shooting up
june 22, 2005
^ over 700 vials specially formulated for severe allergy patients, like myself
with the blink of an eye, it's been 4 years since i started this allergy immunotherapy treatment. where does the time go?
when i first began this treatment, i thought the 3-5 year time span they anticipated for me would be an eternity and now, it's already been 4 years. and i don't see an end in sight for the near future. but i suppose it's a reality i have to face.
if it wasn't for this journal, it would be hard for me to really gauge what happened to me with my health issues and to realize how far i've come since those early days. from finding the problem, diagnosing it, treating it and now maintenance of sorts. just to be able to function with a sense of normalcy has been a blessing.
^ mad scientists at work mixing up the magic potions
i went in for a long overdue visit to my allergist this past monday. i somehow got away with not seeing her for a year but i've been really laxed in doing my weekly shots and now, i feel the weird symptoms all returning. it's a true feeling of fear when i started getting those all too knowing feelings again. that certain feeling that things aren't right and that it's intruding into your daily quality of life. so i had to go in to see my doctor and i knew it.
while i was there, i explained to her that i seemed to have now developed an allergy to aspirin and that i'm getting some funny reactions to things i never had before. but what it comes down to is that i haven't been consistent in doing my (oh-so-fun) shots. she of course stressed that i needed to get back on track and pronto. and that i needed to avoid those things that wreak havoc on my immune system.
^ if it grows over 13mm (from 5mm), it's a bad sign
she promptly sent me to my favorite allergy department (not being sarcastic here) where i saw my nurses who i have been dealing with for over 4 years now. they are like family to me and i try to bring them goodies each time i visit. they mixed up a batch of injections to test on me right away to see where i stood and how sensitive i may still be to certain components of my injections. the first 4 injections swelled up like a mother. and so they had to mix another batch to try again. they finally ended up with a batch they feel comfortable for me to begin at again. i asked them where i fell in the group of patients they have and they all responded that i am "super sensitive" and that my "immune system is very hypersensitive to allergens & foods".
i never realized it or perhaps i should say that it never dawned on me how dangerous injecting allergens into yourself is. to me, it's just a shot. but to the doctors and nurses, it's like injecting a poison into your body where you may react or if your body is strong enough, it will create defenses towards it.
i'm not sure how many more years i'll be on this allergy immunotherapy thingy but i guess i'll be shooting up for awhile. well, as long as i can afford it that is.
currently listening to: scarf!, odysee
