It’s been a while since I last posted — not because I haven’t had much happen (many more foods, many more Xolair successes) but because I’ve been trying to figure out how to recap the massive life change that Xolair has been to my life. We’ll get to that soon, but for now, a snippet.
I’ve had a rough few weeks. A termite infestation in my apartment has led me to be far more allergic than I have been since starting Xolair. For those of you who may be wondering, “Hey am I allergic to termites?” the answer is: could be. Termite feces collect dust at a high rate, apparently, which can exacerbate dust allergies. So it’s been fun vacuuming (but not too much so that the various inspectors won’t see where the termites are/were/come from) and itching and scratchy throating.
The good news is: the exterminators are finally coming for real (I hope) this week. Which means I have to clean out my apartment. Which means I stumbled upon some gems of the past.
Like expired Benedryl.
I have an allergy drawer filled with claritin, allegra, zyrtec, and benedryl. I have tons of benedryl, because I don’t want to run out and my reactions had typically involved me taking 100 mg every 2-4 hours. Or, like a pack a reaction. So I stock up, especially since it’s hard to find the brand name non-liqui-gels where I live, and the off-brand ones aren’t as effective for me and I’m allergic to the liqui-gels.
I threw out a TON of expired benedryl. Which, for a girl who was always running low, is a huge accomplishment. My reactions have been so much fewer, my diet more stable, Xolair so helpful, and my instincts much greater that I simply did not need to take nearly as much benedryl as usual. I also realize I haven’t purchased allerga since 2012. I used to have to take zyrtec and allerga daily and a claritin when things got really bad. But that’s not the case anymore. An empty bottle of Allegra that expired a year ago is all I needed to see that I am done with that phase.
Even though I’ve been sick these past few weeks, in general, I’m getting better. Better physically and better at keeping myself safe. My medicine is expiring without me having to use it.
#gratitude
allergyepisodes 