When I was about 11 years old, a neighbor's cat had a litter of kittens and I fell in love with them. I begged my mom for a kitten and after annoying her long enough, she said okay. When we brought her home, she fit in the palm of my hand.
After a while, I started wheezing and having crazy coughing fits and during a visit to the doctor, we found that I was super allergic to cats. I took shots and all kinds of meds, but nothing helped. So eventually, (and I hate remembering that day) we had to give my kitten away.
Since then, I've avoided cats like crazy. And when I've been around them, things haven't been pretty. Like the time I got a cat hair in my eye at a party as a teenager and ended up looking like a cyclopse. (In front of my crush, of course.) Then there was the babyshower I wheezed, sneezed, itched and scratched through.
But in December, I attended a Christmas party, inhaler in pocket, and managed to breathe freely for six hours in a house with two cats. It wasn't until I sat on the sofa, late night, that I was affected. And this Saturday night, I visited that house again, without a problem. Then last night, as the ultimate test, I popped a Zyrtec and slept in a house with a cat. I didn't sleep much because the Zyrtec had me buzzing like a bee, but I didn't get sick either. Sure I wheezed here and there, but I could breathe.
It was like a miracle.
So now I'm wondering if our bodies really do change over time? Like when I was a kid, my mom was allergic to eggs. She loves them now. And my friend, F, has been allergic to shrimp and then not allergic to shrimp during different periods of her life.
So could this be the same type of thing? Am I just over it? Or is Zyrtec the king of allergy meds? Have you ever been allergic to something and then found that after a while you weren't? Or vice versa?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
Kids definitely can outgrow allergies. My daughter outgrew an egg allergy when she was around 12. For some reason you're more likely to outgrow certain types of allergies.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how it is with adults - only that I seem to have more allergies now than when I was younger!
That is certainly possible. I find I've been a little wheezy in the spring the last few years so I may be adding allergies!
ReplyDeleteYup! Used to be allergic to dogs but no more. I'm not nearly as allergic to cats as I used to be. However I found out about my clam allergy on a date when I was 19... and had the same reaction twice thereafter, so now I steer clear of clams, oysters, and mussels. *Sigh*
ReplyDeleteOh and Paul never had allergies til last year. He's allergic to mulberry and white hickory. RANDOM right?
ReplyDeleteIt's a scientific fact that some kids can outgrow certain allergies, but I'm not an expert, just repeating what I've heard and read.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be great to find that you're outgrown your 'cat allergy' and you could get yourself a kitten again?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHave you tried a natual way of relieving your allerigic reaction? I would like to recommend my companys AirSource which if you have allergies including dust, animal dander, pollen, mold etc. It reduces all three of the major indoor air pollutants-particulates,microbials, and gases. If you have questions get back to me!
My little nephew is allergic to EVERYTHING, but as he grows, his body adapts - so yes, our bodies do change over time.
ReplyDeleteZyrtec is the king for me! When I was pregnant I had a TERRIBLE rash that wouldn't go away. I had to sleep with ice packs on it so I wouldn't scratch. I tried everything under the sun. Finally, Zyrtec made it go away. It was so great to have something that worked!
My sister used to suffer from terrible asthma. She couldn't leave the house without taking her spray to help her breath when getting an asthma attack. Too many dust, change of air, exhausted, stress... all those could trigger very unpleasant situations, which I didn't bare to see. In her senior high school years someone referred us to a traditional remedy, the camel heart, and it worked wonders! After a long time of suffering she didn't have to depend on her spray anymore and never had a serious asthma attack again, like in the old days.
ReplyDeleteYou came to the right place for this question. I am the worlds top expert on allergies. I have them like no one else I have ever met or heard of. I get bug eyed every spring. I used to have a problem with cats but don't anymore. Pollen is what kills me now. I also know that allergies come and go throughout your life. I have eaten shrimp all my life but now when I do, I get a scratchy feeling in my throat. I will die without my shrimp.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your other question, I sell local wine and also plants at the Charleston Farmers Market.