From what I can see of the people like me, we get better but we never get well

[resonant]

Man. I have just survived a week without my allergy medications (three prescription, two over-the-counter) so I could get allergy tested. I never, ever want to do that again. You'd think there'd be a limit to the amount of mucus that a single human body could produce, but you'd be wrong.

The good news is that I'm not allergic to the cat. Nor, surprisingly, to the state of Illinois -- no corn mold reaction, no ragweed reaction.

The bad news is that I'm allergic to dust mites and two types of household mold. Allergic to my own housekeeping, basically. So I'm looking into the pros and cons of allergy shots. (darthfox? Don't even think "I told you so.") And in the meantime I have to figure out a way to get the mold out of the basement laundry room and keep it from coming back.

The other good news is that I have glutted myself with pills and nose spray, and stuff has stopped moving around in my face, and I haven't sneezed for almost two hours. If I ever said anything bad about medicine, I take it all back.

In other news, last night I dreamed that The Pursuit of Happiness broke into my house and wouldn't leave, even though they didn't want to steal anything, only to look at my CDs and cheer because I had theirs.

I don't know why I'm dreaming about Canadian rock bands. And in fact I don't have their CD; I just checked it out from the library and copied "I'm An Adult Now" and "Down On Him" over to iTunes. Sorry, guys.

[subject line: from Paul Simon's "Allergies"]

Comments

Re: Moldy basements

[halimede.livejournal.com]

Speaking from dust & mold allergy experience, grapefruit seed extract works just as well as bleach and you only need a few drops. What little smell there is dissipates quickly, and it doesn't hurt my airways. It is a lot more expensive than bleach, though. A couple of drops of tea tree oil in a normal cleaning solution with soap or whatever works well on some molds too.

Other things I have learned: If at some point you're thinking of remodeling, keep in mind that smooth floors are much easier to keep clean. Blinds are better than most curtains, easily washable curtains are better than blinds. Anything is better than venetian blinds. Vacuum cleaners with really good filters rule, or just use those swiffer static electricity disposable rags (bring a small plastic bag along so once the rag is 'full' you don't have to drag it all over the house). Those allergy covers for pillows and duvets (the ones that let through air and moisture, but keep dust & mold where they are) are worth their weight in gold.

Re desensitisation: I remember reading a research article where shots were counter-indicated for people who either had more than one allergy, or who couldn't easily avoid the allergens (dust & mold were specifically mentioned). I know people who have had good experiences, and people who had really bad experiences.