Allergies, coughs and sinus headaches. Can I complain?

The other day, I found myself complaining about my sinus headache from allergies. When I stopped and noticed it, there were 2 things that struck me about this.

ONE: I never had allergies until a few years ago and it’s become just one more health/illness thing to get used to. In fact, until a few years ago I thought these miserable headaches were ms related. That was until my brother, who has had allergies all of his life, pointed out that the headaches always happen in the spring and fall, in pollen season. It was confirmed when antihistamine and nasal spray cleared it up. That’s when seasonal allergies became another disease to learn about.

.
TWO: I can remember being very sick with ulcerative colitis and listening to people complain about their allergy related symptoms and thinking to myself, what do they have to complain about? Can it really be that bad?

Well, now I know. It can be that bad. But I also know that whatever you’re feeling, if it isn’t good, it’s something you can complain about. Which gets me to thinking, what’s the point, anyway?

Here’s my definition for complaining: Complaining is talking about something aloud, as a negative, and it’s different from talking about something as just a matter of fact, such as notice that it’s raining. It’s not as if I ever feel better after complaining, either. No one likes listening to it (except those who like to hear that some people are even more miserable than them) and it doesn’t get the kind of empathy that helps. Mostly people look at you with a blank look.

So, what’s a girl to do? I, for one, practice saying silently that this is bad and that, yup, I really don’t like feeling this way. And, then I give my dog a big hug. (That’s because he always understands without my explaining).

Rosalind