Skip to main content

Allergies!

The old "Far Side" cartoon was a favorite of mine, and the "Bummer of a Birthmark, Hal" one is particularly apt in our family at the moment because Ethan has been diagnosed with various allergies.

  • We live in the high desert of Idaho surrounded by sagebrush. Allergic to sagebrush? Check.
The Boise River flows through our city along with canals all of which are bordered by lush Cottonwood trees. Allergic to Cottonwood Trees? Check.
Every visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house in Twin Falls includes the obligatory photo op in the Birch tree in the front yard. Allergic to Birch trees? Check.
Russian Thistle is a common weed in our area. Allergic to Russian Thistle? Check.
Our buddy Tom recently got two kittens. Allergic to cats? Check.

After our upcoming trip to Disney World, we intended to get a Dachshund for Ethan. Allergic to dogs? Check.

Today, Ethan endured allergy tests illustrated by the photo of him during the test in this blog. It appears we are surrounded by things that cause allergic reactions thus triggering asthma.

Bummer.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Sorry to hear about the allergies--maybe he'll grow out of lots of them. Still no fun for now.

uncle bill
February 25, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is wrong with us! A lot: Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria

This morning, from 10:30 to Noon, at St. Lukes in Meridian Idaho, I participated in the “Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria Support Group” started a year ago through Idaho State University. We meet weekly.  So, what is wrong with us? Aphasia is the name given to a collection of language disorders caused by damage to the brain. A requirement for a diagnosis of aphasia is that, prior to the illness or injury, the person's language skills were normal. The difficulties of people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write, but does not affect intelligence. This also affects visual language such as sign language . The term "aphasia" implies a problem with one or more functions that are essential and specific to language function. It is not usually used when the language problem is a result of a more peripheral motor or sensory difficulty, such as paralysis affecting the speech muscles or a general hear...
Post a Comment
Read more

Phantom Blindness and Taking a Break after Strokes

I met with my eye doctor last week about taking some time off from my vision therapy. I have been doing therapy since my stroke almost two and a half years ago. I am tired, and a need a break. My doctor said, “This is completely understandable. Take some time off.” At the appointment, my doctor tested my vision. Because of the strokes, my vision was affected, and I have a problem in my field of vision on the right side. I have a deficit with my right side peripheral vision. However, it is getting better. During the test, I told him that I “sense things on the right side of my peripheral vision.” It seems that I know that something is there, but I cannot really distinguish what it is. He told me that there is a body of thought describing phantom vision or phantom blindness. A Polish researcher, L. Bieganowski, described this phantom blindness this way:    “The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anonymous Blogsphere and my strokes!

It is hard to believe that my strokes happened almost two and a half years ago. Sometimes, it is a distant reality. However, most of the time, this is a vivid and startling reality even now. When I wake up in the morning, I have to realize that this is NOT a dream. So, how am I doing? It depends. I continue to be grateful for my recovery. Every day, I know that it could have been so much worse. On the other hand, I still have invisible deficits. I participate in many stroke support groups because, until you have a stroke, no one can really understand the ramifications of strokes, recovery, and deficits. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have insightful information about “Life After a Stroke.” Their website is http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stroke/lifeafter.html The intro says “ The time it takes to recover from a stroke varies—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, while others have long-term or lifelong...
5 comments
Read more