It was posited to me that my issues with allergies might not have been because I genuinely had an enormous problem with allergies, but because, only with so much going wrong with my body pre-surgery, it became a notable issue. Basically, when you’re hanging on by a thread, a minor inconvenience is going to hit way different than it would if you were having a good day.
For example, pre-surgery I couldn’t drink a glass of milk or have a milkshake because I would immediately start to get intense cramps and sometimes have to run to the bathroom. All signs of lactose intolerance.
Which I probably do have, don’t get me wrong. But post-surgery, I poured myself a big glass of milk just to see what would happen. And all that happened was that I enjoyed a big glass of milk. I had a milkshake a few days later when we went to Braum’s and similarly had no problems.
So when I thought back to how I didn’t start having issues with allergies until I was in my 30s and, at that time, my body was quickly becoming the trainwreck I took into surgery, I started to wonder if the doctor was right. What if my allergies only became a problem because everything was a problem at that point?
There was one way to find out…
When I was tested for allergies in February of this year, I tested as allergic to dust mites, dogs, and cats. This was unfortunately because I have three cats. I also laughed at the handout advising me to get rid of the cats to ease my allergies.
There was one thing I knew I couldn’t do pre-surgery: rub my face on a cat. This was instant reaction for me. Red, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, the feeling like my skin is angry, the works. Because this is such a direct way to communicate the allergen to your airway, I knew it would work for this experiment. Either I would have some kind of reaction pretty quickly or I would not have one at all.
In fact, it was such a direct path that a WebMD article urged me to rethink. But honestly, even when I was really sick, my allergies were pretty mild. The absolutely worst scenario is that a cat would be annoyed with me and I wouldn’t feel great for a few hours.
The proof was in the cat fluff…
I had to carefully select the cat for this experiment. I was pretty sure Triton and Zephyr would be quick to run away and I needed a good sample. Nimbus, my most tolerant cat, whose trust I could betray, was going to be my partner in science.
I got home from work, rubbed my face on a baffled Nimbus and set a timer for 30 minutes. Which should have been enough time for me to have a reaction. I had no reaction of any kind.
But as I kept reading about allergies, I found out that there is a rare occurrence called natural immunity, where people who live with an animal report fewer allergy symptoms over time. We’ve had Nimbus for almost a year. What if I had become accustomed to him?
Clearly, I needed more science…
Which could only mean, I had to rub my face on some more cats. In fact, all of the cats in the house. From my research, it appears highly unlikely that someone would become naturally immune to three separate animals. My sample size increased! Not to mention, if I was going to have a reaction, it would definitely be after directly exposing myself to that much dander in such a short period of time.
I plucked Zephyr from his cardboard box and had just enough time to get a good rub and sniff of him before he awkwardly leapt out of my arms. The timer was again set for 30 minutes. Again, no reaction.
Now it was Triton’s turn to be a scientist. My gentle void boy had to be lured out with treats, as he undoubtedly knew I was up to something. But I was able to snatch him, sniff him, give him a quick face rub, and then return him to his treat hunting. The timer was set yet again. And……
I am zero for three. None of the cats caused me to have any kind of reaction. But it is true that it can take longer than 30 minutes, even more than 90 minutes in this case, for a reaction to appear. I will update tonight or tomorrow if a reaction occurs.
But right now, I don’t really feel like there will be an update.