Perhaps the only real downside of living in San Antonio, Texas, is the fact that we have a huge arc of millions, perhaps billions, of juniper cedar trees to our north and west. Each year at about this time, the junipers get randy and start broadcasting their pollen. We call them “mountain cedar,” but they’re really juniper ash trees and they are, as one web site calls them, the “plague of trees.”
“The Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Clinic of Georgetown, Texas has a web site describing the awful effects of cedar allergies http://hovanky.com/allergy/mountain.htm . From December through February, many people experience an itchy, runny nose, sneezing, nasal blockage, excess tearing and itchy eyes. Others complain of itching of the palate, throat, or ears, and postnasal drainage. Some have fatigue, mild headache, facial discomfort, sore throat, partial loss of sense of smell, and sensation of ear plugging. If you experience the above symptoms every year during these months, the chance is great that you have Mountain Cedar allergy.”
Just after Christmas, local television weathercasters predicted that the next day we would receive 1,800 units of cedar pollen per whatever they use to measure the damned stuff. Instead, we got 21,000 parts per…. That’s nice and academic. Look at the list of symptoms up there and please note that I NOW HAVE ALL OF THEM PLUS MY VOIC IS GONE. People assume I am coughing and acting close to death because I have cancer, but it’s the allergens in the air.
I have been back to Doc Onc1 since my last report: low platelets, high white blood cells, the adenocarcinoma is in retreat still. But I am getting extra liters of IV drips to replenish my dehydrated body. I may wind up wearing one of those silly little masks everywhere until the end of February, perhaps my voice will come back.
In the midst of all this, I may have to go see an allergist. I may wind up walking in a haze of strong antihistamines, shooting myself with whatever mix the allergist comes up with, along with my insulin shots. I may be able to breathe again, to function again. And I suppose it would have been worth it after all. I suppose.
Gah! No matter the name, I'm allergic to them too & I'm happy to say they don't seem to be a problem in my part of Ohio. (But don't ask me about oak tree blossoms--.)
ReplyDeletePoor Palmer! I suffered dreadfully from that juniper pollen during the short period I lived in Austin from 1970-72. I recall my first winter there, not being aware that it was the juniper (mountain cedar) that was the problem. I had asthma bad from my allergies and drove my sports car with the top down in late January out into the cedar-covered hills to get some "fresh air." Needless to say, I returned to town in much worse condition than when I left home.
ReplyDeleteSounds miserable, Palmer. If it helps, I can offer a list of people who deserve to be sneezed on....
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