Hello Allergies - Benadryl Infographic!

As summer is in full swing, flowers are in full bloom and mosquitos are in full force! It is my favorite time of the year and yet I am a bit scared to venture outside.  Why you might ask? Well I have seasonal allergies to both pollen and mosquitos, luckily non-threatening but very inconvenient!

I am not a huge gardener but I love being out in the yard, golfing and playing at the park with my daughter.  I love hanging out by the fire pit on a chilly summer night with friends drinking wine.  All those activities lead my body to have unpleasant reactions!  Hives, Itchiness, Watery Eyes, and Congestion to name a few.   

First off, mosquitos are my nemesis! They absolutely love me and I have just discovered they also love my two-year-old daughter, poor kid.  It could be the middle of winter and the one mosquito that just happens to be alive will somehow find me and bite me! 

When I was growing up I always had a slight reaction to mosquitos, usually areas of itching.  What really seemed to trigger a bigger reaction was when I went on a backpacking trip to Costa Rica, way before Mia was born!  I was staying at a hostel and sleeping right beside a patio door.  For some odd reason the owner of the hostel, a (weird) lady, was sleeping in the same room in one of the 8 beds that were available.  Anyways, she opened the patio door while I was sleeping and I woke up in the middle of the night from what felt like little needles attacking my face and body.  I closed the door, but it was too late!  My whole face and body were covered with bites; I wanted to ripe my face off!  My slight reaction to mosquitos skyrocketed to large areas of itchiness and hives.  To this day I still have those reactions and have to take allergy medications when I get bit.  Not pleasant!

Pollen is another “lovely” thing that I am allergic to.  A mentioned above, although I am not an avid gardener when I do my yearly planting or backyard cleaning it looks like I am crying.  My daughter would ask me, “mommy are you okay” and “why are you crying”, due to my watery eyes and runny nose. When I am golfing and at the park I make sure that I have my trusty box of kleenex handy.  Sneezing and nasal congestions are some of the other symptoms I experience. 

In order to deal with any allergy symptoms you should talk to your doctor and do your research.  Benadryl has shared this easy to read infographic to help you know what to do if an allergic reaction strikes.  It is a great cheat sheet that explains the differences between antihistamines, decongestants, and saline solutions.  They also give some quick tips if you have been exposed to allergens and how to be prepared to meet those allergens.