Allergens and Exhaustens
Today has not been a good day for allergies. Not only did I spend several hours at the cat sanctuary, but my time there was spent crawling under desks unplugging cables and fiddling with the dusty, fur-laden pieces of equipment that are inevitable when you start mucking with computers.
I think I’ve also come to the conclusion that mascara makes it worse. I dismissed the notion at first, since it didn’t seem logical, but my eyes are most definitely itchier on the days that I wear mascara (the days that I work at the bank). I figured it out: the mascara traps the dust and stray little fur wisps. Several times a day I get stinging eyes, and by the time I drive home they’re quite watery. There’s an obvious solution to this one, but I kind of like wearing makeup to work. Anyone have any solutions here?
I have not been able to talk to the nurse (at the midwives) about what I can/should do about allergy treatment… I don’t know if I should start the shots now, with me going thorugh IVF, or what kind of medication is okay during pregnancy, or what. I’m totally out of my depths here, I did not have to deal with allergies last time.
On the good side of things, my adjusted very-minimal-dairy diet has helped me to lose a couple more pounds. I’m now at 136, 4 pounds below my pre-IVF weight (I gained 2-4 during IVF, before getting pregnant). I can definitely notice a difference. My face looks a lot less round, a lot more angular like it was in college. My pants are having a hard time staying up, though that’s mostly due to my shrinking butt.
The belly is still there, though. I’m not really doing anything to get rid of the belly, so I’m not complaining, just observing. I actually find it quite amazing that it got as big as it did, and now it’s just a little pooched out, with no external signs that I was ever pregnant. I mean, if someone didn’t know I had a baby you could never tell from my body. I have no stretch marks, no wrinkly skin… just that very very faint linea nigra that I can still see. The last physical mark that he really was in there.
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I’m exhausted, and yet having a hard time sleeping. Part of the reason I always got my best sleep during the week on my days off when hubby was at work was because I had nothing to get up for, no set alarm, no planned agenda except of my own fancy. And because of that I was able to surrender to sleep peacefully and happily, to wrap it around me and sink deep down into it. I treasured my sleep.
But now I have things to do. Now I have to get up at precisely 6:30am. First I startle myself awake every hour, worried that I slept through my alarm, check the clock, sigh in relief, and then try to go back to sleep. But I can’t, because once I’m awake shit keeps running through my head. Don’t forget to call the doctor. Did you ever return that message? Shit, I have to bring the camera tomorrow. I think my car needs gas, too. Did I pay that bill?? I had better figure out what bills are due before payday. Better ask Den if we’ll need dogfood, I’ll be passing the store tomorrow… All. Fucking. Night. Long. At some point last night I really wanted to just drill a hole in the side of my head to tip it all out into a bucket. I was SO frustrated.
And of course being tired is probably rippling into my work activities, causing some errors and stressing me out more because I screwed up. Something more to run through my head and fret about at 4am, I suppose.
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Tomorrow is Sunday. It’s my day to wash the bedsheets, wash and my work clothes, vacuum and dust the house (especially around the bed), and hopefully read some books. I really like Sundays.
I have the same issue with mascara. I switched to Almay brand and wash it off as soon as I get home, and that has helped a lot.
Going back to your mascara comment, I really love mascara as a make-up item, those rare days when I actually feel compelled to wear make-up. But I agree – it can be irritating and allergy-feeling, and is kind of a pain to wash off. Someone needs to invent perfect mascara that is neither of those things.
Sleeping with an active brain: for a while there I was stressing almost nighting over things, I would go to sleep and just think of all that was going on. I read on a website forget which one, a technique that I still use when my mind is majorly on hyper drive instead of sleep mood. Take long slow breaths and long slow exhales, saying Peace in and Calm out. Focus on only these two things the words and the actions and eventually your mind should shut down to a peaceful sleep. It takes a bit of practice to actually make it work but that’s the whole point of it focus on doing it and your mind is too busy with that then to think about everything else.
I can’t wear mascara, either. It totally makes my eyeballs itch terribly. And I have terrible insomnia with the same problems, I bolt up convinced I’ve forgotten something or another every. single. hour.
It’s driving me slowly insane.
I get the same stinging eyes with mascara. When I use hypoallergenic mascara, they aren’t as bad. My theory is that it sticks better and I don’t get as much in my eyes. It is way more expensive than regular mascara though. When I am feeling stingy, I just get waterproof mascara instead and it is better than regular.
I was thinking that about the waterproof mascara. At least then I could rinse out my eyes when they start stinging.
I don’t wear mascara but did want to comment on the allergy issues. I took Zyrtec (or the generic equivalent) throughout my two pregnancies and while breastfeeding, as it is considered safe. You can’t take the Zyrtec-D (from what I understand, I’ve never taken it) but the Zyrtec is fine.
Good luck!