Spring, Fall and... Cats? (How I Ended up with an EpiPen)

On top of having chemical allergies, I'm also allergic to nature...

I had my first test for environmental allergies when I was sixteen years old. I had been getting an absurd number of sinus infections, so my mother— no stranger to allergies herself—dragged me to an allergist and had him prick test me. While I wasn't a fan of the allergist (he was a close talker and kept pressing his junk into my knee) and the prick test itched like crazy, it was nice to know that my runny nose and itchy eyes had a cause.

After getting patch tested last summer, I decided that I should go visit an allergist again to see if another prick test would reveal any new information about additional food or environmental allergies. This time I loved the allergist I saw. She was friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, and unlike my most recent dermatologist, she took the time to talk with me and answer my questions. One of the first things I told her was that I thought I had an allergy to bananas because they have always made my throat itch. She smiled knowingly and said, "I bet you're allergic to ragweed."

I am allergic to ragweed. How did she gleam that from bananas?

Apparently there's this thing called oral allergy syndrome where the proteins in certain fruits and vegetables that have a chemical structure similar to the proteins in common environmental allergens can cause a contact reaction. Who knew that bananas were a cross-reactor to ragweed? I've told doctors in the past that bananas make my tongue itch and my throat swell up, yet none of them made the connection. This lady was on the ball!

Sorry Chiquita, you're no good for me!

So last fall, I went in prepared to have my skin poked at with itchy substances, yet my new favorite allergist informed me that a prick test wouldn't be necessary—she could determine my allergens through a blood test. Only one poke compared to dozens? Sign me up!

It took a few days to get the results, and the vampires down in the lab had to take several vials of my blood, but I was glad that the process didn't make me itchy. I've had enough of itchy over the past couple of years!

So how does a blood test work? Well apparently it detects antibodies to specific allergens. Through this process, my allergist was able to test me for food allergies as well. It turns out that I'm not actually allergic to bananas... so her suspicion of oral allergy syndrome was likely correct.

So what was I allergic to?

I had expected the test to come back positive for mold and dust mites, as I remember those being allergy triggers in my original test. However, I was negative for both of these. (Which would be nice if it means I've outgrown some of my allergens). I was also negative for all of the common food allergens that were tested for, including celiac disease. (Yay!)

I was positive for grass pollen and ragweed, which was really no surprise to me. My allergies always kick into high gear in the spring and fall—a common sign of grass and ragweed allergies.

What was a surprise to me however, was my positive reaction to cats.

...Cats?

How can I be allergic to cats? I want a second opinion!

Who could be allergic to this face?

I love cats. Ever since I was four years old and we got our first cat—aptly named Kitty Cat—I've been a bit of a cat fanatic.

Fanatic might be putting it mildly... Alright, I'll admit it. I'm a crazy cat lady.

...because sane people don't knit their cat sweaters.

Needless to say, I was a little distraught with the diagnosis. So I contacted my allergist to ask what this would mean for me and my four furry house guests. She assured me that my reaction to cats was a mild one—really more of an irritant—and that unless I developed problems, I could keep my furry friends.

Thank goodness! (I laughed at the idea of my cats being a "mild irritant." I couldn't have described them better myself.)

One of the things my allergist mentioned was that immunotherapy might be able to reduce some of my seasonal allergy symptoms. Traditionally, immunotherapy has been done through allergy shots, but I immediately ruled these out due to my dislike of being stabbed with needles. (I'd make a terrible heroin addict.)

However, it turns out that I hit the allergy jackpot because about two year ago the FDA approved the first sublingual immunotherapy tablets for ragweed and grass allergies—Ragwitek and Grastek, respectively. They're pretty cool, actually. Created by Merek, Ragwitek and Grastek are dissolvable tablets that contain active pollen. They are taken daily starting about 12 weeks before the kick-off of allergy season and continued until the season ends. They're not a pill—you don't swallow them. Instead, you simply put a tablet under your tongue and wait for it it dissolve for a minute or so. The idea is that by slowly introducing your body to small amounts of an allergen, it will help build up a tolerance and eventually desensitize your immune system towards that particular irritant.

Well, sign me up!

My allergist thought that I was a great candidate for this treatment, and although I missed the boat for Grastek this year, I was able to start my first dose of Ragwitek last week. I had to go into the doctor's office to take the first tablet, mainly because when you purposefully introduce a known allergen into your system, you are putting yourself at risk for anaphylaxis. This is rare, of course—oral itching and irritation are much more common side effects—but because it is a risk, I was prescribed an EpiPen.

There's a needle in that, right? I pray I never have to use it.

The first week has gone well. I love how simple it is: Pop the tablet out the packet, place it under your tongue, wait for it to dissolve before swallowing and then wait five minutes before eating or drinking. The hardest part has been the trying not to swallow bit.

So far I've noticed a bit of pressure in my ears and sinuses shortly after taking my dose. Nothing too extreme—certainly not as bad as my typical reaction to ragweed every fall. The hope is that this treatment will help to greatly reduce my seasonal allergies, and if that's the case then a little bit of sinus pressure is worth it. I'll let you all know how it goes.

As for my potential cat allergy, there's not much that can be done. Do you think it could be considered immunotherapy if I rub a cat on my face daily?

Seems to be working for me so far!