Saturday, March 04, 2006

Getting Older and the Hassles Therein

CD in Play: Josquin Desprez, Messe Ave Maris Stella, Motets La Vierge

People often complain about getting older in terms of losing their youth. For those of us born in and around 1970 the fact stands, we ain't kids anymore. We aren't middle aged either, but I am not sure that we could be considered to be young adults anymore. Even as plain old adults, aging sucks. Specifically, I am referring to the change in body chemistry and other such related things.
I am currently suffering with allergies. Before the summer of last year I proudly boasted about how I didn't have allergies anymore. (that was before I learned how a certain dermatological condition I inherited is, in fact, an allergic reaction) When I was born I was allergic to my Mother's milk. I had eczema, (the aforementioned condition) which is an allergic reaction causing a scaly rash. Mine usually flared up after playing the sand. It cleared up for the most part in my early teens and disappeared altogether in my twenties. The last case of hay fever I had was in 1982. Life is grand when you are allergy free, but no more.
The eczema came back in 2002. Nothing as bad as what my Grandmother had (her face, arms and hands) but irritating and socially hindering none the less. In 2004 I had my wisdom teeth pulled out and had a reaction to the penicillin, a first in my life. In 2005 I was taking care of a house and a dog. I would take the dog out for walks nd in this one filed in particular. I developed hives and my eczema came on particularly strong. As of three days ago, I have now been reunited with hayfever. Yeah!!!!
Mark Twain once said, "Age is a matter of mind and if you don't mind, it doesn't matter." I can appreciate Twain's point, but these damned allergies. Oh well, all I can do is cope and hope that when my body chemistry changes again, say around 2009-2010, that it changes back for the better. Now if you could excuse me, I have to go drain my sinuses and rub on some hydrocortisone.

7 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Hey Magnus,
I'm so jealous, your clustr map shows readers from Tokyo, Japan and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

By the way, this must be a record: the word verification is 8 letters. 8!!!!!!!!

04 March, 2006 02:46  
Blogger Geosomin said...

As an allergy freak (due to the asthma I developed about 5 years ago after a nasty case of viral pneumonia...I know of the aging "developments" of which you speak of!) may I recommend novochlorophenaram. It is an ask for it at the pharmacy no name brand antihistamine...much cheaper and helps SO much.
It is odd...I've developed wierd allergies over the past 10 years or so (orange juice, penicillin) and everyone older I know has said to me "yeah, that will happen".
Guess that is the way of things. I'm choosing to ignore it whenever I can. Sheer willpower.
Oh -I have 9 letters...ltprzzhf!

04 March, 2006 19:56  
Blogger Unknown said...

I became allergic to cats when I was 20, and then to dogs when I was 28. It's a real pity, because I like dogs!

What can it mean for human survival when we start to become allergic to everything? I feel less allergic when I am in the city. No hay fever, etc. And I am more of a target for deerflies and black flies (and here in Taiwan, giant mosquitoes). Maybe they like my bloodtype? Or I am one of those human beings like so many who is getting weaker in terms of resistance to allergies and so forth? I don't know. The mosquitoes bite us even in the winter here! Be glad that in Vancouver, there aren't really any mosquitoes (from what I remember, having lived there for ten years and more). In Taiwan, the lowest temperature in winter is -10.

By the way, I am absolutely terrified of filoviruses. I have been lucky, healthwise all my life. But moving to a different climate and to a place with far more pollution (but less allergies, as I noted), actually a lot of pollution...maybe not as much as China...I have come down with a cold every month!

04 March, 2006 20:53  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So Thoth... do much sneezing around the girlfriend? (she was Year of the Dog right?)

05 March, 2006 01:25  
Blogger Magnus said...

Perhaps the ironic thing about this period of aging is the fact that it has heralded to return of childhood maladies. Really, if something is going to bring crap like that back into my life, it could at least have the courtesy to return my hair as well.

uuanyyy

05 March, 2006 01:42  
Blogger Geosomin said...

I think it is all relative. I mean I had an allergy test a few years ago and aparently I am violently allergic to cats...and we have 2, one of which regularly sleeps on my head, so maybe some things can be ignored. I only get a bit stuffed up when I clean madly. I can ignore THAT, but seasonal mold makes me sickly.
Go figure.

06 March, 2006 14:42  
Blogger Magnus said...

Actually, the eczema came back while I was in Montreal, but got worse once I was out here.

18 March, 2006 01:44  

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