Allergies Much?

So I went for a bit of allergy testing yesterday to try and figure out what was going on with my allergies. I knew I had a severe food allergy (aka anaphylaxis) to pine nuts from when I bit into a pesto pizza when I was a teenager and immediately developed hives and had trouble breathing. That was fun. I remember walking into my parents room and saying "I think something's wrong" and then we hightailed it to the ER where I'm sure I looked like Will Smith on Hitch upon arrival and was pumped with epinephrin for the next few hours. Several years (and unfortunately several ER visits) later, I've learned to carry one of these beauties around in my purse, just in case the need arises.





In fact, Mr. T had to use this bad boy on me last summer when I accidentally ate an hor d'oeuvre at a friend's wedding shower that had pesto hidden underneath a tomato. Thankfully, I had just shown him the week before how to inject it, just in case of an emergency, so he was a pro. When we got to the ER, they basically said he was a lifesaver. Apparently you have only a few minutes with my kind of allergy before you go into anaphylactic shock (lucky me!), so doing the injection quickly is crucial. And let me just tell you - my guy didn't even flinch. Oh, how I love him. (And now, you can bet your bottom dollar he's even better than me about asking about the pine nuts if we're dining out. I don't think he ever wants to have to do that Pulp Fiction scene again.)


So after a quick visit with the doctor, he sent me to have a skin test done, so that we could determine exactly what I was allergic to. I was thinking maybe dogs (which kills me because I want one so badly!), and maybe some tree pollens (from seasonal sneezing fits when I run) but little did I know I would test positive to almost everything on God's green earth. See exhibit A:





Sorry if I completely grossed you out with that lovely photo. But ding ding, apparently I won in almost every allergen category. Or they won, as the case may be. We didn't even have to go to the next step (under the skin, eeewww) to determine mild/moderate allergens, since these were so severe. Weeds, grasses, trees, dust, dogs, cats, and even Brazilian nuts - you name it, I'm apparently allergic to it. (Wait a minute - does this mean I get out of dusting the house, pulling the weeds, and mowing the grass for the rest of my life? Hmmm, maybe this isn't such a bad thing.) Doc was quite surprised at how "highly functioning" I was to have so many allergies and not even know it. So I've concluded I'm basically a medical marvel. Ha - as if.


And so, please meet my new best friend.



Anyone tried it? And if so, has it changed your life?