Boring Post

Containing the details of my allergist appointment. I don't blame you if you want to skip it. But before I get to that, a little about the rest of the day:

As you may recall, I spent my Valentine's Day with my allergist. OK, not the whole day, but I did have an appointment for my skin test this morning. Since the kids were out of school today, and B & J were out of town, Cody had to go with me.

Odd that the kids are out of school on Valentine's Day? Not really. What happened was that parents were sending so many balloons, flowers, and candy up to the school that they weren't getting any teaching done. So now they avoid the whole problem by scheduling a teacher work day on Valentine's Day. This has been going on since before Cody was in the public schools.

So the little munchkin had to go with me, and he wasn't too happy about it. I made it up to him by taking him to the museum of natural science afterwards. It is a pretty nice museum, and reasonable admission prices make it worth it. It only cost $8 for the both of us to get in. The exhibits were about Mississippi flora and fauna. About half of the museum consisted of terrariums, aquariums, and herpetariums displaying living native Mississippi wildlife. There were also many taxidermied displays of birds and mammals, a pretty good insect display, and a fossil room. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

After we left the museum, Cody wanted to go to a mall. Now, I knew there was a mall in Jackson, but I didn't know where it was. Needless to say, driving randomly around the city looking for the mall did not produce favorable results. By that time, the antihistamine the allergist had given me to counteract the skin reactions was kicking in full force and I was pretty loopy. I just wanted to get home so I could rest. I told Cody we'd research were the mall was and go there another day. B & J got home about an hour after we did, and she told me exactly where the mall was. When Cody found out how close we actually were to it, he gave me that teenager look. Not that it mattered, I didn't have any money to spend anyway.

Now for the dull part. I originally had gone to the allergist to find out if I was allergic to eggs. Since I was there anyway, I decided to have them test me for other stuff as well. The did skin testing for several different types of pollens, molds, and what they call incidentals. They also tested me for the two foods: eggs and orange. I hadn't really planned on being tested for oranges. I'd known for a while that they make my mouth swell, but I'd always thought it was just sensitivity to the acidity. When I mentioned that to the nurse, she said we might as well test for it anyway. So we did and I am allergic to oranges. The doctor said that was a first for him. He'd never seen anyone who was actually allergic to oranges. He asked if this was a recent thing. No, it had been happening my whole life but it took me this long to make the connection. My gums were always swollen as a child, but my dentist had told me it was because I wasn't flossing well enough. I always thought that was what it was. It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I connected it to the orange juice. I hadn't had any in a long time, then one day at work I was feeling kind of sick and went and got some OJ out of the vending machine. The next day, my lips, gums, and tongue were swollen. That was the first inkling that it was the OJ. So I waited several weeks and tried it again. Sure enough, swollen mouth. That was the last of the OJ for me.

I also tested positive for eggs, which I pretty much knew anyway. The way they did the results were: 2+ means a reaction, 3+ means a strong reaction, and 4+ is the strongest reaction. Here is the list of what I tested positive for:

My 2+ Reactions:

• Pecan pollen
• Dock pollen
• Giant Ragweed pollen
• Cocklebur pollen
• Lamb's Quarter pollen
• Mixed Ash pollen
• House Dust Mite P
• Red Cedar
• Short Leaf Pine
• House Dust Mite F

My 3+ Reactions:

• Eggs
• Oranges

My 4+ Reactions (all are pollens):

• Bermuda Grass
• Johnson Grass
• Bahia Grass
• Timothy Grass
• Rye Grass
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Orchard Grass
• Meadow Fescue Grass
• Sweet Vernal
• Red Top
• English Plantain

Do any other types of grass exist? Seriously, I can tell when anyone within 5 miles of me is mowing. I just know. Now I know why I just know.

What surprised me was that I didn't test positive for any molds. I though sure I was allergic to molds because I get in such a state when they plow. I thought it was from stirring up molds in the moist dirt, but now I guess it is from the grasses that have grown wild in the fields since harvest.

Now, there is one reaction I did not put on the list, because I wanted to talk about it separately. I have a 3+ reaction to this:

The other solutions were relatively simple: don't open the windows, keep my a/c filter changed, put an allergy pad on my bed and wash the sheets in hot water at least weekly, don't eat eggs or oranges. This one is a little more difficult. The doctor said it would be better if I found another home for her. If I kept her, it would be very difficult. I'd have to keep her contained, and I could not allow her in my bedroom and certainly not in my bed. But that is where she lives--in my bedroom. That is where she prefers to be. The doctor said cat dander is so hard to get rid of, it will still be in my home for up to a year, and the longer she stays the longer it will be.

As hard as it will be for me, I think it will be better for her if I found her a new home.

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