Allergies: the teary side of spring

The first month of spring, which is usually not the hottest and still very windy, is when pollen is suspended in the air, plants begin to blossom and when my allergies go haywire.

I have a love-hate relationship with this particular season. Not only does it get progressively warmer and I can wear my favourite sun dresses and eat mouth-watering fruits like mangos and watermelon, but I constantly have to make sure I have tablets in my handbag that will keep my allergies at bay.

Coming, as I do, from a family that suffers from allergies, I have suffered from them for as long as I can remember.

In primary school, my parents received number of letters of complaint from the principal because she thought my swollen and bloodshot eyes were an infectious “pink eye”.

It turns out it was triggered by a shrub, but which I found out after numerous visits to an eye specialist.

According to the Allergy Clinic’s Dr Adrian Morris, hay fever affects 20% of the general population and 50% of adolescents.

“The hay fever season usually starts in September. It is mainly caused by tree pollen from plants such as acacia, eucalyptus and bushveld grass. Hay fever continues throughout October, November and December, but it is the
grass pollen which makes people sick during these months,” he said.

Morris added allergy tablets and nasal sprays relieved the symptoms.

“Regular use of antihistamines throughout the pollen season is effective, especially if treatment is commenced early in the season. Nasal sprays reverse chronic nasal inflammation and congestion in established allergic rhinitis,” he said.

My dad’s hay fever is really bad compared with mine and his doctor usually prescribes him medication for most of the symptoms he experiences, from a nasal spray for his itchy nose to eye drops for his teary and red eyes.

Although I am not completely out of the woods with my hay fever, it has got significantly better over the years.

Another type of allergy I suffer from is lactose intolerance. Being lactose intolerant means I cannot digest a certain sugar in milk.

Our bodies use an enzyme called lactase to break down the sugar so it can be absorbed into our bodies, but I don’t have enough lactase which is produced in the small intestine.

I have struggled accepting my fate with dairy products since my high school years when I found out I was lactose intolerant. This called for a lifestyle change and meant cutting out dairy products from my diet, which is doable with discipline.

As a result of initially not wanting to accept my fate, I developed eczema at my joints as a sign that my body was rejecting diary. Thankfully, it eventually cleared up.

Living with allergies for the most part is uncomfortable because I cannot always consume what I am craving, which is usually sweet treats made from dairy products. I must always be mindful of what I eat or I will have an upset stomach and an itchy palate.

My mother always told me people can develop weird allergies and illnesses as they grow older. I didn’t believe her. However, I am living proof that she was right.

The part about food allergies which remains a mystery to me is that the allergy develops suddenly, which is weird because it is mostly the food I have been consuming as a child, so why the sudden rejection from my body?

I wonder what I will next be allergic to?