I’d like to preface this by saying that I am not a doctor and this is just recommendations based on my experience.
Results may vary. Warning: discussion of needles and anaphylaxis.
Ever since I was little, I have had the worst seasonal allergies.
I always thought that it must’ve been a genetic thing because my dad also gets them pretty bad.
But then as the seasons passed, my allergies stayed as bad as they were at the peak of allergy season.
Eventually, I got tested to see what exactly I was allergic to and it just said different types of pollen, grass, and trees.
Fast forward about 11 years and I get tested again. Except this time, they told me that my biggest allergen wasn’t those normal environmental ones, even though they were still affecting me.
It was dogs and cats, which made me want to freak out because I LOVE dogs and cats.
I have a Chocolate Labrador at home who’s basically a huge, shedding fur ball.
May I also add that I would probably die for this dog and I love him so so much.
The allergist knew that I had a dog at home, so she suggested that I start doing weekly allergy shots to alleviate the severity of my allergies.
I’m supposed to go once a week for almost a year and eventually, move up to once a month for the following 4 years.
It sounds like a long time, but it’s already been approximately 9 months since I started them and here’s what I think.
Stay consistent
Consistency is KEY!
These shots are meant to help and the medicine you are being injected with does expire in a short amount of time, so it’s important to make sure that you try to go once every single week to keep up with it.
Another thing is that your body no longer becomes immune to that dosage, so you have to move backwards in the process, thus making the whole process longer than 5 years.
Don’t move on too quickly
If your body has to readjust to the medicine, give it time to readjust before moving up a dosage.
Even though you are having the shots injected by a medical professional, don’t be afraid to tell them to keep you on the same dosage as your last visit, especially if you had a bad reaction to it.
Keep that epipen strapped!!!
When thinking of an Epipen, naturally, you associate it with nut allergies.
Think again.
I was told that it would be okay to go more than once a week to get my shots and within a few days, had my dosage increased by way too much.
I went to Starbucks to do homework and started turning red and breaking out into hives. Little did I know I was going into anaphylactic shock.
Luckily, my roommate was there to take me back to the allergist where they gave me medicine, but they told me that they would’ve had to use the Epipen.
Of course, I was crying like a baby and refused to let them stab me in my leg. ‘Cause ew.
Anyways, you think you wouldn’t need it with just environmental allergies, but you never know what can happen.
Even though what happened to me was very rare and doesn’t happen to many people, keeping your Epipen on you or even just in the car can possibly save your life one day.
Although I have a very very long way to go in my allergy shot process, it has gone alright so far (except for the anaphylaxis) and I would recommend going through with it to alleviate your allergies.
And for those with bad seasonal allergies like me, good luck this season. You’ll need it!