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August 30, 2004
Aaaah CHOOO!
Today I got tested for allergies. I already knew that I have allergies, but try explaining how bad they are to a Doctor who does not have them. Don't get me wrong, my Doctor is a brilliant person, but she just doesn't seem to understand exactly how miserable my allergies can make me. I am optimistic, though, because I think the results of the test will give her some clue.
Step one of the procedure consisted of me laying on my stomach while the nurse pricked me in the back 35 times with a needle dipped in small amounts of 35 different allergens. Then I was left to wait for 10 minutes. Fortunately, my mother accompanied me on this adventure, and it is always enjoyable to have a medical technologist with you on any such medical odyssey. While I was flat on my face, trying not to drool on the paper-lined "bed" and avoiding lowering my hair into the patches of burning flesh, my mother was standing over me, wide-eyed, intently watching the wonder of allergic reactions take place before her very eyes.
"Ooo, number three must be cats. Wow, I wonder what number twenty-four is! It's going great guns."
I felt like it was a horse race or something.
Then she decided to list off all of the numbers to which I was having reactions:
"2, 3, 6, 11, 12, 16, 18..."
"Bingo."
"19, 21, 25, 31, 35."
It turns out that those were just a trial run. Next, the doctor decided that I needed sixteen injections of a slightly larger amount of some of the allergens into my arms.
In the end, the doctor confirmed that I do indeed have severe allergies. They rank the severity of each allergen on a scale of one to four, and in case you too are in the medical profession, or are plotting my demise, I will indulge you in the results:
Housedust - 4 (A wonderful excuse to let it all settle.)
Dust mite - 4
Dog hair - 4
Cat hair - 4, circled by the nurse. This means deadly, but I could have told you that after I broke out in a rash that covered both of my arms last time I petted a cat.
Various molds - 2
Elm - 2
Walnut - 1
Cottonwood - 2
Birch - 1
Blue grass - 1 (I wonder if that applies to the music...)
Ragweed - 3
Russian thistle - 2
Cocklebur - 2
Pigweed - 1
Plantain - 1
The allergist recommended a series of weekly shots for the duration of five years.
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Quote of the Day:
In the largest set of arrests, some 50 protesters on bicycles who stopped near the parade route were carted away in an off-duty city bus. Fifteen people were arrested and two police officers were injured when someone set a paper dragon float afire near Madison Square Garden, and nine demonstrators were charged with assault after trying to stop police from arresting the culprit, authorities said...
"There's been a few minor arrests," Mayor Michael Bloomberg (search) said. "It has been peaceful."
Arson and assult are peaceful?
Posted by Megan at August 30, 2004 03:02 PM
Comments
now i feel bad for having a cat in my house...
Posted by: matt at August 30, 2004 03:41 PM
bummer dude... that doesn't sound like much fun. especially all those needles.... yuck!
Posted by: leah at August 30, 2004 04:36 PM
Dude, I remember having the same thing done, only I was about 7th grade. Weekly shots, you get over needles quickly if you have any aversion to them. I got them in both arms :(
Good luck!
Posted by: Dan at August 30, 2004 05:01 PM
i'll be allergic to blue grass with you.
are you allergic to darth? sad!
Posted by: Heather at August 30, 2004 10:29 PM
Heather-
I'm slightly allergic to Darth, but it's not very bad because he's small, short-haired, and doesn't shed. And I just love dogs too darn much to care.
Posted by: Megan at August 31, 2004 12:01 PM
Oooh...cats rank as deadly, huh? Now THAT's a bummer! Sorry Megan, you shouldn't visit our house anymore. :) Our four felines aren't ferocious...unless you're alergic I guess.
Matt--It's a trade off. Having cats brings some people in the door...but they also keep some away.
Posted by: Mandy at September 3, 2004 02:01 PM