Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Allergies and Itching?! Say it isn't so!

For the past month and a half I've been plagued with itching.  It started with my head, and it continued all the way to my feet.  It was unstoppable. 

At first, I thought it was dandruff.  I haven't had a case of dandruff since before high school, but it seemed like a reasonable assumption.  The itching did start at my head, of course.

Sadly, no dandruff shampoo helped.  The annoyance continued.

I then decided that my skin was simply drying out due to the fact that the moisture in the air was being sucked out by my heater.  I realized after a while, however, that lotions and oils were of very little help, my skin was perfectly smooth, and I was still itching!!!  Maybe I just needed a little more lotion, I thought...

Once the itching started taking over places like my hands, thinghs, and feet, however, I knew it had to be something other than dry skin.  I was beginning to look like a dog that was covered in fleas, scratching so many spots on my body that I was beginning to turn horribly red all over.

And I had bumps!!!  The areas that were most prone to itching would get bumps as soon as I'd begun to scratch. 

And it was getting worse every day.  I was itching so much that I was beginning to break skin.


Gross, right?

Finally, I swallowed my pride and reached for the allergy medication.  I'm not one to reach for medications, prefering natural remedies, but I needed to try it.  I had to know if allergies were the cause of my scratching insanity.

Two days and seven pills later, my scratching is under control.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still itchy, but the sensation has lessened to a great degree.

So now I know the problem.  I'm allergic to something in my new environment.  The itching began before I started gardening, so I don't have to cloister myself inside the house, thank goodness, but I need to find out what the main cause.

I've never had more than a minor allergy to cats, and that occurred only when I'd, say, get their hair in my eyes.  Environmental allergens?  Not something that happens to me.  Not only that, but this is severe.  This isn't typical hay fever.

So far, my best guess is that it's related to the black walnut trees in the yard.  Even before I began this spring's gardening, I was taking the outer skin off of black walnuts, then crushing the shells with a hammer to look inside. 

It's actually a lot of fun - you should try it!

I may not be correct, but so far I'm thinking this is a black walnut allergy.  I like that idea far more than I like the idea of being allergic to the air of my new town!

Now the question is: What do I do about it?

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