Tuesday's turn of events...

I don't know what it is about Tuesday's but I really struggle...

Couldn't get out of bed to go for a run for love nor money.  It's a run I look forward to as it is a short hilly run around home with Nattie.  But it just wasn't happening.  I think I need a good 8 to 9 hours sleep on a Monday night to recover from the weekend's activities and Monday's speed session at the crit.

So, because I have started on with the allergy desensitisation vaccines on a Tuesday lunchtime a lunch run is out of the question as there isn't supposed to be any exercise happening for several hours after the vaccine.  In lieu of this I have changed my run to go Monday's after work with a girl I work with who has just started running.  She is quite fit as she plays other sports and is doing really well and I think we will be a similar pace so this should work out well.  Another change to the plan!

I had my allergy injection yesterday, this is the 2nd injection of 12 weekly injections before it turns into fortnightly injections.  I am allergic to dust mites, grasses, pollens, cat, trees; so for somone training for a triathlon this becomes quite annoying, particularly the dust one as we are in the middle of a drought and the dust is unavoidable!  The first injection last week went really well and I had no localised pain or itchiness where I was injected and no other symptoms.  This week was double the dose and it seemed to go OK yesterday afternoon although the spot that they injected the serum was a bit sore.  Last night however, I just started wheezing and coughing for no apparent reason.  I suspected it was the vaccine and did a bit of research (Google is my friend!) and discovered that it is quite common for the vaccine to induce asthma symptoms including wheezing and coughing.  I thought about taking some asthma medication but took a strepsil that Craig offered me instead.  I don't get any relief from asthma medication and whilst I have been diagnosed by almost every doctor that I have seen with asthma there is no evidence of it.  Every spyrometer test I have had done has shown no better results after taking ventolin, so the jury's out on that one.  From my point of view, why take asthma medication if there is no evidence that it does actually reduce my symptoms.

So, I think that if I continue to get symptoms such as these in hindsight I will take an anti-histamine and hopefully that will settle things down a bit. Hopefully the symptoms won't get any worse than this and affect my training!!!!

Allergies - the bane of my existence

Well, the allergy specialist was very regimented...

I waited until 12:30 to go in and see him, my appointment was for 11:30.  Basically, he ran an allergy test and I am allergic to dust mites, grasses, pollens, cats, trees, etc.  So, I can avoid those things which is impossible, I can take anti-histamines which are only effective to a certain level, I can get sinus surgery which only treats the symptoms and not the cause or I can go down the path of allergy vaccines.

So, I am going down the path of allergy vaccines which involves a once a week injection at my local doctors surgery for the next 6 to 12 months.  The vaccine has been ordered and I should start them in 10 days when they arrive at my doctors surgery.

Herein lies the problem - I hate needles!!!  Sigh...  I think of my mother in law and the insulin injections that she uses and I will just have to tough it out.  There are plenty of people that are in far worse positions and hopefully in a couple of years time I won't have silly reactions causing me to faint because there is a dust storm!  The success rate is 80% and I am hoping against hope that I don't fall in to the other 20%.

Also, I am hoping that this isn't going to cause me grief with my training.  I think I might line them up so that I get an injection just after my Saturday morning swim/bike session.  Because then I don't swim again until Monday lunchtime.