Friday, January 06, 2006
Cedar Fever
Itchy water eyes, sneezing, and sinus headaches. Ahhhh, it that time of the year when many Texans suffer from cedar fever. I am one of the lucky ones to be severely effected. Which is why I haven't had a chance to blog in a while.
Let me give you a history of the cedar tree. It really isn't a cedar but a mountain juniper tree scientificly knows as Juniperus ashei. The tree pollenates mid-December to mid-February with the peak of the pollen blooming around the first three weeks of January. The male trees begin their mating ritual by creating amber colored cones no bigger than the size of a grain of rice. The whole tree takes on the color of rust. Where I live there are lots of hills which are infested with this scourge of a tree. When the wind blows, the forest of trees look like they are on fire as the wind carries clouds of pollen into the path of female trees which have sticky, rice sized, green cones to make...well you get the point. I have to admit it is a pretty awesome site to look out the comfort of a hepa filtered, air-conditioned, room or windowed office and witnesses these trees procreating. If I ever ran for a local government office my campaign would revolve around annahilating all cedar trees.
So anyway, I've been blessed with my mother's genes of being a year round allergy sufferer. I refuse to take weekly shots because I am scared of needles. On a daily basis for the last two years I have taken a prescribed nasal spray to control spring hay fever and fall ragweed which has really cut down on sinus infections caused by congestion I develope from all the sneezing I endure. During the summer, I don't have to take the nasal spray and can enjoy the Texas hot summers with ease. When mid-December rolls around, I start including a daily dose of 24 hr Claritin. It works fine, until the end of December or beginning of January when the cedar trees start pollenating. Then I have to switch to Claritin-D which has interesting side effects.
I don't know which is worse:
Without Medication
With Medication
Not only am I cranky, my husband is cranky because I am the most unbearable person to live with during this time period. We basically have to sleep in separate rooms because I toss and turn all night from insomnia and then when I do sleep my nasal congestion causes me to snore loudly. I have no sex drive-- need I say more? Oh, then when I start PMSing, he chooses to stay out of my way completely because I am just one crying, angry, sneezing, sleep deprived, bitchy woman.
I manage to keep my composure at work, but when I get home, I have a tendency to let it all out. I'm surprised we aren't divorced. He has confessed that there have been years when he was about to resort to that measure to release him of his misery. Like the time when he and I were between houses. You know when you sold one house, but your new house isn't finished? We ended up living in a one bedroom apartment because it was only supposed to be for a couple of months. That couple of months stretched to 6 months. When cedar fever hit during our 5th month in that apartment , I had to sleep on the couch. To top it off, my congestion turned to bronchitis and I had fits of coughing. The coughs could be heard throughout the tiny apartment and probably by our neighbors. After 2 weeks of no sleep and my husband at the brink of his patience level, my doctor prescribed a cough suppressant which pretty much knocked me out for the next 2 weeks. I was still sick when we signed the papers to our new house.
So honey, if you are reading this blog entry, please forgive me over the next 4 weeks, for I know not what I do. The medicine did it.
Let me give you a history of the cedar tree. It really isn't a cedar but a mountain juniper tree scientificly knows as Juniperus ashei. The tree pollenates mid-December to mid-February with the peak of the pollen blooming around the first three weeks of January. The male trees begin their mating ritual by creating amber colored cones no bigger than the size of a grain of rice. The whole tree takes on the color of rust. Where I live there are lots of hills which are infested with this scourge of a tree. When the wind blows, the forest of trees look like they are on fire as the wind carries clouds of pollen into the path of female trees which have sticky, rice sized, green cones to make...well you get the point. I have to admit it is a pretty awesome site to look out the comfort of a hepa filtered, air-conditioned, room or windowed office and witnesses these trees procreating. If I ever ran for a local government office my campaign would revolve around annahilating all cedar trees.
So anyway, I've been blessed with my mother's genes of being a year round allergy sufferer. I refuse to take weekly shots because I am scared of needles. On a daily basis for the last two years I have taken a prescribed nasal spray to control spring hay fever and fall ragweed which has really cut down on sinus infections caused by congestion I develope from all the sneezing I endure. During the summer, I don't have to take the nasal spray and can enjoy the Texas hot summers with ease. When mid-December rolls around, I start including a daily dose of 24 hr Claritin. It works fine, until the end of December or beginning of January when the cedar trees start pollenating. Then I have to switch to Claritin-D which has interesting side effects.
I don't know which is worse:
Without Medication
- sneezing
- itchy, water eyes
- stuffy head
- sore, red, nose
- chapped lips
With Medication
- disconnected feeling
- tingly scalp
- dry mouth
- insomnia (which accounts for this entry)
- no libido (Scott hates this effect)
- occassional sneezing when pollen count is really high
- nasal congestion when the pollen count is really high
- dry itchy eyes relieved by natural tear eye drops
Not only am I cranky, my husband is cranky because I am the most unbearable person to live with during this time period. We basically have to sleep in separate rooms because I toss and turn all night from insomnia and then when I do sleep my nasal congestion causes me to snore loudly. I have no sex drive-- need I say more? Oh, then when I start PMSing, he chooses to stay out of my way completely because I am just one crying, angry, sneezing, sleep deprived, bitchy woman.
I manage to keep my composure at work, but when I get home, I have a tendency to let it all out. I'm surprised we aren't divorced. He has confessed that there have been years when he was about to resort to that measure to release him of his misery. Like the time when he and I were between houses. You know when you sold one house, but your new house isn't finished? We ended up living in a one bedroom apartment because it was only supposed to be for a couple of months. That couple of months stretched to 6 months. When cedar fever hit during our 5th month in that apartment , I had to sleep on the couch. To top it off, my congestion turned to bronchitis and I had fits of coughing. The coughs could be heard throughout the tiny apartment and probably by our neighbors. After 2 weeks of no sleep and my husband at the brink of his patience level, my doctor prescribed a cough suppressant which pretty much knocked me out for the next 2 weeks. I was still sick when we signed the papers to our new house.
So honey, if you are reading this blog entry, please forgive me over the next 4 weeks, for I know not what I do. The medicine did it.
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I hope you feel better. Sinus trouble is the worst. My Dr. just prescribed Nasacort for sinus trouble. So far, nothing. I feel better taking a daily Advil cold and sinus.
Thinking good thoughts for you and your hubby.
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Thinking good thoughts for you and your hubby.
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