is the word 'diary' better than the word 'blog'? probably not.

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on how I have no allergies.

I went to the doctor today (my cardiologist) ("cardiologist" always sounds so much more serious than it is in my case--I have leaky heart valves but my overall health isn't in danger) and was pleased to learn that I have done everything right for once: since my last visit I have lost weight, lowered the salt content in my blood, kept my sugar level low, and lowered my cholesterol. He had nothing bad to say to me.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an allergist. I decided that now that I am staying in one place for awhile, I should get allergy tested again and maybe consider doing allergy shots instead of constantly taking antihistamines. I've basically been taking 24-hour antihistamines for over ten years. It gives me dry eyes and dry mouth but otherwise there are no side effects. (Zyrtec is awesome.)

But at the allergist something very very strange happened. I learned that I am not allergic to anything. What? It is all very strange, because ten years ago when I got scratch-tested the first time, I was allergic to everything: most trees, most grasses, various kinds of mold and dust, and various animals. This time around they scratch-tested me for 48 allergens and none of them flared up. Then they did 12 subdermal injections to see if I would react to that. Nothing.

It made me feel like a crazy person. I asked the doctor, "does this mean I'm not allergic to anything?" She said, "well, not really. In about 5% of the population skin tests don't work. The bad news is that I can't possibly give you allergy shots because I wouldn't know what to put in them." She suggested I might try cutting my antihistamine pills in half and seeing if they do the job at half-dosage.

But, well, isn't it weird? What happened between 10 years ago and now? The allergist had no insight to offer me. Perhaps she thought I was a hypochondriac. I felt shamed somehow, even though I hadn't done anything wrong.

I asked my cardiologist about this (he is also a general practitioner) and he said that sometimes people grow out of their allergies, just like some people who have never had allergies develop them as they age.

The thing is, I had to stop taking antihistamines for a week before getting allergy tested, and during that week my whole body was itchy and I had a fairly constant sinus headache. So it's not the case that all is well.

However, I also didn't get the crazy hives and rough dry patches of skin that I used to get if I didn't take antihistamines for a few days. So perhaps things are better than they once were.

Or maybe the winter kills the allergens that affect me most, and spring will bring them all back.

Anyway, it was all very demoralizing, because there I was at a specialist talking about my history of allergies and then she couldn't find any evidence of me being allergic to anything. Plus I had to spend almost an hour digging the car out of the snow in order to go to the appointment. And did I mention that I had to get poked with a needle 48 times and then injected with 12 more needles? I had planned on doing some grocery shopping and errands on the way home from the doctor but I couldn't bring myself to do it because the news was so disorienting.

But at least I lost weight, made my cardiologist happy, and the multi-year struggle I've been engaged in to decrease my sodium count has not been in vain.

I recommend cutting salt to everyone, unless you're one of those rare freaks with low blood sodium. I recommend this because as you age salt starts hardening your arteries, and once the damage is done, nothing can fix it.

Plus, when you get past the initial shock of eating less salt (things taste bland for a while) you start to appreciate other flavors that you miss when you rely on salt to provide flavor. Often (but not always) these days, when I eat something too salty, it feels like punishment for my tongue.

The secret: just stop eating processed food, learn about where most of the salt is hidden in restaurant food, and read labels at the grocery store. It cuts the weight and the salt all at once.

5:59 p.m. - February 18, 2010
Sduckie - 2010-02-19 09:25:19
Is it possible to be addicted to antihistamines? Like maybe you don't really need them anymore, but your body was having some withdrawal symptoms when you stopped for a week. Maybe if you quit them entirely,after some discomfort you may find you don't need them at all - just a thought! You really may be allergy free! :)
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