Betty the Teddy is Ready for the Prom

Clara went to a new allergist last week and he recommended that we not continue with the daily antihistamine that she's been on since December. He says that antihistamines only treat the symptoms and that in the long run, they actually cause your body to create new cells that release histamines and eventually you become immune to them. He did give me the option of leaving her on them since they are working so well for her but I decided to give his recommendations a try. He spoke a lot about allergy shots and I went away feeling a lot more informed about them, so we may be going that route if this doesn't work.

He wants us to concentrate on improving the indoor air quality (air purifiers, mattress and pillow covers, etc.) and daily use of saline and nasonex, saving the antihistamine for flare-ups. I hadn't really considered the indoor air since all of her allergies are outdoor, but we bring the outdoors in on our clothes, shoes and hair and the dogs bring them in as well. Duh. I never really thought of that. I'm also getting our ducts cleaned next week. We had a very large leak in the a/c return in the attic that we discovered a couple of weeks ago, so the a/c guy said the ducts are probably very dirty.

So, what's all that have to do with Betty? Well, Clara is not too fond of her new medication routine. Nor should she be. The saline rinse is a stream, not a mist, so it gives her quite a jolt and she starts sputtering, coughing and crying when I do it. Poor thing. I felt so bad for her the first night, knowing she has to do this from now on. I told her if she could be good and not throw a fit and cry for the first week of taking her medicine, I would get her a new toy. I just really wanted her to see something good about taking her medicine while she got used to the idea. And it worked! She had a really hard time and doesn't like it at all, but she came when I called her and sat still while I did it each time. She decided she wanted an outfit for Betty, so she got the Hello Kitty little black dress with black heels. Just what every fashionable teddy bear needs. (Am I the only one who finds the Build-a-Bear craze just a little ridiculous?)

I've only just given her a quick squirt in each nostril and only before bed. She is supposed to do the rinse in 2-3 second squirts, blow, and then another 2-3 second squirt. Morning and night. Oy. Might have to promise another outfit for Betty.