Back when we lived on West Main Street in Richland in the early 1960s, my sister developed allergies, and our family doctor, Dr. Nagle, sent her over to Lancaster to see an allergist to diagnose exactly what the problem was.

As I recall his name was Dr. Lockey, and he did not have the best bedside manner. When she came back from a visit her back was covered with etchings that he had made to try to determine what she was allergic to, each etching (or scratch or whatever it was) corresponded to a possible allergen.

She was finally diagnosed with hay fever, a condition that she eventually grew out of.

I, on the other hand, had no allergies. At least not until my late youth about ten or twelve years ago when I developed a terrible cough.

I went to the doctor, and after getting an x-ray to eliminate anything more serious, several antihistamine remedies were tried.

Antihistamines have come a long way since the 1960s, and the newer ones no longer make you drowsy. The only one that I responded to, however, was Allegra. As it happened, Allegra was on the verge of becoming an over the counter drug, so I didn’t need a prescription for it after the first one.

I’ve been taking one tablet of Allegra every day ever since.

Initially, that solved my problem, but in a few years, the post nasal drip became worse, and I was sent to an ENT. He prescribed Azelastine nasal spray in addition to the Allegra, and I’ve been squirting that ever since.

Even with those medications, I still have problems with congested nasal passages and post nasal drip, but at least the medications make the problem bearable.

I saw the ENT again last week, and in discussing the problem he asked if I wanted to see an allergist. He thought it might be helpful, so I agreed.

I now have an appointment for April 20.

There’s only minor little hitch.

I have to stop taking those medications for five days before the appointment.

So the post nasal drip and congestion are going to be that much worse. I’ll be able to manage during the day all right, though it won’t be pleasant. It’s the night time trying to sleep that I’m worried about.

So I’m warning you ahead of time, I’m probably gonna be a bitch to be around for the next few days.