My daughter, Zoe, was tested for allergies this week, she’s allergic to: mites, trees (pollen), molds, and feathers. We didn’t have her tested for any food allergies, there’s only so much room on a kids back for testing. Yesterday I spent my entire afternoon cleaning and de-allergy-ing her bedroom. I’m still working on the rest of the house.

I had allergy testing done four years ago to see what was causing me to break out in hives. We determined that I’m allergic to Aleve, and I haven’t touched it since. However, I’m also highly allergic to raspberries and shrimp, which I don’t even like and don’t eat, but four years later that is what I’m still quoting as my allergies. Aleve, raspberries, shrimp. But, after Zoe’s testing it was recommended that perhaps I should pull out my testing sheet and see what else there was.

Okay. Here is my list: cats (CATS!!), grass (lovely), molds, hops, rice (RICE!!), navy beans, string beans, waxed beans, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce (WHAT? people can be allergic to lettuce??), onion, coconut (KILL ME NOW!), hazelnut (does that include hazelnut coffee?), pork, whole eggs (if it’s in cake does that count?), allspice, cloves, cantaloupe/muskmelon, crab, and scallops.

It didn’t help that when were at the allergist I was one day into being diagnosed with bronchitis. The nurse was pretty clear with me that bronchitis is what comes after ignoring all of the HEY YOU ARE HAVING ALLERGY SYMPTOMS YOU IDIOT signs.

Really? I guess I never put the two together. Sinus and chest congestion = signs of allergies. I always waited until I was breaking out in hives, AND THEN it meant HEY! ALLERGIES!!! Only then would I take a Benadryl, Allegra, or Pepcid AC and wait to see if my face was going to swell.

Of course, my cat sleeps on my pillow, there is grass all around me outside, and we throw open the windows when it’s nice out, letting all of the pollens in the house. It looks like I have to allergy proof my own bedroom too.