Achoo Achoo!

Yesterday I had to call in sick for the first time in the new year. My allergies have been bothering me for about a week now, but it's to be expected. Cedar season has decended upon Austin. So, that annoying little tingle in the back of my nose didn't seem out of the ordinary. But the symptoms started to get worse. More sneezing, more runny nose, intense sinus pressure. It all came to a climax on Tuesday night. My nose was stuffed and my face felt like it was going to explode. I went and bought Sudafed and then told the pharmacist I needed Benadry as well. She looked confused and asked if the Benadryl was for my allergies. I said, yes. And she said they had better stuff for allergies, like Claritin and Zyrtec. And after taking a few seconds to look at me she realized, "Ah, you just want to sleep!" Yep, gimme the Benadryl so I can knock myself out.

Unfortunately, Benadryl makes me really really loopy. Even after sleeping for 7 hours, I woke up on Wednesday feeling like a space cadet. My nose was still running, my sinus pressure hadn't gone anywhere and now I sounded like a frog. So I called in and slept all day. My room mate thought I had more than just allergies, maybe the flu or a cold. But I don't think so. I think it was just Cedar taking it's toll. Sometimes I wonder if these allergy shots (that I've now been on for about a year and a half) are doing me any good at all. But then I remember the days when I'd get sick right before Christmas and stay sick all the way past New Year's. The days when I couldn't breathe out of either nostril, where I'd get sinus infections that would turn into upper respiratory infections and I'd have to be on antibiotics. That's when I figure that one day of feeling like miserable scum isn't so bad afterall and I should probably thank my allergist for helping me come this far.

I'm back at work today, still with a runny nose, and hoarse throat, but I can function like a normal human being again. :)