Allergy Test

I've been allergic to cats most of my life. But I'm not someone who avoids going into a house with cats in it. Claritin worked well and if I didn't take Claritin I was usually ok if it was a shorter visit and I didn't pet that cat. Sean, my college boyfriend, would wheeze if he got near a cat. My sister has trouble being in any house that has a cat. I would just get itchy. If I was stupid enough to touch my face I would get really blotchy and my eyes would water while appearing to be bright green.

But the thing is, I get blotchy really easily. Really. My skin will inflamed with the slightest irritant. Sometimes, this redness is an unpleasant and itchy. Other times, I don't realize my skin looks like I have been sunburned and I have eczema until someone points it out mildly disgusted and says, "Oh my what happened, doesn't that hurt?" And I don't think they always believe me when I say no. Because of this issue, I will not be wearing a necklace with my wedding dress.

Getting back to the cats, I've never felt like I was horribly allergic until this past Christmas. I stayed with Robbin's old roommate Chad and his girlfriend Lauren along with their 5 cats and 2 dogs. I usually just double dose on Clartin, avoid petting the cats and everything is ok. That didn't work this time. I ended up wheezing. I wanted to all I could to either stay in Robbin's old room (where the cats don't go) or leave the house. So, I decided it was time to go to the allergy doc and get some big girl drugs.

Yesterday I had that appointment. I explained what happened and that I was needed something to take for when I was around the cats. She asked me about other allergies. I mentioned that I sneezed when I was around fresh cut grass and dust, but that I wasn't worried about that. Also, who doesn't sneeze around dust? She had me to spirometry test and I guess I failed. They had me retake it 5 times over the 90 minutes I was there. Failed each time. I think they thought I didn't understand the instructions because they kept explaining, "No you have to keep exhaling." Um there is no more air in my lungs, really. I don't like failing tests.

Anyway, then they did the allergy prick test. Remember that my skin is really sensitive?



This picture is before it got bad. I know that when i took the pick I thought my arm looked much more red and I wished my EN-V would capture it. Eventually some of the welts merged together and most looked like a very bad mosquito bite. The smallest reactions were the 2 controls of histamine and water. I still had welts from dust and grass this morning but they're gone now.

Anyway, she prescribed me Nasonex, Cingulair, and Alavert (ooc). This seems like a lot of drugs. Because really, I think I'm okay aside from the cats. Maybe I've just been coping and I don't feel as good as I could. The lung test scared me a little, But maybe they were right and I just wasn't doing it right. I've never felt like I had trouble breathing (except with the cats at Christmas). Since being in the doc's office I have noticed a slight t tightness in my chest and that maybe I'm not breathing a deeply I could. But maybe that has more to do with the 23 allergens she poked in my arm than with what I encounter in my daily life.