Living with Allergies

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls Collective on behalf of Claritin®. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program.

Outside the world is a giant allergy attack ready to attack at any moment. Inside my home I should be my safe haven from allergens that make me sniffle, sneeze and wheeze, and yet, keeping my home allergen free isn’t as as easy as I would like. Of course, that is in part because I don’t have the time or patience to dust every surface everyday, I have two dogs and my daughter is steadily growing her “collection” of stuffed things… But I try. I try to keep my home relatively free of allergens and I am constantly on the look out to better the air I breathe.

As a life-long allergy sufferer, I am always amazed when people tell me they have no allergies. I can’t even imagine what that would be like. When being tested for allergies most recently, I was literally allergic to everything they tested for, well… up until half way through the test when my system became so overwhelmed I had to be shot up with drugs. Yep. I failed my allergy test — twice. I am that allergic. (A genetic curse I can trace back two generations.)

I have learned many things about allergies in general and specifically my own breed over the years. And while some of my allergy advice is the same advice you can find in every allergy pamphlet and website, it is consistent because it is true.

• Find out what you are allergic to and limit exposure (the discovery of my yeast allergy was both a blessing and a curse)
• Limit dust collectors (easier said than done)
• Use an allergen barrier cover on your mattress and pillow (something I finally adopted about a year ago and immediately saw results)
• Kick your pets out of bed (This was a tough one, after 5 years of sleeping in our bed I had to kick our pups outta bed. The results were drastic, but in the sleepless nights that followed (due to crying dogs) I almost let the allergens win.)

It is a constant battle to keep my allergies in check, and one of my biggest wishes for my girls is that they will receive a normal immune system from their daddy (who has only mild allergies). In the mean time, I do believe I have more dusting to do…

For more tips on relieving allergies visit www.Facebook.com/Claritin. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do

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