Tuesday, February 17, 2009

for the love of cats

Have I ever mentioned that I'm allergic to cats?I sneeze and snuffle with itchy throat, nose and ears, and my eyes swell up and don't go down for the whole day. I've tried every anti-histamine under the sun, and the only one that works is called phenergan (not sure if that's the correct spelling). Even taking half of the lowest dosage makes me extremely sleepy.
But wait... don't I own three cats and foster 2 others?
Yes, I do.
I've always owned one or two cats, even when I was little. There is NO way I'm going to ever live without a cat. They keep you from getting too proud, yet give you enough love, so you know you're special.
I just can't bare not to be around them!
So what about the allergies?
Last year I went and saw a specialist. He confirmed what I knew all along. I'm allergic to cat saliva and dust mites.
So then came the needles.
I hate needles.
They don't hurt, they don't leave any marks, but after one or two minutes of the serum being injected, I swell. My arm around the injection site goes reddish and hot, and the itchiness takes over for five minutes. Just like a mozzie bite (which I'm also allergic to).
I used to have them once a week...then once in 2 weeks, now once a month. Every time I get one, I swell and go hot, then you can see all the other inject points come up, white surrounded by red.
The serum seems to be working, but there are still days when something triggers my allergies off. Something I'm not being de-sensitized for, like a certain element in womens perfume, or grass cuttings.
I will continue to have these needles for the rest of my life.
All for the love of cats!

5 comments:

Selina said...

If I was allergic to cats, i too would go through all of that! I could never live without a cat! Even as I type this my furry baby is purring away on my lap!

Unknown said...

I love mine too.He lets me live in his house .
clares craftroom

Yarni Gras! said...

my husband is VERY allergic to cats. We were given a book about natural remedies. We tried the one for cats and so far, so good. We've had Leo 2 years now with no ill effects.
The remedy? Each time you feed your kitty, open a capsule of Vitamin E and put it on the food. The Vitamin E changes their saliva somehow. It may not work for everyone, but it does work for us...

3rdEyeMuse said...

that's some serious love and dedication ... I applaud you. :)

apparentlyjessy said...

The things we do for the love of cats!!
I own 4 cats, and 2 of them make me sneezy, but I don't care because their company is very much worth the tissues!