Friday Five: Ah-Choo!

(As posted at RevGals)Hello, my name is Mary Beth, and I'm allergic to ligustrum.

Ligustrum is a type of privet hedge and it is very invasive. VERY. It's a spready green bush with leaves of various sizes and tiny white flowers of a head-piercing sweetness.

The house I grew up in had 14-foot ligustrum bushes on three sides. The house I live in now, 250 miles to the north, also has several...they are a different variety but the flowers still get me. Instant sinus attack, that's what these are. And: they are in bloom.

You can remove them, but they grow back. Forever and ever. My husband recently had his helper cut all the blooming branches off of this one, next to where I park my car. What a guy!

So, thinking about allergies:

1. Do you experience any seasonal allergies? Are you allergic to anything else? As you see above. Barometric changes give me sinus trouble, too, along with tree pollens and mold, mildew. But the only thing that I can FEEL being allergic to, instantly, is The Bush that Shall Not be Named Again. Uck.

2. What kinds of symptoms do you experience during your allergic reactions? Sinus pressure, pain; terrible headaches; and eventually sinus infection, if not managed well.

3. How do you manage your allergies? (ie: medication, avoidance, alternative therapies, etc) Nasal lavage. I never really got the hang of a neti pot (I would be glad to send you mine, well washed! just let me know.) I use a squeeze bottle to irrigate my sinuses with a mild saline solution. It's "Dr. Neil's Sinus-Med." If things get too stuffy I will take a Mucinex D (the kind you have to buy from the pharmacist) with lots and lots of water. Avoidance: I hold my breath when I am near ligustrum, or hold my nose and breathe through my mouth. I'm a sight to see, walking to work these days! I am also deadly allergic to cigarette smoke (I stay away from it as possible).

4. What is the strangest allergy you've ever heard of? Hmm. Allergic to work? :)

5. How do you feel about school and social policies that banning peanuts and other allergens? Where would you draw the line? It's a tough one. I don't know.