I had my testing yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. They did the surface pricks, and then the shots below the skin. Evidently, I'm allergic to cats, dogs, dust mites, molds, trees, grasses, weeds, and maybe a few others that I can't remember. No great surprise by any of them.

The nurse who took care of me was so sweet, and I like the doctor too. I can see why so many people recommended him to me. He wants me to experiment a little with my medications (stop this one, add this one, see what happens) and see if I can find a minimum combination that controls my symptoms before I see him again in May. He did give me a script for Flonase, to try as part of the experimenting. I like docs who are comfortable with the whole self-management idea.

He did suggest allergy shots, but told me to take my time in making a decision because it's a big commitment. 3-6 months to ramp up to a maintenance dose, and then shots every 2-4 weeks for the next 3-5 years. Any input from those who've done this? I like the idea that this is a tried-and-true treatment that's been done for years and doesn't involve drugs, but it's a big commitment. The practice isn't far from my home, but it's in an area of town that I don't get to often, and I can't really bike there in time for the clinic to be open. Giving my own shots isn't an option- I asked.

Then there's the environmental changes. I'm not giving up my pets (nor did he ask me to). I'm not sure that I can run the air conditioning half the summer, and I hate the idea of not line-drying my laundry during the summer or not going for early morning bike rides. Truthfully, the environmental/lifestyle changes are giving me more angst than the med/shots decisions.

Thanks for reading my verbose ramblings. I welcome any input that those who've been down this path can provide!