+A

I keep wanting to post weekly, and it ends up being monthly.  Sorry! 

One thing I was recently thinking about is my sinuses.  Along with lots of nasal congestion, I have sinus congestion.  I usually feel it as varying degrees of pressure, much like the nasal congestion.  It can become sinus pain when my allergies are bad and it can make me feel dizzy, or cause pain on bending over, etc. when my allergies are bad too.  For some reason however I am lucky in that I rarely get sinus infections.

I have tried many things to help it, and most don't work.  Doing some kind of steam type thing, like long hot shower or in a steamy bathroom, etc. is about the only thing that helps, and it doesn't last very long after I am out.  I have tried a neti pot a number of times, but the water will never come out of my nostril.  The most I have ever gotten was a few drops, and the neti pot usually sends me into sneezing fits.  Another thing I kept trying over and over again was getting sinus massage.  Many people always told me how helpful they are and I had tried many different people who do it, but every time it either made my sinuses worse or sent me into allergy attacks.  Its annoying that I have totally different reactions to things than most people.

That's just something I was thinking about so I figured I would share.  I have a couple of questions to answer too:

Q:Have your allergies gotten worse with age?
A: Yes, to a point.  for about the first 5 years or so of having allergies (about 13 yrs old to 17/18 yrs old) they got progressively worse. After that, they don't seem to have gotten much worse, although I sometimes do discover something else I didn't know I was allergic too.  That I think is more about not encountering it before or not knowing I was encountering it before more than developing a new allergy.


Q:If you could get rid of just one allergy what would it be?
A: That's a hard choice between cats and ragweed.  They are 2 of my worst allergies.  I love cats and would love to be able to have one or 2 again.  But at the same time, its often possible to avoid cats.  Ragweed however can't be avoided and it cause me a whole lot of suffering.  If I was to be practical, I would probably have to say ragweed, although if I could say all pollens that would be a better choice!

Thank you again for the questions.  Please keep them coming so I can make more posts!  And as usual, feel free to e-mail me or IM me on yahoo if you want to chat.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Early Feb. Q+A

I am happy that I got a few questions pretty quickly.  It gives me something to write about!

Q:You said that you use lots of tissues a day. How many tissues do you use each day for your allergy?
A: I never took exact count, but sometimes I can easily go through a box in a day.  When my allergies are bad I have to be using a tissue pretty much constantly, and at those times my sneezing fits can be very messy.

Q:If you need to stay outside for some reason on a high pollen count day, how will you cope with it?
A: It gets bad for me on high pollen days if I am stuck outside.  I become unable to function pretty quickly.  I end up just sitting and sneezing like crazy, etc.  It even becomes pretty hard to communicate.  I have had a few times where someone was trying to be of help, and I ended up being stuck outside longer because I couldn't tell them I needed to go inside.

Q:You have once said that your allergy interferes your daily life. How do you manage your time in studying, especially ragweed, which worsen your allergy problems?
A: I try to get as much work and studying, etc done at the times my allergies aren't too bad.  Thats why i tend to do better in school at the end of the fall semester and the beginning of spring semester, when there isn't much pollen around.  During ragweed season, which overlaps with the beginning of the fall semester, I am often useless for studying and I have to miss class often, etc.  I have luckily been able to make stuff up, and stretch things out, etc.  If it wasn't for my allergies, I'd be getting through my program much quicker.

Q:Do you find you have difficulty falling asleep because of your sneezing? Is it hard to lie down with the congestion and how do you deal with that? Are you able to get rest?
A: Often times, yes.  Trying to get sleep with congestion, sneezing, and runny nose can be impossible.  I tend to sleep with my head propped up a bit, so that helps, but not always the most comfortable.  When my allergies are bad, I often don't get much sleep.  I'll tend to doze off for short times all though the day and night.

Q:Do you take daily medication for your allergies and does it seem to help at all? 
A: Yes, I take a number of things, but they don't help too much.  My doc will sometimes switch things up to see if some combination helps more.  It certainly doesn't get rid of my allergies, but at least during some of the year it does take the edge off enough to help me be functional.


Keep those questions/ideas coming please!  And thanks for reading my blog.  As always, feel free to say hi.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Short dream and Q+A

Wow, its been so long again since I have posted.  I really want to post more, its just that I can't think of much and I keep putting it off.  I had a dream two nights ago that had a part to do with allergies, and I have a question to answer, so here we go!

I know I was having a few dreams, but this one part I remembered.  For some reason, my nostrils were huge, like 2 or 3 inches wide.  They were full of snot and I was having a hard time keeping it from gushing out, as all I had was a small tissue.  I was in a big house and I kept going from room to room to find a place to blow my nose before everything gushed out.  Every room I went into had people in them and I was too embarrassed to blow my nose in front of anyone.

Ok, that's all of the dream I remember.  Here is the very short Q+A:

Q: Do you remember how long is your longest sneezing fit? After having these huge attacks, how do you feel? 
A: Oh I have had some be very very long.  Its not common, but its gone into the hundreds at least.  After any long attack, not even in the hundreds I feel totally wiped out/exhausted, and sometimes my muscles can feel sore.  I have even passed out from sneezing so much, if the fit won't let me get air in.  That tends to make the fit stop though, lol.

Thanks for the few of you who keep reading.  Please ask me questions/give me ideas for posts, and feel free to say hi if I am online.