I have suffered from “sensitivities” to smells and allergies for most of my life. Mold, pollens, grasses, exhaust fumes, perfumes–you name it, and I am either sensitive to it or outright allergic to it. I had been tested in the past; however, as I’ve gotten older the symptoms have gotten progressively worse. So, in March 2008 I went to a noted Ear, Nose and Throat specialist whose practice includes an allergy clinic. After several tests, the doctor prescribed a regimen of two shots a week, two different nasal sprays, and an oral medication. After six months of this protocol, I was not feeling any better. So, I got a second opinion, and that allergist stopped the shots, but kept me on the two nasal sprays and sent me to another ENT specialist. I still was not getting the desired results.
I teach, so I’m in front of the class all the time. Over the years, my eighth grade students had just gotten used to my snorting and to the “coughsneezes” that were a combination cough and sneeze that shook my body and always prompted students to ask two questions: “Are you OK?” and “Have you thought about seeing a doctor for that?” What a novel idea.
I had been taking Proanthenols for a few months, and although I was feeling better, I was still badly congested and often had difficulty sleeping because of drainage at night. About three months ago, I changed the dosage and took twice my body weight (in MG) of the Proanthenols in order to achieve the optimum effect. What a difference this change has made! After about a month of taking the increased dosage, I noticed that I was not congested when I woke up in the mornings. I also noticed that the frequent sinus headaches and the days of feeling like my face was going to slide off had significantly decreased. Also, students who had listened to me snort and “coughsneeze” started to comment that I was not snorting as much. Last week, I sneezed. My partner teacher was amazed, “That was a normal sneeze. You never sneeze like that,” he commented. I am no longer using the nasal sprays nor am I taking the oral meds.
