Eating pollen: An allergy experiment update

I am undergoing a pollen pellet eating experiment. Ingesting the yellow kernels is supposed be a greater help in alleviating my allergy symptoms than natural, local honey. The pollen pellets are a much higher dosage of local allergens than what is found in honey. I bought my bottle of antigen more than a week ago and I immediately began my new daily regimen. I started out with just a half teaspoon every morning mixed in with my cottage cheese or yogurt. The key is to mix it in well otherwise you might feel like a rabbit eating an alfalfa cube. While it does taste like alfalfa smells, the pellets actually look like the coating that comes on a Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bar. Nonetheless, eventually the hope is that I will make it up to a teaspoon of pollen a day.

On the first day, my near immediate mental reaction was that I should have started with a lower dose. The symptoms came on like gangbusters and it was definitely irritating. I exhibited red flag warning signs I normally don’t or haven’t since going on my meds years ago. I had terribly itchy eyes, so much so that I went to the store and bought some allergy drops. I had a very itchy nose that sometimes exploded with obnoxious sneezes. It was also very runny reminding me of my teen years when my soccer teammates jokingly called me boogie because of my snot that was ever present on the fresh spring field. The good thing is that I didn’t have a headache or any sinus blockage. While my symptoms came on strong, I decided this experiment is doable. Onward!

At about day five, I felt like I was finally starting to acclimate to the half-teaspoon dose. During the day I was only experiencing a lightly runny nose in the afternoon and occasional eye itchiness. However, the problem is that I had been waking up with irritated, peeling eye lids. This I know from my history is due to me rubbing my eyes at night. It is actually the symptom that broke the camel’s in 2009 and led to my first appointment with the allergist. I had been plagued with crusty lids that were so bad only Vaseline would fix them. I wondered for weeks what was going on. One night I woke up with my hands balled into fists, clenched over my eyes. Mystery solved. Back to recent days, the eyelid peeling isn’t so bad at first, but after a few days of rubbing, the trouble compounds and I look like I have a serious dermatological problem. Worse yet, the problem has spread to my nose. So now, that too, looks like it is about to crust off.

Now at more than a week out, I have decided to keep my dosing where it is for at least a couple more weeks. I have to give my body time to adjust. After all, my eye and nose are still peeling at freakish rates, scaring off the women and children of the land. I had thought I would be able to up the dosage a bit after week one, but that will have to wait! Overall, my health feels improved. The pollen pellets are purported to have additional benefits, and I do feel like I am more awake (which is surprising since I imagine I am half asleep most of the night rubbing my face off), I have more energy, and a clearer outlook. This is a process and I am exercising great patience with myself, since I am the one who is voluntarily making myself worse.