But I Hardly Ever Sneeze

The story of a successful author who suffers from an intense printer’s ink allergy appears on the surface to be a bit of an oxymoron. It isn’t. In addition to every debilitating allergy symptom imaginable, the author suffered for years with mysterious conditions such as brain fog, fatigue, back pain, asthma, restless legs and obesity, along with sudden episodes of unexplained sadness, anger, and depression. Her constant complaints ballooned into severe allergic disease, which mimicked a myriad of symptoms associated with almost every illness not yet clearly defined by the medical community. She was determined to solve her own mysteries and dispel the myth that illusive symptoms are “all in your head.”

Having grown up in the birthplace of the atomic bomb, she even questioned the possibility of some unknown nuclear exposure. Gripping tales of anaphylactic episodes, cat dissections, wimpy kids, angrily discarded Christmas cards, black onion tears, nicknamed coughs, and emergeaphobia highlight her captivating allergified conditions. The author’s life changed dramatically when she met the compassionate, brilliant, whole-body allergist who listened, understood, and, over time, cured her. The constant thread which weaves itself among the pages, through the twists and turns, the tears and treatments, is the story of abiding love. The author’s husband Michael, whom she identifies as her Gentle Giant, watched the love of his life change from a 106-lb. bride to the 246-lb. mother of his children without ever saying a negative word. He was her rock, and he understood that strange forces were working beyond her control. Love and faith have kept them together for over fifty years. The concept of allergy is complicated, whether it presents itself as constant sneezes or hardly any sneezes at all. It morphs, meddles, and mesmerizes. The good news is that allergy can be cured. The author’s journey into a happy, healthy, symptom-free life is an inspiration and a must-read for anyone who has ever sneezed.