This is not a whiny emo post about how horrible it is to be allergic to the air I’m trying to breathe.
No, this is an insightful post about carts, horses, chickens, eggs, and biofeedback.
Today I awoke with a runny nose that signaled the beginning of allergy season. I’ve not been dutiful nor diligent in taking my allergy meds (Flonase, Claritin, and the occasional shot of Albuterol) because of late I haven’t needed them. But this morning I dove into them at 7:00am, because I sensed that a full-on allergy attack was impending.
The meds didn’t work fast enough for my liking. My nose ran so fast that it was running what looked to be pure salt water. It tasted like that too, because it ran so fast at times I couldn’t help but get it in my mouth as I struggled to clean the front of my face.
It was 3:00pm before the assorted meds actually DID anything. By that time I’d added Sudafed and some caffeine to the mix. I finally dried up.
I was exhausted, but happy.
I sat down and triaged my email for a couple of hours. It needed doing.
Mid-triage I began to wonder why I was so sad.
Sad?
When did I get sad? I felt like a good friend just died, and I’d been mourning him for hours.
Oh, yeah. The runny nose.
Physically, the sensation of having had a severely runny nose for eight straight hours felt almost exactly like having bawled my eyes out at a funeral earlier in the day. And since that ACTUALL HAPPENED a couple of weeks back, I seem to be taking emotional cues from my physical state, even though they’re completely unjustified by current events and my state of mind.
On the one hand, this is weird enough and cool enough that I want to write about it. (Done!)
On the other hand, this is extremely frustrating. My dried-out eyes and nose keep tricking me into feeling sad when I’m not. They are inducing a sort of mournful lethargy, and oh, look… the day is now gone. GRRRRR…
So. Allergies make me sad. And that makes me angry. (But part of me can still stand back and be very objectively fascinated by the whole thing.)
Vitamin C helps. 1000-2000 mg.
The purer the better, as those of us with allergies can find nasty surprises in ‘natural’ products. [I’m not allergic to rose hips, but one of my best friends is.]
One of my allergists recommended it to me, more than 25 years ago.
And to add insult and irony to injury, I find the whole thing funny.
Are you still happy with that (relatively) expensive air filter you wrote about a while back?
Yes. But for the last three weeks it hasn’t been on.
Whoops!
I know what you mean. I sometimes feel depressed not because for any emotional reason, but because I’m not getting enough oxygen. It helps to know when it’s biologically driven, so you can keep from spiralling into the real emotional quagmire.
It’s amazing (and amusing) that you can step outside of yourself and analyze it clinically like that.
Sounds like you had a rotten day, even if you did have a small Epiphany to show at the end.
Ona
I have been told (in Introduction to Psychology class, I think it was, and/or by therapists and/or in textbooks) that this sort of thing is a phenomenon that is well-documented by psychologists. The example that’s usually cited is that if you fake a smile for awhile, perhaps by putting a pencil between your teeth and trying not to touch it with your lips, you can trick your body into thinking you’re happy, and then you actually become happy. I’d offer a wikipedia or other internet link, except I don’t actually remember what the phenomenon is called.
I’ve taken allergy medications that actually did make me depressed. For example, a combo of Allegra and decongestant. I suggest not taking that stuff.
For natural allergy relief, quercetin helps me. Not as much as Zyrtec, but it helps control the inflammation that otherwise never really goes away. Also keeps my face from getting bright red when I drink one glass of wine.
Next bonus check, I’m buying an air filter like you got.
I have never once considered my physical state as any sort of cue for my emotional state. Except… Yes, I suppose, I’ve found that it’s true that I generally feel happier if I smile and try to look happier, so it seems pretty stupid that I’ve never examined it further.
Interesting.
my little girl feels your pain – her allergies have made her sad, as well. Mine and my son’t aren’t near as bad…
My doctor told me today that the pollen count over the last couple days is higher than it’s been for years, especially for this time of year.
I’ve come across a few allergy relief methods, and one of the most effective is acupuncture. It can provide immediate relief, although the acupuncture for allergies isn’t something you can really do on yourself. The side effects include a mild euphoria. Call an acupuncturist before seeing one, ask if they know effective allergy treatments. (some acupuncturists seem to overspecialize at times, some go to mediocre schools, some states have no license requirements, your mileage may vary) That said, it seems to work remarkably well.
As for the “needles” thing, it feels like a slight pinch of the skin and not at all like an injection. I do both injections and acupuncture on myself. The acupuncture is pleasant, the insulin is NOT. A vegetarian friend of mine had some concern over the needles, but after the first treatment he also looked upon them with joy. He ate meat when sick with a nasty virus and got better. Ate meat again the next day and got horribly sick with a serious migraine from the meat. Acupressure was “the only garden hose in a burning city” while acupuncture removed the migraine completely in under 5 minutes.
Allergies can be cured… that’s my TMI for today.