Dealing With the Cold: Eye and Chest Allergies Are Attacking!

If I was in a position to spend six months in a warmer climate and then return to my home during the warmer seasons, I would book a plane ticket today and get away quick-sharp! My body just cannot handle the cold. As I get older my body seems to really struggle in the winter months. My immune system is weak, at best, so the slightest change in the climate sets my allergies racing!

Allergic conjunctivitis and asthma

My winter mornings start with me waking up unable to open my eyes. The gritty, gunky feeling puts me in a bad mood from the off. I need at least two hours to sort myself out - showering, applying creams, sorting a healthy breakfast out. My skin is often dry and cracked and occasionally it feels like I have not had any sleep because I am so tired in the mornings. Recently, I have had a pretty horrid head cold. This affects my respiratory system which normally results in my allergic conjunctivitis kicking in and my asthma becoming worse. Each year that passes, my body is finding it increasingly harder to fight off these conditions. In short, life is a real struggle and sometimes my allergies get the better of me. Today is one of those days. On other days, I fight back and just steam through it.

My chest is wheezy and breathing normally is an effort. This will not be an all-day thing. This seems to occur in the morning times and my meds do a great job of sorting me out and stabilizing my breathing. But again, it is the cold weather that brings it on. When I was young I never thought about my future in terms of getting old with my allergies. I was fearless and thought I was indestructible, but now heading into my mid-40s I worry all the time. My body does not heal as quickly as it used to. And it is likely to get worse as I get older.

Sometimes nothing works

There are ways to prepare and make preemptive strikes, however, sometimes you can take all the relevant precautions; like making sure to lubricate your eyes before bed, taking all of your prescribed inhalers, drinking plenty of fluids, and making sure the heating system fires up before you wake. But sometimes nothing works! That is the harsh reality of having allergies. There is a good reason why there is no cure. Allergies, asthma, and eczema are a part of who I am and we just have to deal with them.

Cold weather impacting my conditions

Keeping a positive perspective

To think we have three maybe four more months of this cold weather is a bit disheartening. Keeping positive is key for my mental health, although it can be very hard at times. The positives will be spending quality time with family and friends. Someone once said 'worst things have happened at sea." This makes me realize that for all my issues I am still a very lucky person living in a very nice part of the world and knowing that things could have been far worse, keeps me going.

Does the colder weather impact your asthma and/or other conditions that you may contend with? Share your story with the community by clicking the button below.