Allergies in the Springtime

 

I’m struggling with a low level cough/congestion/sore throat thing. I’ve noticed it now for at least 2 weeks. It’s nothing too out of the ordinary. I get allergies every year; they spike in the spring and fall but I’m not sure what I’m allergic too. Actually I’d rather not know. When you know your exact triggers you’re more alert to weather changes and variation. You’re more mindful of pollen counts and windy days that bring distant allergens into the atmosphere. You watch stare out those ragweed graphs on the news like they’re lottery numbers.

And what if my affliction includes freshly cut grass? Imagine having a reaction to grass. I like to work outside and plant flowers and water. I take pride in making my lawn look clean and green. If I was allergic to the grass I might wear a facemask like my neighbor does when she works in the yard. She was doing that way before masks became the trendy must have item for surviving the Covid apocalypse. But at least she doesn't let the air quality affect her livelihood. She's been a source of information on planting too. Being in the yard every day and brings with it knowledge that others can pull from, like dividing up hostas every year. 

There are certain compromises I won’t make. My allergies aren’t debilitating anyway. On certain days they can be downright irritating and cause me minor grief, but they don’t require a total rethink in how I behave. I think smoking cigars makes it worse though. The smoke seems to weaken the immune system and create long term bouts of coughing and soreness. That shouldn’t be a surprise, even without inhaling smoke the effect can be damaging. I’ve mostly quit now. No more nights spent firing up a couple of sticks and chilling to a podcast on the deck. Part of me misses those easy nights but I had to stop or my fitness would have fallen off a cliff.

If I didn’t run and work out like I do, I may not have felt a need to quit. I don’t think it affected my running that much but my chest pain became unbearable. With that I started thinking about stopping. I guess I needed that bit of pain to goose me into getting serious about fitness. I still smoke on occasion when hanging out with my brothers but only then.

My diet is shaping up as well albeit, a slow churn towards less and better.

I say “less and better” because a lot of the problems we have are caused by overeating, and not necessarily the type of food we eat. I’m a big eater and as such, heap up the goodness and go back for more. Portion control goes right to the “less” aspect of diet. For the “better” I buy fruit and vegetables and a nearly daily basis and taking them to work. No more Whataburger lunch runs and cinnamon roll breakfasts (well…sometimes). I make better choices like yogurt and dried fruits, nuts and eggs. I don’t do this every day of course but if even 5 days a week are healthy I’m better than before. I skip breakfast a lot too. I’ve heard that’s a bad idea but if the choice is between sweets and no breakfast, I’d rather skip it and start lunch a little earlier.

Part of me hoped the allergies would settle down if my food choices got better. Well I’m not there yet... pauses to get box of Kleenex… but I’m a little closer. I could find out if my allergies are in any way related to certain types of food, but that’s potentially more devastating. Imagine being allergic to strawberries, or watermelon? I could handle never eating dates or squash or coconut, but ice cream or donuts I don’t think so. For now I’ll load up on the Claritin and ride out the bumpier seasons.