Allergies.

Some people, on a yearly basis, begin sniffling and complaining about these "Allergies." Some people enter a room where there has been an animal and begin sneezing, with this same complaint. Some people eat a peanut and die.

With the exception of the third case, I never really understood their complaints. It's just a runny nose. It's just sneezing. Suck it up, get some tissues, life continues. I never had much sympathy for these people because I, having never experienced allergies, did not know that 90% of the reaction from allergies is inside of one's head. Not as in imaginary, as in it is literally somewhere behind the eyes and above the nasal passages. I believe this area is the sinuses, but I also haven't taken any anatomy beyond the first grade version that teaches you important things like "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes."

No longer. I am a changed person. I have battled with allergies vigilantly, and am now a changed person.

For Thanksgiving, I went to Mike's house. His parents own two birds and a dog. They also live in the middle area of Florida, which is known for being terrible for pollen allergies and such. I don't know what did this to me, but I woke up at 4 am in the middle of the first night, unable to breathe through most of my nose. I want to describe more, but I also don't want to get into details about runny noses on the internet. You've all been there.

I ended up not being able to sleep again the rest of the night, so I tried to live with allergies on four hours of sleep the next day. Big mistake. The allergy symptoms mixed with the tired symptoms until I didn't know what belonged where, and I just felt like a zombie with an overinflated head. The 90% under the surface is the inflamed sinuses or whatever. It is like there is a balloon inside of my skull, confined to only be as large as my skull, that can only hold so much water because it can only expand as large as my skull. Well, someone stuck a plug in my nose, forcing water to continue building up in that balloon, so that my head feels like the inside is expanding against itself, threatening to cause a burst so that the pressure can escape.

I've written this blog first thing in the morning, so if it is incoherent, my apologies. It's the allergies trying to take over.

Anyways, to all of you who have ever suffered from allergies, I am completely and sincerely sorry.