The Allergist!

[supercheesegirl]

I went for allergy testing today. Honestly, I was kind of looking forward to it once I made the appointment--I mostly just got to read while I was waiting for one thing or another. When I first got there the allergist was running late. When I got to see him, I told him all about the problems I have with fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, avocadoes, etc), and then I waited a bit more and then I got the testing done. They pricked my arms with 30 different little needle-prick things that had each been dipped in a different allergen, and it didn't hurt at all, and then I waited for 20 minutes to see if any of them would get a reaction. At first I didn't think anything would happen, but if something has ever itched anyone in the history of the world it is likely to itch me, so pretty soon I started getting all sorts of reactions! First was the histamine that they use as a control. Then a whole row started itching on my lower right arm, and one really bad one on my left, and a few more popped up on my right. It was really fascinating! Though very difficult not to itch. As it turned out, the one very itchy one on my left arm was cherries. Peaches and plums and avocado didn't get a reaction at all! I was kind of disappointed. But it turned out I had reactions to lots of other things instead: carrots and potatoes and tomatoes and corn and peas and almonds and peanuts and sesame. I think that's everything. I eat most of that stuff pretty often, except peas which are gross but which now I can decline gracefully when they're offered to me. Everything else on the list I want to run out and eat a bunch of and then see if anything happens. The doctor says false positives can be really common with this sort of testing, so maybe I'm not really allergic to any of those things at all. I am definitely not allergic to any shellfish; that row of skin stayed normal and boring. Mostly, the doctor just said to avoid the things that have caused reactions in the past, which I'd sadly been doing already (peaches! cherries! guacamole!). I told him how I'll sometimes take an allergy pill before going out for mexican food, and he said if that works I can keep doing it. Mostly the thing to worry about is if I have a reaction to something where my mouth doesn't just get itchy but swells up and my throat swells up and I can't breathe. That's never happened before though that one peach in Las Vegas three summers ago was really bad. The doctor gave me a prescription for an EpiPen just in case. Overall rating on the allergist visit: A. If going to the doctor always involved me getting out of work, being in perfect health, not having any painful procedures done, and watching interesting reactions occur on my body, I'd go all the time. I even had time for lunch at Au Bon Pain!

PS. After much deliberation as I walked by reflective shop windows, I have concluded that these boots and skirt do in fact look sexy, hairy knees or not. This conclusion was aided by the creepy black dude on the T who couldn't stop checking me out, as well as the nice, cute, younger black dude who called out his appreciation for the boots, skirt, and my overall fineness as I walked down the second floor hallway away from him. In the building where I work, no less!

Comments

[painkiller.livejournal.com]

girl, you so fine!

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much what he said! I wanted to tell him, Boy, you so nasty!, but instead I just got on the elevator.