I’m Allergic to Everything

I’ve always known I was allergic to a lot of things. Scents, primarily - especially Christmas scents (like cinnamon). Animals. I’ve joked I’m allergic to Outside. Finally I visited an allergy clinic, and got proof.

Foods. We tested for eggs (whites & yolks) and strawberries. Allergic to all three. Also allergic to milk, onions, sweet potatoes, and coffee. But not allergic to pork. I've learned that my brain tends to recoil from things that we are allergic to, so I trust that reaction. I get that reaction to peppers, too, so I expect I'm allergic to them, too, though we haven't tested that one.

Animals. Cats and dogs both - oh yes, the two biggest reactions I had. The cat reaction overran the ability to measure it.

Dust. Yep, dust mites (both kinds), as well as both tests for cockroaches. 

Molds. Of the twenty-one types tested, I came up positive for nine, with Alternaria as the high score. Alternaria is a mold found in warm, damp conditions, inside and out, including house dust.

Weeds. Of the fourteen tested, I’m allergic to eleven, with the highest being Mugwort Sage, which blooms late summer/early fall. Recommended to avoid some raw foods - http://www.healwithfood.org/allergicrhinitis/mugwort-cross-reactivity-season.php

Grasses. Tested nine types, and every one of them is a problem, but none had high scores.

Trees. I’m allergic to sixteen of twenty kinds of trees (Poplar, Oak, Cedar, and Pine are okay). High Scores - Beech, Pecan, Sycamore, Maple.

• Beech - flowering in March to May
• Pecan - pollen season April to June
• Maple - may need to avoid maple sugar/syrup

For those keeping count, that’s 58 positives out of 78 tests.

In addition to the things above that we tested, I’m also allergic to synthetic stuff that can’t be tested or given shots for - basically anything you can smell. Scents will make me pass out, or at least get very dizzy and a bit stupid for a while.

• perfumes & scents (like candles)
• synthetic cinnamon scent (but smelling natural cinnamon seems okay)
• wood stain
• soaps, and many cleaning products (orange oil cleaners are okay)

So I’m allergic to Life; to things that are alive - animals, mites, buts, molds, weeds, grasses, and trees. So please understand that when you invite me to an outdoor activity, I am likely to decline because I am allergic to Life. 

I'm also allergic to soaps and scents and dust. Which means I'm allergic to cleaning, generally. So I will hire someone to do most of my cleaning. 

And I'm allergic to Christmas, or at least to everything you smell around the Holidays - cinnamon brooms, apple-cinnamon candles, scented pinecones, Christmas scent sprays. My favorite Christmas scent is sawdust, thanks to years of Christmas Carol.

I've been getting regular allergy shots since early 2016, and I'm pretty adept at avoiding most of the things that I am allergic to. I also keep an inhaler handy, even though I may only need it once or twice a year. And when my brain screams 'DON'T EAT', I listen.