Allergies, Allergies Everywhere

OMG my allergies are killing me!  My nose has been running non-stop for a week, my face is puffy, my skin is itchy, and my eyes are a scratchy misery.  Ugh.  I was hoping that moving to the desert would make for less allergies because, well, it's a desert, but lots of stuff blooms here and now every surface outside is covered in yellow pollen!

I don't like taking medications so I usually suffer through allergy season each spring with a boatload of kleenex and the occasional decongestant.  Hopefully this ends soon! 

~~end of rant :/

Allergy Season...Ugh

I thought it was odd that my cold was hanging on for so long. The stuffy nose, sneezing, can't go anywhere without a Kleenex thing was getting old. Then I walked into Walmart yesterday and the first thing we came to was a wall of allergy medicine. Ohhhhh So I hopped online and went to weatherbug.com and saw that the pollen forecast was a 10.2 out of 12 (in other words, high) and then it dawned on me that maybe my cold was mingling in with allergies. Ick. Fortunately I don't have allergies year round but early spring seems to be a killer and early spring in Atlanta where everything is starting to bloom is really playing havoc with my sinuses. Here's what I do to try to lessen the impact:

• I try to lay off the milk, dairy products, and wheat. These items seem to make my allergies even worst.


• I use a "nettie pot" type device (actually one of those bulb "snot removers" that got left by one of the grandkids) to clean out my nose once or twice a day.


• If it gets really bad, I close all of the windows and turn on the AC if it gets too hot. I really love fresh air but early in the spring, when the windows are open all day, you can literally see a layer of pollen on the hard surfaces near the windows.


• I dust and mop and vacuum more often.


• I try to walk early in the evening while it is still late but after the pollen has died down.


• It is already a decades old habit (I learned this in Japan) but we never wear shoes in the house and we usually change into "house clothes" when we get home to avoid tracking in the dust and pollen we pick up outside.