To Sneeze, Perchance To Die

After that, every time I went home (which was not often) my mom wanted me to stay in the motel. I didn’t want to (and besides, we both knew it was expensive) but I was afraid, and so was she. Neither of us even considered the possibility of getting rid of the new cats (who had replaced the old cat). I don’t know why; we didn’t even really like those cats.

As time passed, new medications started being developed. For a while I used Brethine (terbutaline) and prednisone, but even back then they knew that prednisone should not be used for too long a period, as it had horrific and sometimes permanent side effects.

I remember the inhaler as being a huge innovation, which could quickly ease asthma, but I never liked the feeling of medication being put down my lungs. At the same time, antihistamines (of which pyrabenzamine was the crude predecessor) became more and more effective and specific, with fewer side effects. But the real treatment that changed my life was allergy desensitization. My allergist told me the majority of people who decide not to get allergy shots couldn’t handle the commitment. Who can blame them? I had heard horror stories of people getting shots and then immediately having allergy attacks causing their breathing passages to swell, closing off their throats. I almost didn’t go through with desensitization, but I knew that it was the only path to allergy tolerance that was drug-free and long-lasting.

Having lasted through six months of weekly allergy shots and another six months of bi-weekly shots, I now only have to go once a month. I get three shots on each arm. My arms react as if they’ve been stung by a wasp (a big one) and they stay swollen and sore for a couple of days. But the result has been miraculous. I never knew I could be around furry animals without feeling as if I’m going to die. I’m taking horseback riding lessons. I run through the grasses and trees. I don’t have to stay in a hotel anymore when I visit my mom.