A day or so ago I visited my sinus doctor and allergist for some allergy testing. This is the third time I've had allergy testing in my adult life. (These things change over time and different regions have different allergens.) In the words of the doctor, I'm "healing like a champ" from my sinus surgery last month. However, I'm congested and snotty all over again. Why? I'm allergic to everything.
No, seriously, you should see the results of my allergy testing. On a scale of 3-12 (don't ask me why it's 3-12, and not something more logical), I registered a 12 on cats, dogs, horses, dust, mold, and pretty much all trees that grow in Virginia. I was a mere 11 for grasses. Everything else on the test I came up as a 9 or 10.
In other words, I'm allergic to everything. It's rather ridiculous. And since insurance doesn't cover living in a bubble, and life happens outside the bubble, I have to take other measures if I want to spend just one day of my life not congested or sneezing. (Seriously, I can't remember the last time I went a whole day without sneezing, blowing my nose, or coughing. It gets tiresome.)
Things beyond my control causing me great difficulties-
1. I live in a very old apartment building. Heaven only knows when the last time they cleaned the HVAC system was, or if they have ever cleaned the vents.
So I bought this today-
As strange as it may sound, I'm actually looking forward to it. The idea of stopping and blocking the dust and dirt before it blows into my apartment sounds like a good idea to me. And for $12, it seems like a good investment.
2. I live in a very old apartment with very old, nasty carpeting. (Seriously, if I don't vacuum every other day, it looks muddy and gross. In my previous homes I've been able to get away without vacuuming for weeks. One person who walks around barefoot all the time rarely tracks in much dirt. My floors are very clean usually. But not in this old apartment.)
Between old carpeting and my dog, I had to buy this-
Between the doctor's recommendation and the reviews of the product, I'm hopeful it will make a difference.
3. My bed is actually fairly new (comparatively speaking), but I have a dog who thinks my bed is her bed. Actually I think she just thinks its her bed and she lets me share it sometimes. And so I have to wash my bed linens once a week in really hot water and use special detergent. (I've been washing them every week already, but using a very gentle detergent because I've been wearing out my sheets washing them so much. That has to change now.)
Which brings us to this-
I still need to buy a few more things like an air purifier and a better mattress encasement. But those things cost a lot more, so I'll be saving up for them. And naturally I'm taking Zyrtec and Benadryl every day. (Yes, a daily Benadryl. Why? Because I'm just that allergic to everything.)
Basically without all of these extra measures, I can expect to need sinus surgery again in a year or two. And easy as the surgery was, I'd really rather not have to go through it again.
Oh and I need to invest in a better vacuum. I admit the one I most recently bought I picked for cheap price and size. (I live in a small space and picked a small vacuum that wouldn't take up too much space in that one whole closet I have.) Apparently it doesn't have a hepa-filter that I really need.
Blurgh.
This whole living thing is getting expensive!
No, seriously, you should see the results of my allergy testing. On a scale of 3-12 (don't ask me why it's 3-12, and not something more logical), I registered a 12 on cats, dogs, horses, dust, mold, and pretty much all trees that grow in Virginia. I was a mere 11 for grasses. Everything else on the test I came up as a 9 or 10.
In other words, I'm allergic to everything. It's rather ridiculous. And since insurance doesn't cover living in a bubble, and life happens outside the bubble, I have to take other measures if I want to spend just one day of my life not congested or sneezing. (Seriously, I can't remember the last time I went a whole day without sneezing, blowing my nose, or coughing. It gets tiresome.)
Things beyond my control causing me great difficulties-
1. I live in a very old apartment building. Heaven only knows when the last time they cleaned the HVAC system was, or if they have ever cleaned the vents.
So I bought this today-
As strange as it may sound, I'm actually looking forward to it. The idea of stopping and blocking the dust and dirt before it blows into my apartment sounds like a good idea to me. And for $12, it seems like a good investment.
2. I live in a very old apartment with very old, nasty carpeting. (Seriously, if I don't vacuum every other day, it looks muddy and gross. In my previous homes I've been able to get away without vacuuming for weeks. One person who walks around barefoot all the time rarely tracks in much dirt. My floors are very clean usually. But not in this old apartment.)
Between old carpeting and my dog, I had to buy this-
Between the doctor's recommendation and the reviews of the product, I'm hopeful it will make a difference.
3. My bed is actually fairly new (comparatively speaking), but I have a dog who thinks my bed is her bed. Actually I think she just thinks its her bed and she lets me share it sometimes. And so I have to wash my bed linens once a week in really hot water and use special detergent. (I've been washing them every week already, but using a very gentle detergent because I've been wearing out my sheets washing them so much. That has to change now.)
Which brings us to this-
I still need to buy a few more things like an air purifier and a better mattress encasement. But those things cost a lot more, so I'll be saving up for them. And naturally I'm taking Zyrtec and Benadryl every day. (Yes, a daily Benadryl. Why? Because I'm just that allergic to everything.)
Basically without all of these extra measures, I can expect to need sinus surgery again in a year or two. And easy as the surgery was, I'd really rather not have to go through it again.
Oh and I need to invest in a better vacuum. I admit the one I most recently bought I picked for cheap price and size. (I live in a small space and picked a small vacuum that wouldn't take up too much space in that one whole closet I have.) Apparently it doesn't have a hepa-filter that I really need.
Blurgh.
This whole living thing is getting expensive!
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