Allergic to the world

I have struggled with sinus problems since (according to my mom) I was 5 years old. I think I have just become accustom to the headaches, nasal drainage, cough and not being able to breathe out of the right side of my nose. It’s just a part of daily life for me. However, one of my friends went to see an ENT and highly recommended him so I decided to go check it out. I really liked the doctor other than when we stuck that thing up my right nostril to take a look at my brain. It hurt like hell and his response was “it’s definitely tight and crooked”…medical degree or not, I could have told him that without all the pain but anyway. He suggested I get allergy tested again and have CT scan so we could get to the root of the problem.

I had the allergy test last Friday and let’s just say, I’m allergic to everything. They do the test on your arms now instead of your back so you can actually see the reaction. All the grasses, trees, and ragweed were on the right side and dust mites were on the left. That meant no arm was better than the other for this fun test. For those who have never had this done, the test consists of 70+ of the most common allergies from inside and outside…grass to pets to shellfish. They prick your skin with the allergen and then you have to sit still for 15 minutes while you welt up (if you are lucky like me and allergic to most of them). I am pretty sure if anyone ever wanted to torture me, this would be one of the top things on their list to do. My arms swelled and turned bright red and I wasn’t allowed to touch them.

All of my reactions were “severe” other than the one to pecans (good to know I have this allergy since I just ate some the weekend before) and the doctor basically said I’m allergic to pretty much everything inside and outside. (Luckily, that did not include dogs or shellfish…neither of which I could live without)!! I had to be given a shot and was sent home with benadryl and told not to return to work. The next step is to be proactive and treat my environment. The most important place is my bedroom where I was told to get pillow and mattress covers, an air purifier and lose the carpet if possible. They are giving me a few weeks to try this out and if things haven’t improved then the next step is allergy shots.

I am most interested in the CT scan and seeing what the results of that tell. I don’t know if they will suggest surgery or some other treatment for my sinuses. I have heard both good and bad things about the surgeries and treatments. They either don’t work at all or change a person’s life. I can’t even imagine a life without sinus problems so it will be interesting to see what happens. I hope they can figure out something that works and I can stop suffering so much. I joke about having my sinuses removed but I’m really not opposed to that (yes, I know that’s not an option)!! Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. Wish me luck!