Some of my health issues have been partially demystified. That cough that I've had off and on (for the last year, when I really think about it)? Allergies. Apparently the minute I landed in Chicago, after having previously lived only in my hometown in Indiana, I immediately developed adult allergies to all the fun new pollens and pollutants in the urban environment.Now I'm convinced that every sickness I've had since moving to the city has been an allergy-triggered issue that I assumed was a cold, and stubbornly ignored until it became something worse.
Already long boring story short, I'm taking two weeks' worth of antibiotics to get rid of the current bronchitis/sinus infection I'm working. I picked up the 'scrip yesterday, and - here's the funny part - the pharmacist, looking at me intently, said "You're going to have to be really careful about sun exposure for the next three weeks. Hat, sunscreen, everything, because you're going to be more sensitive than usual."
Welcome to my life, Mr. Pharmacist, where I wear head-to-toe SPF 65 every day, and often a really stupid-looking wide-brimmed hat, too (this one's my fave), and get Rudolph red-nosed burned and goofy-looking anyway.
10 comments:
Funny you mention adult allergies, I've finally bullied the wife into going to an allergist, as she seems to maintain a low grade sinus infection almost all the time, and I'd wager money it's due to allergies.
She still has to wait until the beginning of July before they can see her, but at least there's hope in sight.
Good luck with your new medications.
Thanks, Mob, good luck to your wife, too! I actually did have some problems yesterday with the Claritin making me feel dizzy and spaced out. Well, okay, it was the generic. Going to hit the drug store and try another brand. So weird.
I've been lucky and never had a serious allergy problem. For a while I thought I was allergic to cats, but then that sort of went away.
Can't agree with you about the hat looking silly. I think it looks cool, even the tilly in your link. What can I say? I'm a cat person, and a hat person.
Thanks, Timothy. Could you please tell that to my brother, who calls me "Safari Jane," or my other brother, who accuses me of looking like a tourist when I wear that hat to the beach?
i feel you, sister. my allergens have jammed a couple of burrs in each nostril.
unlike you, however, i handle the sun quite nicely. latin american skin and all.
take care of yourself.
love,
p
Thanks, Prego. Trying to get used to the head-clouding Claritin right now. And the whole "breathing clearly again" thing.
I had much the same experience as you when I moved to Wisconsin. I just finished up with 4 years of allergy shots, which helped quite a bit when it came to pollen, but did little for molds.
Let people laugh at your hat. They'll wish they'd worn one when they hit their 50s and 60s and start developing squamous-cell carcinomas.
You're right, MrBaliHai. Sometimes I'm annoyed by having to be so careful with sun exposure, but members of my family (even those who are much darked-complected than I am) who didn't know enough when they were young to protect themselves from the sun make frequent trips to the dermatologist to have things surgically removed from their faces and shoulders, so I know I'm doing the smart thing.
I heard that if you eat local honey, especially if it is raw and uncultured and looks all gross because there is all the pollen floating around in it, you will quickly build up an immunity to the pollen without any ill effect because you eat it instead of breath it. Yes, that was all one sentence, sorry.
Hey, local honey. Worth a shot. Thanks for the tip.
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