Allergy Woes

I can remember exactly one instance of suffering from spring allergies as a kid.  My Mom bought me some sort of antihistamine, I took it, and nearly fell asleep with my head down on the kitchen counter.  I made it to the couch-- barely-- and slept the rest of the afternoon.  And never had allergies again.

Until we moved to the east coast.

Now I have them.  And I would like to utter a very sincere apology to anyone else suffering from allergies whose sufferings I didn't take seriously before.  In the past, my reaction was along the lines of, "So you have a runny nose!  Big deal!  How bad could itchy eyes really be?"

How bad indeed.

Bad enough that when I was pregnant with Ryder, I couldn't sleep because my eyes itched so bad.  Bad enough that my nose drips like an actual faucet, as in there's nothing I can do to stop it other than having tissues placed all around the house for instant access.

But this year is even worse than the other years.  Because this year I also have skin that itches all over (no apparent dryness, bumps, or rashes-- I just can't stop scratching).  I look like I have bedbugs or something.  And my eyes are still itching, and thanks to my lack of self-control, they are now completely bloodshot, too.  I look like I should have been an extra on the set of Breaking Dawn or something.  I'm afraid to go to the grocery store because little children might be frightened by me.

What kills me about it all-- besides the obvious discomfort-- is the fact that the weather is absolutely GORGEOUS.  I want to open all the windows and let the fresh breezy air float through my house!  I want to walk the kids to school and back!  I want to lay down in the grass and look up at the sky!  But instead I'm huddled inside (blogging, mind you) because I can't allow myself anything that will make this any worse than it already is.  I'm thinking about googling what would happen if I mixed claritin and allegra AND benadryl, since I've already got the first two coursing through my veins with no apparent relief in sight.

Spring is taunting me.  Showing off her lovely perfectly warm weather and then snatching it away with a sneeze.  It's downright cruel.

Now excuse while I go blow my nose.