It all started when I was younger and slowly getting sick every single Christmas. Til I was about 9 years old my family even had a real Christmas tree. Mind you I had already been diagnosed with asthma so my parents kind of chalked it up to that during the winter months however my symptoms would go away mostly after Christmas. When the tree was taken down I seemed to be fine. Piled on by a bunch of weird things I would do like snuggle a friends litter of kittens to playing in the woods my parents had no idea what would suddenly make me sick and then it would go away, Not without most times triggering an asthma attack though. It wasn’t until someone had suggested that I should get an allergy test and see what really is making me have these fits of coughing and sneezing and whatever else there was.

If you aren’t familiar with how an allergy test works I will explain. First of all I only really had this done when I was about 9 years old. I know they perhaps could have changed how things are done but as far as I know they still may be doing this. When I went I remember my mom had to take me. We had to wait for a specialist for it. They talked to my mom about things that could potentially be most of what I think was checked was environmental allergens. Like trees, grass, cats and dogs, maybe even peanut butter too. Just certain things that were typical of triggering allergies. I had to take off my shirt and lay down face down on a table. I could feel cool drops of what felt like water on my back. After I felt pin pricks. The specialist was then picking where different drops were. You leave the drops on for so many seconds and then when they are wiped away you can run your fingers along the dots to see which is raised for an allergic reaction. For me the biggest ones were, pine trees, cats, straw, freshly cut grass, dust and a few more which I think I have grown out of.

As a child, I think living with allergies was hard. Mind you I never had food allergies which I think would be even more challenging it was a bit frustrating not to have a real Christmas tree after I was 9. Now it doesn’t bother me as much since no one really has a tree that is real now a days, but before it did. It was frustrating to have friends whose cat had kittens and after cuddling them I would be wheezy and have the sniffles from them rubbing all over me. Especially if one of them scratched me while playing and that scratch was a raised bump as well too. Or having the windows closed while my dad mowed the lawn so the house wouldn’t become filled with the scent.

As an adult, I don’t think living with allergies was all that hard. I know that i just normally avoid things. When my boyfriend and I adopted our cat. For a while he made us both sneeze and sniffle. However now that we have had him for nearly 8 years he really doesn’t bother us anymore. Though when he cuddles up and gives me a hug (Yes, my cat really does that!) or he drools on my shoulders he does still make me a bit itchy or my eyes feel like sandpaper. As far as scents go, I am still very much allergic to the smell of a Christmas tree. I buy scented wax to warm in warmers and one is called “Iced Pine” I can very rarely put it on and even if I do it is only for a little while as I typically start coughing or sneezing a lot! But I still enjoy that.

My mom has an allergy to penicillin and phosphates as well too. At least that’s how I think you spell them both! One of them is a preservative in foods which I bet you can image it is in a whole load of foods. Whats worse is she could eat something many many times before but if something slightly changes in the food itself she could become allergic to it. She can’t or shouldn’t eat the coconut chocolate snow balls. However if she eats one she is normally okay any more and she will start to get hives or her allergies will be triggered. Though her allergy was and is far more intense then my own are for nature and the outside world. Something with too much of that could really be bad for her or have her throat even close over.

My dad also is lactose intolerant. Which is a type of allergy and was something the had start later in life. I remember him always drinking milk and enjoying milk all the time only to later in life not be able to eat it anymore or it really upsets his stomach. I think when it comes to food allergies it is one thing have them your entire life but another thing when you are so used to eating a particular food to have you unable to digest it properly. I know for me, if I was suddenly unable to have milk I would be devastated. Especially since I do drink and consume a lot of products that do contain it.

At the end of the day, as many allergens I have to things outside and in my environment I would much rather have those types of allergies then ones to food. That would not be a fun time I don’t think. Especially if you always had to check out food labels for the specific ingredient and ensure you are able to eat them though. And though I don’t really consider my allergies to be severe to live with, maybe even calling them mild would be pushing it too. They could always be a far worse and for that I am okay with it!

What are you allergic to? Do you even have any allergies? Did you know about them your whole life or was it something that you developed later?

-StaySeeJ08