3/20/10 Welcome Spring!

FINALLY Spring is here! Here's how I know; I can't breath!

We've had beautiful days here...70 degrees! We spent half the day starting the cleanup of the garden beds. I LOVE gardening...it's like meditation for me. I have Spring Fever. The first green buds and bulbs are starting to pop up.

It's allergy season here. I don't think (blonde) I told you this story already (so humor me).

DS2 was diagnosed with Asthma a few years back, so we made an appointment with the Allergist to see if that would help him. His brother, DS1 has had a runny nose since he was a 2 yo...I swear it's true. Until he learned how to use a Kleenex by himself, he had 2 lovely lines of green snot running from his nostrils into his mouth. Yes, I'm a bad mother...I couldn't be there every minute to wipe his nose...good thing for him, he was adorable as everyone was always wiping his nose...and there isn't such a thing as a 'nose bib', trust me, I looked (DD was a spitter-upper so she was perpetually in a bib...I even found ones with a pocket at the bottom...problem solved). If you want to make millions...invent a nose bib...I'm not the only one with a snotty nose kid.

Where was I...Oh yeah, so we decided to take DS2 to the Allergist as well and then DH decided that he needed to go since he was having some issues and thought he might have seasonal allergies. I didn't think I had any allergies (this was before my 12 week cough and the Asthma diagnosis), except maybe some skin ones (I knew I was allergic to some harsh detergents and my skin is the kind you can write your name on and it will swell and turn red)...but decided why not, I'm a team player...let's make it a family event! It's almost as fun as a day in the park, right? So I made appointments for all four of us together (DD was away at college then).

The Allergist talked to each one of us about our symptoms first and asked us a list of questions before they did the testing. The boys went first.

The testing was interesting...they did the skin pricks on the insides of both your arms (at least 25 on each arm). DS1 was allergic to absolutely nothing...surprising...he was given some nose spray. DS2 started having reactions and it was actually kind of cool watching his arms (OK, I admitted I'm a bad mother already) swell up as one by one the red bumps started to form and spread out a little...some were raised and a few got twice as big in diameter. DS2 was about ready to claw his arms off by the time the 'don't move your arms' period was up and the nurse measured an logged each bump...then sweet relief with the Bendryl cream. DS2 was allergic to most environmental things (no foods) and highly allergic to a few.

DH and I came next. I went last and met with the Allergist to answer the questions...he predicted by my answers that I wouldn't have allergies. Then came the skin pricks...I went into the room with the kids and DH...he was already in the waiting period and only a few minor bumps were showing up on his arms (he has a few very mild allergies). The boys were getting bored by then and complaining to leave. I assured them we'd be able to leave as soon as my waiting period (timer on the table) was up as he Allergist didn't expect I'd have any reactions.

The nurse then did all my skin pricks. Holy Hannah Montana!! Before she even got done with my second arm I was getting reactions. OK, NOW the boys weren't bored anymore. I became the entertainment...as I sat there with both arms out on the table so itchy that I wanted to take a scrub brush to them, my three guys are giving blow by blow commentating 'There goes another one!' 'WOW, look at that one go!' Then, like all guys, they started taking bets...'I've got these two!' 'OK, these two are mine!' 'Look at 'em GO!' Hysterical laughter so loud the nurse came back in to take a look. Now she's having fun...'WOW! We don't get many reactions like that!' I give her the death glare as by now I'm squirming in my seat trying to hold my ams steady as I'm now ready to shove them both into a wood chipper!

5 min. to go and by now the laughter and comments are at a fever pitch. They're now taking bets on which two bumps are going to touch each other first. Then it was which one was going to encompass the most other bumps (the nurse is furiously writing so she can note reactions before some of the huge ones take them over). By the end when she finally goes to get the cream, I snatch it out of her hand and start squirting everywhere on my arms as she's yelling at me to stop scratching or they'll get infected. The boys are in hysterics by now as I 'made them come to the Allergist' and now I'm the one with all the allergies...see me laughing...not.

I found out that that feeling of swallowing all the time is because I have post-nasal drip in a bad way. "Nasal" sounds like my kids snotty nose, right? How was I to know that it can also run like a waterfall down the back of your throat...GROSS!! I didn't know that not everybody has that feeling...I'd always had it. Apparently I'm highly allergic to everything environmental...some so badly I'm off their charts. The boys were even watching the whole way home as I had two reactions that just kept on going...even two hours after I was home. One of them was still the diameter of an golf ball two days later...'Timothy Grass'...had to ask what that one was...Hay...no wonder I can't breath on hayrides (and I thought it was all the dust from the kids throwing the hay at each other).

Get this though, they suggested allergy shots for DS2 (and some seasonal meds) and for me, just meds...because of my age!!! Apparently, unless I was planning on getting a dog or a cat in the future, the meds. would work fine and they didn't recommend that anyone at my age would need to go through 4-5 years of allergy shots.

I was well into year 3 (yes, my blonde brain cells) of taking DS2 to the Allergist weekly for his shots when it dawned on me...the Doc said he was getting better and no longer even needed the nose spray or the daily antihistamine (only as needed now)...I was the one had to take him for these shots every week (pain in the butt as they only have evening hours one day a week and there's only one allergist near us, but not close)...umm...couldn't they have just given me the shots at the same time?!! I didn't know we could get off the meds if we did the shots!!! OK, they asked me about pets, but did they bother to ask me what my favorite pastime is? GARDENING!!! I'm outside from Spring-Fall! No, I decided it wasn't worth the hassle to start shots now as he's almost done.

The fish are moving again in the pond (netting to keep the leaves out in the winter).

So it'll be another beautiful day here tomorrow and I'll be outside again. Me and my stuffy nose...and you know what...I'm happy it's stuffy...it means it's finally SPRING!
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THINK POSITIVE

Your life is your garden,

Your thoughts are the seeds.

If your life isn't awesome,

You've been watering the weeds.