So you have allergies...

This is me at age 7. This is an allergic reaction to something. This is what happen to me from about age 7-10 all the time. We could never figure out what was causing my allergic reactions because it was never consistant.

We did figure out a few things...I was allergic to cats(I think that the above picture is becasue of a cat), cut grass (I'm allergic to the enzyme that is released into the air when grass is cut), metal (I found this out when I started to wear jewlery), and any number of trees, weeds, and flowers etc.

After a few years of me getting sick, never being able to breathe, and lots of allergic reactions--I asked my mom if I could go get tested for allergies from an allergist. Remember that this was back in the day before all these new allergy drugs were out and allergies were common knowledge. No one really went to an allergest unless they had an anaphalactic allergy (allergic to peanuts and if you eat one or even get near one you might die). So my mom was hesitant.

Finally I did go get tested and I was allergic to about 80 of the 81 things they tested me for. The nurses both freaked out when I started to react to all the pokes of allergens they had given me. They had never had anyone react to so many of the allergens at once. They had to call a doctor in and swab all this lotion on me. The doctor was shocked also and gave me a shot of epinephorine(adrenaline) and had me breathing on this hand held breathing device.

I learned from that point on that I had what was called...Severe Allergies (no brainer name). So I learned to avoid certain things, to sleep a lot, to drink lots of water, and I managed to survive 6 years of allergy shots. At one point I was doing 3 shots 3 times a week! Hooray for medicine!

Through the years I have grown out of some allergies and picked up some new ones. It has been a challenge, but I'm learning how to take care of myself and I feel blessed. That first doctor that tested me said I was not too far away from being one of those kids that needed to live in a bubble. He told me that I was allergic to the air and atmosphere and that I would be sick all the time because of that. Well, I'm sick a lot, but I am very blessed to be as healthy as I am!