Yesterday I had the first of four weekly tests to determine what I’m allergic to. This consists of getting five pieces of jagged plastic twisted into the sensitive pasty flesh of my forearm and waiting for the wounds to erupt.
I had mild reactions to cat and dog (bad for me, but manageable). I also reacted to household dust and molds. The worst, though, was histamine. My body is producing enough of the stuff to create a welt the size of a small volcano.
Left arm:
Right arm:
Close up of the welt:
At least you know what you’re allergic to. My skin tests showed nothing, as did the subsequent blood tests, but during my skin tests my throat started swelling shut. So now I have an epi pen and I have NO IDEA WHY.
Also, Barenaked Ladies put out an album for their kids with a song called “Allergies.” You should go download it.
That’s true, knowing is half the battle (Yo Joe!). I was starting to develop more allergic reactions and my general doctor’s first response is “let’s try some steroids”. I’m a fan of treating the cause, not the symptoms. Nothing as serious as throat swelling, thankfully, but keep the walnuts away from me. Those make my tongue swell painfully.
Next week is the spring allergens. Presumably fall pollens come after that. I’m not sure what the last test will include.