Sunday, October 9, 2011

Allergic Reaction




Tissue, please.



Anybody?........Tissue?


                                               Ah...........

                                                                        ah................
                                  





aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!


Oh no.




Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!


Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!


Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!


And pretty soon...




Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!
Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!
Aaahh....................... a-choooooooooo!



Etcetera, etcetera.  My highest sneeze count during one day in allergy season is well over a hundred.  By the end of a sneezy and sniffing day (dripping one when I don't sniff quickly enough) I'm raw and drained.  Ever tried to fold laundry, fry hamburger, change a diaper or type with a faucet pouring down your face?
 
I haven't always been this way.  Yes, I inherited the family sinus - and passed it along the Critters, poor unsuspecting buggers.  It's only since moving east though, or maybe since having the Critters, that I have become a walking rhino-itis time bomb.  But since I've been pregnant or nursing over half my married life, and not one to take meds recklessly, I've suffered a long time. 

Long enough - bring on the Claritin!


But why such drastic measures?  As if a little "runny nose" wasn't bad enough, allergies are messing with the rest of my look too.



Here are my eyes normally...


...or on special occasions,



but,


here's what allergies do to them.



What am I allergic to, you might ask?

I dunno.  Never been tested.  Sometimes I think its pollen, sometimes dust mites, cats, mold or rejection letters.  I sneeze when the barometric pressure changes, so maybe I'm allergic to weather.  Whatever it is, it affects my mouth too.


 
Normal



My "kiss me" lips....




and "hello low pressure system!"







There is one thing worse than sneezing my head off however.  Sneezing my head off at a wedding.  Trust me, it ain't pretty.






Want proof?






Let's see if you can pick it out of a crowd -








(Note: The insides of my sleeves are now blushing.)




I know I'm not the only allergy sufferer out there.  But the way I see it...


 



...the world would be a far less scary place if I wasn't one of them!