I know this is old news to ya’ll who’ve lived in the south all your lives, but this pollen stuff just drives me crazy! I cannot believe how much is produced every night and manages to land itself on my car! This morning, wet with the overnight rain, my car was covered, I mean COVERED in wet, sticky, clumpy pollen. It really looked like it had grown a layer of fur.

Even though I was running late AND it was raining, I just had to get some of it off, so I went down the street to a drive through carwash and actually paid to have it washed off my car. Unfortunately, I did not get a “before” picture because I didn’t want to stand out in the rain, but just to emphasize how much pollen there was, I took an “after” picture once I got into the garage at work (sorry for the sideways shot):

I mean, come on! That’s ridiculous!

Just look at my car this morning!!

I’m still sick and coughing my head off most days, so I went to see my PCP today, to basically get a second opinion on the whole “You’ve got allergies” thing. It just didn’t sit right with me and people have been telling me non-stop that my cough does not sound allergy related and I’ve even had a few providers I just happen to be in meetings with offer to listen to my chest. I took the hint and made another appointment.

Turns out my friends (and some complete strangers) are very smart. My Dr. says it is not allergies, but rather an upper respiratory virus. She put me on something to get all the gunk out of my chest. The Zyrtec-D was apparently drying me out, but without letting me get that gunk out, so it was just going into my lungs and stomach, prolonging my symptoms. Lovely. She said I could still have symptoms for another week (ugh!) but that I should feel better soon.

I’ve lived in Nashville for over 6 years, but I think today I finally became an official Tennessean. Even more, an official Southerner.

I’ve been sick for the past two weeks. It started with a horrible sore throat that made pudding my best friend. Then I started coughing about 5 days later, and then 5 days after that, I noticed I was starting to get congested. Well, today, after having a fever all last night and throwing up in the early morning, that I decided I better go see a doctor.

After some poking and prodding, she said the magic words that transformed my existence as a member of southern society. “I think you have allergies.” No. God. Not allergies. The curse that plagues the sufferer over and over, year after year and requires daily treatment. Of course, its much better than having, say, Tuberculosis (to which I am remotely susceptible), but I would’ve settled for a case of influenza (even though I’ve had my shot). To top it off, I have an ear infection, which, surprisingly I cannot feel in the slightest, but it does explain the fever.

I’m not even sure how to end this post.