Thursday, December 3, 2015
Just a quick note
I wanted to let everyone know I am sorry its been a while since I posted. I was planning on making one today, but things got busy. I am hoping to have time to make a post tomorrow sometime. I have plenty of questions to answer, but not sure if I have much else to post about.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Q+A for end of Oct
Sorry, no ideas that fit into a Halloween theme.
Ragweed season is finally slowing down, so my allergies are starting to lighten up a bit. Still will take a while for them to settle down though.
Sorry its been a while since my last post. As usual, its hard for me to think of what to write.
Since I don't have much else to say, lets go to the Q+A:
Q: What kind of mean comments? People are so rude.
A: Yup, they can be. I think I have answered this before in the past, but a few examples: "Can't you control that?", "You are being disruptive", "That sounds pretty gross", "can't you stop sneezing?", etc.
Q: Could you please upload a few seconds of you so we know what you sound like? Will help to relate better to you and what you are writing. You could do an entry by video (without pics if youd prefer), just what you say, instead of typing out the entry and it would be more personal and interesting.
A: Nope, I'm not going to do that, sorry. the benefit of being online is that People can't hear/see me when my allergies are acting up.
Q: You often say that you get mean comments- can you be more specific and tell us specifically people say and have said? Do they say it directly to you and how have you responded?
A: Like I said in the first question, I have talked about it before. I usually don't respond - because my allergies are too bad, or I'm too embarrassed.
Q: High school sounds like it was tough with some mean people- did teachers ever notice and stand up for you or say something?
A: Not usually. Most weren't that understanding. A really good thing about college was that I could leave the rom anytime I wanted instead of sometimes having to stay in the room as I was sneezing like crazy.
Q: When things are getting heated with your SO, do you ever have to stop because of sneezing or dripping or something? Does it happen often and what exactly happens and how does she deal with it?
A: Yes, my allergies make us have to stop often. Allison is very understanding about it. She is very patient and caring. Definitely the best GF I have ever had :)
Q: Are you able to stifle your sneezes? And if yes, do you do it, e.g. when you're among others?
A: I seem to be starting to get questions I already answered :) I usually can't. I have figured out a way to, but it makes me constantly have to stifle, so its pretty obvious and it won't let up til I let myself have a regular fit. Because of that, and because it tends to hurt my sinuses, I don't do it.
Q: When your eyes are watery, do you always wipe the tears away or does it happen that you let them run down your face?
A: Depends on how bad my allergies are. I usually will wipe them away, but if its bad and I'm really worn out, I wont as it becomes too much hassle or I'm too wiped out to keep up.
Q: You wrote that sometimes you get dizzy when your allergies are bad. How bad can this dizziness get? Does it happen that it's difficult for you to walk or ride a bike because of the dizziness?
A: It can be pretty bad when my allergies are bad. Luckily the dizziness doesn't happen much if my allergies aren't really bad. When it does happen, I try to keep my head as still as possible. Turning my head or my body will make it worse at those times, so walking can get a bit difficult, and riding a bike is too hard when my allergies are bad, or a number of reasons.
Q: You wrote that your hearing can be affected when your allergies are bad. Does it happen that you don't understand what others say or have to turn the TV louder because of affected hearing?
A: It feels like my ears are stuffed with cotton so everything sounds muted. I can usually still make out what people are saying, but sometimes I do have to ask again and I probably make the TV a bit louder.
Q: Which allergy-related websites do you visit or look for?
A: I used to look for allergy support groups, but everything online is for food-related allergies. I don't really look around anymore. I do sometimes look at sites for pollen or mold levels. Some allergy-site and weather sites. They all tend to be a bit different so I will try to look at more than one.
Ragweed season is finally slowing down, so my allergies are starting to lighten up a bit. Still will take a while for them to settle down though.
Sorry its been a while since my last post. As usual, its hard for me to think of what to write.
Since I don't have much else to say, lets go to the Q+A:
Q: What kind of mean comments? People are so rude.
A: Yup, they can be. I think I have answered this before in the past, but a few examples: "Can't you control that?", "You are being disruptive", "That sounds pretty gross", "can't you stop sneezing?", etc.
Q: Could you please upload a few seconds of you so we know what you sound like? Will help to relate better to you and what you are writing. You could do an entry by video (without pics if youd prefer), just what you say, instead of typing out the entry and it would be more personal and interesting.
A: Nope, I'm not going to do that, sorry. the benefit of being online is that People can't hear/see me when my allergies are acting up.
Q: You often say that you get mean comments- can you be more specific and tell us specifically people say and have said? Do they say it directly to you and how have you responded?
A: Like I said in the first question, I have talked about it before. I usually don't respond - because my allergies are too bad, or I'm too embarrassed.
Q: High school sounds like it was tough with some mean people- did teachers ever notice and stand up for you or say something?
A: Not usually. Most weren't that understanding. A really good thing about college was that I could leave the rom anytime I wanted instead of sometimes having to stay in the room as I was sneezing like crazy.
Q: When things are getting heated with your SO, do you ever have to stop because of sneezing or dripping or something? Does it happen often and what exactly happens and how does she deal with it?
A: Yes, my allergies make us have to stop often. Allison is very understanding about it. She is very patient and caring. Definitely the best GF I have ever had :)
Q: Are you able to stifle your sneezes? And if yes, do you do it, e.g. when you're among others?
A: I seem to be starting to get questions I already answered :) I usually can't. I have figured out a way to, but it makes me constantly have to stifle, so its pretty obvious and it won't let up til I let myself have a regular fit. Because of that, and because it tends to hurt my sinuses, I don't do it.
Q: When your eyes are watery, do you always wipe the tears away or does it happen that you let them run down your face?
A: Depends on how bad my allergies are. I usually will wipe them away, but if its bad and I'm really worn out, I wont as it becomes too much hassle or I'm too wiped out to keep up.
Q: You wrote that sometimes you get dizzy when your allergies are bad. How bad can this dizziness get? Does it happen that it's difficult for you to walk or ride a bike because of the dizziness?
A: It can be pretty bad when my allergies are bad. Luckily the dizziness doesn't happen much if my allergies aren't really bad. When it does happen, I try to keep my head as still as possible. Turning my head or my body will make it worse at those times, so walking can get a bit difficult, and riding a bike is too hard when my allergies are bad, or a number of reasons.
Q: You wrote that your hearing can be affected when your allergies are bad. Does it happen that you don't understand what others say or have to turn the TV louder because of affected hearing?
A: It feels like my ears are stuffed with cotton so everything sounds muted. I can usually still make out what people are saying, but sometimes I do have to ask again and I probably make the TV a bit louder.
Q: Which allergy-related websites do you visit or look for?
A: I used to look for allergy support groups, but everything online is for food-related allergies. I don't really look around anymore. I do sometimes look at sites for pollen or mold levels. Some allergy-site and weather sites. They all tend to be a bit different so I will try to look at more than one.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Ragweed sucks and Q+A
Sorry it has been so long since I posted, its just hard to get myself to write sometimes.
Its ragweed season now and I am extremely allergic to it. Most years I at least have some good days, but this year my allergies have been really bad constantly since ragweed started. I haven't been able to do much at all, and I'll be a bit delayed in getting all my stuff done for school. I haven't been out much but I tried to go to a BBQ yesterday, and again today for the holiday, but it ending up being a bad idea. My allergies were just so intense, and I really embarrassed myself, and got a few mean comments.
Because my allergies have been so bad and I haven't been able to do much, I even more than usual would like to chat with anyone to break up the boredom. Yahoo, Skype, or e-mail is best. I am also trying to use FB chat a bit.
Here is some Q+A:
Q: Have you ever noticed if your allergies have led you to develop any habits or certain movements, actions that other people wouldn't do? Like in order to prevent embarrassment or to help yourself deal with allergies.
A: The big ones are carrying around lots of tissues, and running off to the bathroom often. A few others: sitting in the back of class/movie/etc, or near a door. Sit often with a hand casually over my nose and mouth. That's all I can think of right now. There probably are others I just don't realize.
Q: You said that if necessary friends/family will explain to others about your allergies if you can't at the moment. What do they say, how do the people respond, and do you add anything on when you are later able?
A: Usually just something like 'she has bad allergies'. People usually don't say too much in response other than 'oh, ok' sometimes someone might act concerned or feel sorry for me, or sometimes people will say 'are you sure she isn't sick?'. I don't say anything. I find it embarrassing to talk about my allergies at all face to face so I try not to do it at all.
Q: How did your allergies affect your job choice? If you didn't have them would have gone to a different job? How will they affect things after you get your phD?
A: I really am not sure. I never thought about it. I always had an interest and skill in biology, so I probably would be doing something in the field no matter what. Maybe without allergies I might have thought about being a vet or doing outdoor research. I am not sure how it will affect things after I graduate, but it has been affecting things so far, so I bet it will keep affecting me. I know I wont be able to do any thing directly with working with animals. I hate when I have to wear a mask when my allergies are bothering me, but I'll just have to keep dealing with that. Otherwise, I guess it will depend on the specific situation of any job offer/job I try to get.
Q: How often do you get an attack in front of people? What do people unfamiliar with you say about your symptoms?
A: It happens often, much more than I'd like. Most are kind of surprised, some show some concern, a few act grossed out and a few can be kinda rude.
Q: Have you ever sneezed on someone and what happened?
A: Yes. Luckily its only ever been someone I was dating, and maybe a really close friend a few times. Not much happened. Some have found it funny, or not a big deal. One girl I dated was pretty mean about it, but that was a bad relationship in general.
Q: You've said that people (and roomates) have been either mean or uncaring/ not understanding in the past- can you go into more detail? What do people say usually when they see your allergies? And how do you respond when people are not helpful or are rude?
A: That first one is a long response because there have been a few of them and there is probably many details to talk about. I'd be able to answer that better in a chat, as a back-and-forth chat helps me recall more details and to organize my thoughts better. I'd be happy to have a chat with you about it. The second question I kind of answered above in two other questions. I usually don't respond at all, as it will just make me more embarrassed. I'll just try to leave/end the situation as fast as I can.
As usual, I'd love feedback on my post/answers. Thanks!
Its ragweed season now and I am extremely allergic to it. Most years I at least have some good days, but this year my allergies have been really bad constantly since ragweed started. I haven't been able to do much at all, and I'll be a bit delayed in getting all my stuff done for school. I haven't been out much but I tried to go to a BBQ yesterday, and again today for the holiday, but it ending up being a bad idea. My allergies were just so intense, and I really embarrassed myself, and got a few mean comments.
Because my allergies have been so bad and I haven't been able to do much, I even more than usual would like to chat with anyone to break up the boredom. Yahoo, Skype, or e-mail is best. I am also trying to use FB chat a bit.
Here is some Q+A:
Q: Have you ever noticed if your allergies have led you to develop any habits or certain movements, actions that other people wouldn't do? Like in order to prevent embarrassment or to help yourself deal with allergies.
A: The big ones are carrying around lots of tissues, and running off to the bathroom often. A few others: sitting in the back of class/movie/etc, or near a door. Sit often with a hand casually over my nose and mouth. That's all I can think of right now. There probably are others I just don't realize.
Q: You said that if necessary friends/family will explain to others about your allergies if you can't at the moment. What do they say, how do the people respond, and do you add anything on when you are later able?
A: Usually just something like 'she has bad allergies'. People usually don't say too much in response other than 'oh, ok' sometimes someone might act concerned or feel sorry for me, or sometimes people will say 'are you sure she isn't sick?'. I don't say anything. I find it embarrassing to talk about my allergies at all face to face so I try not to do it at all.
Q: How did your allergies affect your job choice? If you didn't have them would have gone to a different job? How will they affect things after you get your phD?
A: I really am not sure. I never thought about it. I always had an interest and skill in biology, so I probably would be doing something in the field no matter what. Maybe without allergies I might have thought about being a vet or doing outdoor research. I am not sure how it will affect things after I graduate, but it has been affecting things so far, so I bet it will keep affecting me. I know I wont be able to do any thing directly with working with animals. I hate when I have to wear a mask when my allergies are bothering me, but I'll just have to keep dealing with that. Otherwise, I guess it will depend on the specific situation of any job offer/job I try to get.
Q: How often do you get an attack in front of people? What do people unfamiliar with you say about your symptoms?
A: It happens often, much more than I'd like. Most are kind of surprised, some show some concern, a few act grossed out and a few can be kinda rude.
Q: Have you ever sneezed on someone and what happened?
A: Yes. Luckily its only ever been someone I was dating, and maybe a really close friend a few times. Not much happened. Some have found it funny, or not a big deal. One girl I dated was pretty mean about it, but that was a bad relationship in general.
Q: You've said that people (and roomates) have been either mean or uncaring/ not understanding in the past- can you go into more detail? What do people say usually when they see your allergies? And how do you respond when people are not helpful or are rude?
A: That first one is a long response because there have been a few of them and there is probably many details to talk about. I'd be able to answer that better in a chat, as a back-and-forth chat helps me recall more details and to organize my thoughts better. I'd be happy to have a chat with you about it. The second question I kind of answered above in two other questions. I usually don't respond at all, as it will just make me more embarrassed. I'll just try to leave/end the situation as fast as I can.
As usual, I'd love feedback on my post/answers. Thanks!
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Short Post
I didn't want to go too long without a post, so here is a bit of a short one. I had some dreams a few nights ago, and 2 small parts had to do with allergies. At one point I was sitting around with 3 people and my nose was stuffy and eyes watering, and one of the others said I have been sniffling too much. He then comes up to me and says he can help and I try to stop him at first but then he starts squeezing the sides of my nose over and over and lots of snot starts coming out of my nose to the floor in front of me and I just let it happen for some reason. At some point later, or maybe another dream, me and Allison are siting in a museum or a university building or something, and we start to kiss but I have to start sneezing so I turn away and grab the 1st thing I can find - her sweater - and have a huge sneezing fit into it and then I try to hide it.
That's all I remember from the dreams. I have a short Q+A too.
Q: Hi Kate. Can you/do you swim? I don't know if it would be difficult or even dangerous with the sneezing.
A: I do swim. I really enjoy it. I am limited with it though. Being underwater makes my sinuses hurt, so I don't go underwater that much. I can't spend too long in a pool because the chlorine makes me a bit sneezy, really burns my eyes and eventually makes my skin itchy.
Q: What kinds of activities do you find impossible or at least very difficult to do because of allergies?
A: Many. As my allergies developed and got worse I had to stop having my cats, I had to stop playing soccer, I got limited in my swimming 9see above Q), all the congestion messed up my singing. Outdoor events can be very difficult at times. I sometimes can't go to events at people's houses if they have pets, or I may need to leave if something in the house bothers my allergies too much. I can't go horseback riding (I made a post about how I found out I was allergic to horses). I can't drive when my allergies are bad. When they are bad, even things like sleeping and eating can be difficult. There are other things too, but these are what I can think of right now. Actually when my allergies are really bad, almost everything is difficult.
Q: If you're unable to respond to people or just start sneezing, do the people that you are with (family/friends) ever explain what is going on with your allergies or say something about them to others that are not familiar with you? What I am asking is how the people you hang out with explain the situation to others.
A: I hate when that happens. They wont usually say anything unless someone asks. They will talk instead or something. If I am getting bad one person might help me go off to the bathroom because they know I hate sneezing that much in front of people.
That's all I have for today. Feel free to reply, to ask more questions, or to chat with me!
That's all I remember from the dreams. I have a short Q+A too.
Q: Hi Kate. Can you/do you swim? I don't know if it would be difficult or even dangerous with the sneezing.
A: I do swim. I really enjoy it. I am limited with it though. Being underwater makes my sinuses hurt, so I don't go underwater that much. I can't spend too long in a pool because the chlorine makes me a bit sneezy, really burns my eyes and eventually makes my skin itchy.
Q: What kinds of activities do you find impossible or at least very difficult to do because of allergies?
A: Many. As my allergies developed and got worse I had to stop having my cats, I had to stop playing soccer, I got limited in my swimming 9see above Q), all the congestion messed up my singing. Outdoor events can be very difficult at times. I sometimes can't go to events at people's houses if they have pets, or I may need to leave if something in the house bothers my allergies too much. I can't go horseback riding (I made a post about how I found out I was allergic to horses). I can't drive when my allergies are bad. When they are bad, even things like sleeping and eating can be difficult. There are other things too, but these are what I can think of right now. Actually when my allergies are really bad, almost everything is difficult.
Q: If you're unable to respond to people or just start sneezing, do the people that you are with (family/friends) ever explain what is going on with your allergies or say something about them to others that are not familiar with you? What I am asking is how the people you hang out with explain the situation to others.
A: I hate when that happens. They wont usually say anything unless someone asks. They will talk instead or something. If I am getting bad one person might help me go off to the bathroom because they know I hate sneezing that much in front of people.
That's all I have for today. Feel free to reply, to ask more questions, or to chat with me!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Been a While, and July Q+A
I have been so bad at keeping up with my blog. For some reason, its just so hard to be motivated to write at times. If it wasn't for the questions to answer, I don't know if I'd be able to make many posts at all.
Q: Can you go into more detail about how your allergies affect your relationship and how they factor into being a part of it. Like does she care for you when you're feeling really bad and how? Or like what kind of comments/things are said? When you can't go out of the house will she to do errands and social events?
A: Yes she does. Just things like holding me when I am having a fit or suffering is good. She will do chores and other things for me if I need the help. She will also do as much as she can to keep allergens down/avoid them. She is such a great person and so helpful to me.
Q: You're very self-conscious about people seeing you snotty, you say- did something happen to make you that worried about it? Have people ever said anything about the snot?
A: Nothing in particular. I few times when I was younger, some people laughed when I had snot hanging from my nose and didn't notice it, but nothing that was a huge deal. I just know that it grosses some people out and its yet something else that can draw too much attention to me and my allergies.
Q: You wrote: "I hate being so congested and so snotty at the same time." If you had the choice to get rid either of the congestion or of the snottiness, what would you choose, and why?
A: My congestion gets really bad and can be very uncomfortable, but I'd have to say the snottiness because it is something more noticeable to people, and it can take a good amount of effort to deal with at times.
Q: I know that your sneezing and runny nose force a lot of action from you, in shape of holding a tissue to your nose or wipe it. Are there other allergy symptoms too which force much action from you?
A: Well, when my eyes and nose are itchy, its more that I have to keep myself from taking action by trying hard not to rub them constantly. When my allergies are really bad, my sinus congestion and ear congestion makes me get dizzy easy so I have to be careful about turning my head too quick, or looking/bending down etc or I feel dizzy/sinuses hurt.
Q: Does it happen that you abort an online chat or writing a blog post because your allergies get too bad?
A: Oh yea, many times. It might be too hard to keep following/participating in a chat, or I might feel too wiped out to chat or make a blog post. It also saps my motivation, and since I already have a hard time making blog posts, that makes it even harder.
I hope everyone likes the answers. As usual, feel free to send me more questions, or to contact me to say hi or chat (and forgive me if it takes me some time to reply to e-mails and such!).
Q: Can you go into more detail about how your allergies affect your relationship and how they factor into being a part of it. Like does she care for you when you're feeling really bad and how? Or like what kind of comments/things are said? When you can't go out of the house will she to do errands and social events?
A: Yes she does. Just things like holding me when I am having a fit or suffering is good. She will do chores and other things for me if I need the help. She will also do as much as she can to keep allergens down/avoid them. She is such a great person and so helpful to me.
Q: You're very self-conscious about people seeing you snotty, you say- did something happen to make you that worried about it? Have people ever said anything about the snot?
A: Nothing in particular. I few times when I was younger, some people laughed when I had snot hanging from my nose and didn't notice it, but nothing that was a huge deal. I just know that it grosses some people out and its yet something else that can draw too much attention to me and my allergies.
Q: You wrote: "I hate being so congested and so snotty at the same time." If you had the choice to get rid either of the congestion or of the snottiness, what would you choose, and why?
A: My congestion gets really bad and can be very uncomfortable, but I'd have to say the snottiness because it is something more noticeable to people, and it can take a good amount of effort to deal with at times.
Q: I know that your sneezing and runny nose force a lot of action from you, in shape of holding a tissue to your nose or wipe it. Are there other allergy symptoms too which force much action from you?
A: Well, when my eyes and nose are itchy, its more that I have to keep myself from taking action by trying hard not to rub them constantly. When my allergies are really bad, my sinus congestion and ear congestion makes me get dizzy easy so I have to be careful about turning my head too quick, or looking/bending down etc or I feel dizzy/sinuses hurt.
Q: Does it happen that you abort an online chat or writing a blog post because your allergies get too bad?
A: Oh yea, many times. It might be too hard to keep following/participating in a chat, or I might feel too wiped out to chat or make a blog post. It also saps my motivation, and since I already have a hard time making blog posts, that makes it even harder.
I hope everyone likes the answers. As usual, feel free to send me more questions, or to contact me to say hi or chat (and forgive me if it takes me some time to reply to e-mails and such!).
Sunday, May 31, 2015
People reading my blog, and some Q+A
First, I wanted to say sorry I have not been online much in the last few weeks. I was a bit busy with stuff, but the main reason is that my allergies have been horrible. I haven't been able to sleep well, and I haven't been able to do much. Also, I can't believe how snotty my nose has been getting, its out of control :(. I hate being so congested and so snotty at the same time.
I wanted to post about something I found a bit weird. Now, I know there are some people who 'like' sneezing, and I do not have an issue with that. What is weird to me is that sometimes people say 'oh, you have to watch out for those people, they might harass you and be mean to you', etc. I have to say, in my online experience, they have been some of the nicest people I have had conversations with. I have no issue with what preferences people have, we are all weird in some way. As long as you don't force something onto someone else/as long as they have a choice, I have no issues with anything people 'like'.
I have to say that I have been treated pretty badly online at times by 'normal' people (actually its always been a guy). Some guys have been very rude and insulting to me: just meeting me online and making horrible assumptions or trying to order me to do stuff/tell them things, etc, and acting downright mean. I block all those people right away. I have never had a problem like that with someone who 'likes' sneezing, so I just wanted to get it out there that people in general shouldn't be pre-judged.
All that being said, I have always hopped that this blog would help me run into people who have allergies as bad as mine so that I have someone to chat to that really understands. I ran into someone once, but she didn't have much interest in chatting, she just wanted me to join her in some kind of plan she had.
I do have a few questions to answer:
Q: Have you ever been at a restaurant and when the person comes to take your order are unable to tell them what you want because of sneezing?
A: I don't think that has ever happened. If my allergies are that bad, I am probably not going to be out. I have had times where I have had to finish a sneezing fit before I could give an order.
Q: Have you ever been told you're disrupting a class with allergies?
A: so many times. It was a bigger problem in high school. In college I could sit near and exit and just leave most times I needed to. I have actually had to take some tests in a different room than the rest of the class. Besides being called disruptive, many times some students have laughed at me because of my sneezing fits, which just made t more embarrassing for me. Sometimes the whole class would be focused on my sneezing fit...ugh!
Q: Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night from sneezing and do your allergies ever wake Allison up too?
A: It happens often when my allergies are bad. I have woken her up too. When my allergies are bad, that's why I tend to try to sleep in another room so I do not disturb her too much.
Q: You've said that some people are rude or not sympathetic at all- on the other hand, are people ever too pitying? What's that like?
A: In some ways it might be worse, cause I can't be mad at them because they are trying to be nice. The worst is when they try to be helpful but make things worse. The main issue is that its much more attention than I want, and that's embarrassing.
As usual, please keep the questions coming, and feel free to IM or e-mail to say hi and chat. I could use the company when I am like this.
I wanted to post about something I found a bit weird. Now, I know there are some people who 'like' sneezing, and I do not have an issue with that. What is weird to me is that sometimes people say 'oh, you have to watch out for those people, they might harass you and be mean to you', etc. I have to say, in my online experience, they have been some of the nicest people I have had conversations with. I have no issue with what preferences people have, we are all weird in some way. As long as you don't force something onto someone else/as long as they have a choice, I have no issues with anything people 'like'.
I have to say that I have been treated pretty badly online at times by 'normal' people (actually its always been a guy). Some guys have been very rude and insulting to me: just meeting me online and making horrible assumptions or trying to order me to do stuff/tell them things, etc, and acting downright mean. I block all those people right away. I have never had a problem like that with someone who 'likes' sneezing, so I just wanted to get it out there that people in general shouldn't be pre-judged.
All that being said, I have always hopped that this blog would help me run into people who have allergies as bad as mine so that I have someone to chat to that really understands. I ran into someone once, but she didn't have much interest in chatting, she just wanted me to join her in some kind of plan she had.
I do have a few questions to answer:
Q: Have you ever been at a restaurant and when the person comes to take your order are unable to tell them what you want because of sneezing?
A: I don't think that has ever happened. If my allergies are that bad, I am probably not going to be out. I have had times where I have had to finish a sneezing fit before I could give an order.
Q: Have you ever been told you're disrupting a class with allergies?
A: so many times. It was a bigger problem in high school. In college I could sit near and exit and just leave most times I needed to. I have actually had to take some tests in a different room than the rest of the class. Besides being called disruptive, many times some students have laughed at me because of my sneezing fits, which just made t more embarrassing for me. Sometimes the whole class would be focused on my sneezing fit...ugh!
Q: Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night from sneezing and do your allergies ever wake Allison up too?
A: It happens often when my allergies are bad. I have woken her up too. When my allergies are bad, that's why I tend to try to sleep in another room so I do not disturb her too much.
Q: You've said that some people are rude or not sympathetic at all- on the other hand, are people ever too pitying? What's that like?
A: In some ways it might be worse, cause I can't be mad at them because they are trying to be nice. The worst is when they try to be helpful but make things worse. The main issue is that its much more attention than I want, and that's embarrassing.
As usual, please keep the questions coming, and feel free to IM or e-mail to say hi and chat. I could use the company when I am like this.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Dream bit and Q+A for May
Hi everyone. My allergies have been really bad lately. I have had to miss some days here and there and I am generally pretty icky and not sleeping well.
I remember part of a dream a few days ago where my allergies were acting up, and another woman in the group was complaining about her allergies, but she didn't seem to have any allergies. the more my allergies bothered me, the more she was complaining about hers.
I have a few questions to answer:
Q: How do your allergies impact your overall physical condition (beside the things having to do with allergies directly like congested nose)? You wrote that the sneezing helps to keep your abs in good shape. Are there other things about your physical condition which are affected – in a positive or negative way - by your allergies?
A: I don't know if there is much not related t my allergies -red nose, swollen eyes, etc. The things I can think of besides giving my abs a bit of a workout is being tired, being off balance sometimes, and skin rashes. Skin rashes are allergy-related but people tend not to realize it. In the warmer months they mistake it for sunburn.
Q: I know that you have to wipe your nose a lot, esp when your allergies are bad. How do you deal with this when you have to do something for which you need both your hands?
A: I put things down often, lol. I need to have a hand free pretty often, so I make sure that can happen when I need.
Q: Are your sneezes very snotty? Do you have to wipe your nose especially when you're sneezing? When you feel a sneeze coming, do you take a tissue before you actually sneeze to be „prepared“ for it?
A: Not always, but they certainly can be. I always use tissues when I am sneezing. I do tend to be snotty and I also am extra careful not to let people see my snot! I might be a bit obsessive about it, but I don't want people thinking I am gross so I am always careful in public.
Q: You told me that when your allergies aren't too bad, it can happen that you don't sneeze for about an hour. When your allergies are bad (e.g. during ragweed season), how long would you estimate the longest „non-sneezing“ time then?
A: At the most, maybe 15mins, but usually less
Q: Most of the allergy symptoms you explained are clearly recognizeable for others directly (sneezing) or almost directly (runny nose because you wipe it, congestion because your voice is stuffy). Which of the symptoms that are not recognizeable for others so easily would you consider being the most „unexpected“ ones, i.e. the symptoms which someone who doesn't have allergies himself would never guess to be caused by allergies? And which of these „not so well recognizeable“ symptoms are the most annoying for you?
A: This is pretty similar in my answer to the first question. Tiredness is probably the big one. When my allergies are bad it really wipes me out and its something that people don't really get. Another one is balance/dizziness. When my allergies are really bad my ears get all clogged up and it can sometimes make me feel dizzy and off balance. And even though much of it is noticeable, people don't realize how much my senses get impacted when my allergies are really bad - I can't smell or taste, its hard for people to understand what I am saying, seeing is sometimes difficult with swollen and very watery eyes, and clogged ears makes sound muffled.
Thanks for the questions, and keep them coming. As always I am happy to chat. Just drop a line to say hi. Allergies are really kicking my butt so I might be around online more, if its not so bad that I can't even do that!
I remember part of a dream a few days ago where my allergies were acting up, and another woman in the group was complaining about her allergies, but she didn't seem to have any allergies. the more my allergies bothered me, the more she was complaining about hers.
I have a few questions to answer:
Q: How do your allergies impact your overall physical condition (beside the things having to do with allergies directly like congested nose)? You wrote that the sneezing helps to keep your abs in good shape. Are there other things about your physical condition which are affected – in a positive or negative way - by your allergies?
A: I don't know if there is much not related t my allergies -red nose, swollen eyes, etc. The things I can think of besides giving my abs a bit of a workout is being tired, being off balance sometimes, and skin rashes. Skin rashes are allergy-related but people tend not to realize it. In the warmer months they mistake it for sunburn.
Q: I know that you have to wipe your nose a lot, esp when your allergies are bad. How do you deal with this when you have to do something for which you need both your hands?
A: I put things down often, lol. I need to have a hand free pretty often, so I make sure that can happen when I need.
Q: Are your sneezes very snotty? Do you have to wipe your nose especially when you're sneezing? When you feel a sneeze coming, do you take a tissue before you actually sneeze to be „prepared“ for it?
A: Not always, but they certainly can be. I always use tissues when I am sneezing. I do tend to be snotty and I also am extra careful not to let people see my snot! I might be a bit obsessive about it, but I don't want people thinking I am gross so I am always careful in public.
Q: You told me that when your allergies aren't too bad, it can happen that you don't sneeze for about an hour. When your allergies are bad (e.g. during ragweed season), how long would you estimate the longest „non-sneezing“ time then?
A: At the most, maybe 15mins, but usually less
Q: Most of the allergy symptoms you explained are clearly recognizeable for others directly (sneezing) or almost directly (runny nose because you wipe it, congestion because your voice is stuffy). Which of the symptoms that are not recognizeable for others so easily would you consider being the most „unexpected“ ones, i.e. the symptoms which someone who doesn't have allergies himself would never guess to be caused by allergies? And which of these „not so well recognizeable“ symptoms are the most annoying for you?
A: This is pretty similar in my answer to the first question. Tiredness is probably the big one. When my allergies are bad it really wipes me out and its something that people don't really get. Another one is balance/dizziness. When my allergies are really bad my ears get all clogged up and it can sometimes make me feel dizzy and off balance. And even though much of it is noticeable, people don't realize how much my senses get impacted when my allergies are really bad - I can't smell or taste, its hard for people to understand what I am saying, seeing is sometimes difficult with swollen and very watery eyes, and clogged ears makes sound muffled.
Thanks for the questions, and keep them coming. As always I am happy to chat. Just drop a line to say hi. Allergies are really kicking my butt so I might be around online more, if its not so bad that I can't even do that!
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