I have been known to diss Claritin, or its equivalent, the daily pill I take to ward off allergies. I have been known to think that it's not doing much for me anymore, and that I really ought to go back to an allergist, now that I'm on Kaiser, and not that cheap-ass United Health Care that wouldn't cover any prescription allergy medication for me as long as Claritin was available OTC.
Now, it still may be true that another medication would do more for me, I was reminded yesterday that Claritin does something for me...
I was in Seattle from Wed.-Fri., and I forgot to bring my allergy medication with me. No big deal.
In fact when I headed home Friday night I felt pretty good. I had slept well for the last couple of nights. I always expect to sleep better in a hotel, without the disruptions of a night-owl S.O. and an early bird feline in my household, but the truth is that often I have just as much trouble sleeping on my own...it's my own mind that keeps me awake as often as not. But these two nights I had gotten six, maybe even seven, hours of good, straight sleep.
I had also eaten well while in Seattle. Often traveling is tough on a veg*n, but Seattle took good care of me (which you can read about in my blog Veggie Goes Vegan if you're interested.)
So, thought a bit tired and cranky, I was feeling physically A-OK when I arrived home at about 9PM on Friday evening.
By the wee hours of Saturday morning I was suffering from a massive allergy attack. Sneezing, headache, alternately stuffed and running nose, watery eyes.
What were the contributing factors?
-No Meds for 3 days
-Back with the cat and her fur
-We have a housekeeper come every two weeks, and I often notice that the day or two before she comes my allergies act up...because, no doubt, there has been dust build-up. So, she's due tomorrow, and yes, I'm clearly a crappy housekeeper.
-Our air purifier in the bedroom needs its carbon filters changed regularly. I'm a month or two behind on doing that.
-Last, but not least, I've noticed over the last few years that certain cuisines trigger a similar, though milder, reaction to the one I get when I drink alcohol. Indian, Thai, Mexican foods can all have this effect on me. When I got home Friday night the S.O. had ordered Indian food...which I gobbled down.
Bottom line: I was Miserable, with a capital 'M', all day and night yesterday, complete with migraine-like symptoms.
And I was reminded that back before I took daily allergy meds I'd have an episode like that about once a month. It usually knocked out one day, and even made the next day a "light activity" day.
It's safe to say that Claritin does not eliminate all allergy symptoms for me, but it has staved off massive allergy attacks that used to be quite common for me.
Credit where credit is due.
But I still think I should hit up the Kaiser allergist for something better...any suggestions?
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