Disliking This Spring Thing

So it is Spring. The calendar says it's Spring. The birds constant singing (even in the middle of the night) tell me it is Spring. The thermometer keeps crawling up during the day. Erich and our neighbors are itching to plant the summer garden.

And I am miserable. Don't get me wrong-I like Spring as well as the next person-as long as I can watch it and not experience it. For there is no 'enjoying' Spring for me. I'm not a miserable person, and I really do like the pretty flowering trees and the grass turning greener. I like seeing the birds who have been away for the winter as they return to our feeder. But my body does not like Spring.

It used to be just the allergies. Blooming trees, flowers peeking up, grass growing- ah, beautiful! Unless you are allergic to EVERYTHING under the sun! I'm not really exaggerating. Last March I had to go for the allergy test-where they poke you with tons of needles, full of different 'allergens' to see what you react to. You can't take any antihistamine for 7 days prior to the testing. They are supposed to test you twice for each allergen-they run through everything once and then do it again, just to make sure you had (Or didn't have) a reaction. In my case, the allergy nurse, Robin, after the first round decided there was no reason to stick me again-I was lit up like a Christmas tree. She has often commented that I'm allergic to 'everything'.

So I continue to get allergy shots twice a week (because I have never been able to get to the maintenance dose), and I continue to suffer. Although I do think I feel slightly better than I did last year-still sneezing, congested, sometimes have difficulty breathing, and frequently have that 'hung over' dopey feeling- from all the sneezing-that wears you out! Plus the allergy meds that are not non-drowsy (can't take anything that is a 'D' because of the blood pressure).

And then my friend fibro showed up. Or flared up. The up and down temperatures that Spring brings are very unkind to my body-cold nights, warm days. Fibro likes even temps-constantly cold or constantly warm/hot. So my pain levels are up. Energy levels are low. This past weekend, I didn't do anything. I did a little bit of laundry, but that's it. I pretty much spent the weekend on the couch or in bed; in total pain.

Add to that, I think I have a bladder infection, or a UTI. So I tried to drink cranberry juice; completely forgetting that lately it has upset my stomach. Forward to about 10am this morning, I'm at work, in so much pain that I'm trying not to cry, sniffing and blowing my nose from my allergies, and my stomach doing flip flops- which aggravates the bladder pain. I felt like my body had declared war on me. I kept hoping to make it through the day, but no such luck. I came home at 1:30, and just collapsed. I am hoping tomorrow will be less challenging-but unless some little fairy comes and makes all the allergens disappear and the temperatures moderate-I don't hold out much hope.

And so, I'm really disliking this Spring. Can I have Winter back? I'll try not to complain about the giant piles of snow that make me think I'm in NY.