So throughout this ENTIRE pregnancy, 29 weeks 3 days now, I’ve had allergies and rhinitis from hell. My nose is constantly running. I don’t leave the house without a tissue stashed in my purse like an old lady (I’m even in the market for a cute handkerchief). And now I’m probably on my third cold. The first was mild and I got it at the end of the first trimester. The second happened around the time Gramps died, leaving me with a hacking cough for weeks. And now, the third, cropped up yesterday with general malaise and a left nostril that thinks it was born to ooze clear snot like a leaky water facet. I’m thankful all snot thus far hasn’t been of the green or yellow variety, but the consistent smears of blood do make me worry about chronic inflammation. Because that’s the thing, my nose is runny almost every day, even when I don’t have a cold.

Here’s what I’ve done to try to combat my allergies/rhinitis/colds:

1. Religiously take my high quality refrigerated pro-biotic (my three week cough finally cleared up two days after I started them again).

2. Saline nasal spray the shit out of myself (does nothing, but momentarily relieve some of the sinus burning I experience).

3. Try to avoid dairy more vigilantly (I’ve been super bad about this and with a diagnosed allergy I shouldn’t be so bad, especially while pregnant. BUT when I have eaten dairy I haven’t noticed a worsening of symptoms so….).

Here’s what I haven’t done, but probably should and might do:

1. Go to an ear, nose, throat specialist. Why? Because they’ll just give me category C drugs I refuse to take while pregnant. If the problem continues this will be one of my first appointments after Daphne is born.

2. Go back to the acupuncturist. Even though I saw a HUGE improvement in my allergies when I was under CM care, we just can’t afford it right now.

3. Go back to a gluten-free diet. Going gluten-free for almost a year also seemed to improve my allergies/rhinitis, but guys I’ve been lazy and hungry and too overwhelmed with moving and studying to meticulously prepare paleo/gluten-free meals. I’ve tried to kind of avoid gluten, but when that Jersey Mike’s sub was calling the other day, I gave in. And pasta, every now and then, I’ve got to have pasta.

4. Buy and use a Neti Pot. This is something I’ve never done, but many swear by it. I will be hunting one down today and using one for the first time as this seems like a cheap, side affect free way to improve my breath ability.

It’s funny because other than this (so far) I’ve been feeling physically great, strong, and pretty full of energy considering I’m growing a person. We’ll talk about my mental state in a minute. I haven’t had insomnia or any major body aches beyond sore feet at the end of a long day. Oh but the other night I projectile vomited (into my hands before making it to the bathroom) at 3 AM  because I ate entirely too much at dinner time (huge bowl of pasta all to myself AND a gigantic piece of bread pudding – yikes, maybe I really should avoid gluten again!).  That was scary and weird and gross, but I felt fine the next day.

Strangely, that barfing episode marked the beginning of my mental metamorphosis from grief stricken depression back to semi-optimistic stability. It was if puking purged me of the sadness and mental sickness that had me thinking about death and my own mortality every hour on the hour. For a week there I was seriously considering a psychiatric appointment. I cried every night to my husband and even some of my friends about how pointless it all seems when death is always looming. It was bad. I had a mental breakdown over sushi because Merp refused to attend a Bahai service with me sometime in the future. If you’re curious about the Bahai Faith here’s a little about it from the Bahai website:

The essential message of Bahá’u’lláh [Bahai Faith] is that of unity. He taught that there is only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all the world’s religions represent stages in the revelation of God’s will and purpose for humanity. In this day, Bahá’u’lláh said, humanity has collectively come of age. As foretold in all of the world’s scriptures, the time has arrived for the uniting of all peoples into a peaceful and integrated global society. “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens,” He wrote.

Am I interest in the Bahai Faith for real, yes? But do I need to freak out and sob uncontrollably because my husband isn’t? Probably not. Much of this emotional instability I attribute to pregnancy hormones and grief, but don’t tell a person that when they’re mid-breakdown. In that moment over sushi (only cooked stuff for me of course!) I was convinced that my quest for spiritual nourishment and Merp’s lack thereof was the end of the world as we know it.

So here I am, almost 30-weeks pregnant, knee deep in bar review, getting closer to having an unpacked, but still sparsely furnished house, and FINALLY feeling better mentally, but not so good physically (I’ve gone through almost an entire box of Kleenex this morning). Any of you out there suffering from horrible colds? Pregnant or not pregnant? What are your secrets for faster healing? What about allergies? Any and all advice/suggestions/lectures are appreciated.

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