Jack: The Lovable Allergen

I've had nasal congestion for as long as I can remember. It's just one of those facts that you assume is an unalterable truth, like the fact that people will always add an 'a' or an 'r' to your last name when trying to pronounce it. I used to think I had a cold, 12 months of the year. I find it odd that people don't have boxes of tissue in every room of their houses. But mostly I didn't think about it, because there was no point.

I didn't think about it much until last year. I had started getting a wheeze whenever doing strenuous activities like shoveling snow. I attributed it to the cold weather, but the problem didn't dissipate by spring so I went to my doctor about it. It was at this time I decided to ask about the congestion problem too, as I figured I shouldn't waste a good trip to the doctor. After my appointment I had an inhaler for exercise, an appointment with a nose/ear/throat specialist, and a spot on a waiting list to get on an even more exclusive waiting list to see an allergist.

The inhaler works miracles. I take it before playing sports and I can breathe normally. If I didn't have it, I suspect I would have had to give up such activities, so I'm thankful to modern science.

The specialist had me in for septoplastic surgery within 6 weeks to correct a deviated septum that could be causing my congestion. I was anesthetized for the surgery, which I was told was a success. The post-op was very uncomfortable (apparently I'm a bleeder), and the recovery was just plain awful. My nasal passages were plugged to stop the bleeding, so I had to breathe through my mouth for 2 weeks. Breathe through your mouth for 1 minute and see how dry your mouth gets; now imagine how dry it gets after doing that all night. Rigging a humidifier with some duct work to redirect the moisture at my face didn't work, and neither did sleeping in the bathtub after getting the bathroom extremely humid. The unfortunate result was that I had so many mouth sores I couldn't eat anything that required chewing. As I mentioned, it was a miserable recovery.

The worst part of the experience was the end result: I was no less congested than previously, and possibly even worse off. It was very disheartening.

Okay, so that's the history.

Today, over 1 year later, I finally saw the allergist. I told him about my results with the deviated septum surgery. He told me I should have come seen him first. I restrained myself from attacking him. Actually, let me step back a moment.

For those who have never had an allergy test, here's what they do:

1) Clean the inside of your arms with some sort of alcoholic solution
2) Write a few numbers on your freshly-cleaned arms
3) Take what appears to be a souped-up bingo dabber, dipped in another liquid, and dab your arms beside each of the numbers
4) Find something pointy and jab your arm in each of the little drops of liquid

They then leave you alone for 10 minutes with instructions not to scratch. Of course, the only distraction in the room is a couple of out-dated magazines, and some large medical posters on the wall. If you're going in for one of these tests, make sure to bring a book or a video game.

The allergist finally came to inspect the damage, and immediately pointed at the angry red splotch on my left arm. That, he informed me, was cats. He pointed to a relatively insignificant splotch on my right arm: maybe I was allergic to mold too... but cats were definitely my problem.

Now, the best defense against an allergen is to eliminate it from your environment. He gave me a pamphlet explaining this. I can see how that tactic works well for things like dust mites and maybe even pollen, but Jack isn't exactly easy to move -- there's a lot of inertia there. Of course, I didn't even consider that option, so we went to plan B, which is a nasal spray to help with the congestion.

We then did two respiratory tests to check for asthma. The first test - the standard one - came back negative, just as it had the previous year. But the second and less widely-accepted (nitric oxide) test came back resoundingly positive. And I'm relieved because finally I have an explanation for my wheezing/breathing problems. The asthma too, he suspects is aggravated by (if not caused by) Jack. But I've got a prescription for another inhaler that should eliminate my wheezing.

The allergist seemed genuinely positive that my symptoms would disappear within a few months, and that has me excited. In retrospect, I've had cats for most of my life, so it's empowering to know how much I've been affected by them. Even if the inhaler/nasal spray combo doesn't work, there is one more chance in the form of allergy shots; however, that is a big commitment that I'm hoping to avoid.

I don't plan on eliminating cats from my life, so I'm optimistic that the solution is at hand. But, tonight I'll probably start insisting that Jack sleep at the foot of the bed, instead of beside my chest. Wish me luck.