Allergies

My hay fever has finally kicked in and I have a runny nose and itchy eyes. One of the benefits of old age is that I'm gradually outgrowing allergies. When I was younger the sneezing would start in early August but it now starts at the end of August and lasts till the end of September. I really think it could be because I'm not outside as much so I'm not exposed as badly.

My drug of choice is Claritin which works well for me because it doesn't make me dozy...at least not any dozier than normal. The sneezing is the worst part because it's so violent. Picture driving in heavy traffic and sneezing. No matter how hard you try, the stronger the sneeze the tighter your eyes close. And the constant tickle of a runny nose can cause road rage. It's better all around to take the occasional pill.

It doesn't help that allergy sufferers can't fully enjoy one of the most beautiful seasons of the year, either. I couldn't count the number of beautiful fall walks in the woods that were marred by my allergies.

I'm allergic to a few things...ragweed, cats, and penicillin. If I come in physical contact with a cat or it's dander the underside of my chin will start to itch, followed by itchy eyes and runny nose. If it wasn't for this I'd have a couple of cats in the house because I love them. It just isn't fair that I can't even pet them.

My grandmother used to tell me that allergies were inherited. She had them and my one daughter has them but, as far as I know, none of my grandchildren are afflicted so maybe the bad seed has died out. That would be a good thing.