Cup O’ Joe: Season of sneezing

Spring is often viewed as the season of rebirth. The transitional period between winter and summer, when plants and wildlife emerge from their slumber. It’s a beautiful time of year, when grass turns green and flowers and trees bud new life.
It is also a time for many to get outside, enjoy nature and get some exercise after a long winter season.
    For me, however, spring is the season of sneezing. As a person with spring allergies, this time of year is a time of misery as my body apparently has an extreme dislike of all things pollen. My big plans for house projects during my vacation last week took a back seat to boxes of tissues, eye drops and antihistamines.
Nighttime is the worst. For some reason, usually around 2 or 3 a.m., I wake to a sneezing/itching fit with blood-red eyes crusted over like an apple pie. When this happens, the only relief is to lie on the couch with a wet washcloth on my head trying to keep from itching my eyes and nose off my face. I can’t recall the last time I actually slept through the night.
I’ve tried every form of over the counter antihistamines on the market with little success. Products that work one year, seem to lose their effectiveness the next. The warning labels on these products make me scoff as well. “12-hour relief,” as one of the boxes states, sounds great in theory. However, when something tickles my nose two hours later and causes a flare up, where is the time-released medicine when I need it. Instead, I’ve opted for the four-hour products, but in reality I’m taking them every two hours, which can lead to a lovely case of medicine head.
Of course, nobody else in the house suffers as I do. My wife and kids all want to be outside, and I can’t blame them. I do too. I enjoy spending time on my mower and playing catch with the kids or helping my oldest continue her quest to master riding a bike. Trying to do this when your throat feels like it’s on fire is less than enjoyable though.
Last fall, my brother told me of a home cure remedy of taking a spoonful of locally-made raw honey each day at the first sign of frost. Apparently the trace amounts of pollen found in the honey help your body build up an immunity to whatever it is that irritates you in the spring. I tried this last December, but found I had an extreme distaste for honey-eating it by the spoonful. I tried putting it in coffee, but that just ruined the flavor. Perhaps tea would be a better option?
Hopefully the end is in sight. Until then, if you see me out on the street over the next few days, hand me tissue. Chances are, I can use it.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.