"It's Opening Day...."
(click on the above links to read the articles)
It's no joke, folks. If you're like me and you live with allergies, then you know why it's really important to know this!!
My battle with allergies began back about 15 years or more when I was still living in Ohio.
My parents live in an old farmhouse completely surrounded by corn, soybean, or wheat fields depending on the rotation for the year. I didn't really notice any problems until I was in college. The sneezing and itchy eyes would start near the end of August and subside near the first frost.
I went to college in South Carolina and had no problems there at all.
After college, I moved to New Hampshire. During the two years I lived there, never a problem.
But the fall I moved back to Ohio, I about went insane from the itchy, watery, swollen eyes, and consequently experienced my first lovely encounter with a steroid shot. Ahhhhh.....almost instant relief. I honestly don't remember taking any other medication after that, but surely I did. After that, I lived in Michigan for 4 years and I don't remember ever having a problem during that time.
When we moved to Texas, nearly 9 years ago now, I initially had no symptoms. But as the time has gone on, things have gotten increasingly worse for me. I would end up with pink-eye within 24-48 hours, and the sneezing, itching eyes, itching skin, itching ear canals, itching skin on my face about drove me to the looney bin! Within the last 2 or 3 years, I've had to see an allergist to get to the bottom of what was going on and why.
On my very first visit, they started the skin prick test for environmental allergies. I have to say....THAT WAS AN EXPERIENCE.
They poke your bare back about 30 times with these tiny little needles that inject the tiniest amount of allergen they are testing you for.
Well, my back practically exploded and I looked like I had been whipped because of all the welts. And the ITCHING....oh...the ITCHING!!
Anyway, it was that test that told us I'm allergic to practically all of the flora in our area. This list also included dust mites, and CATS (which didn't terribly disturb me because I'm not a cat lover.) That came like a bolt out of the blue because on the farm where I grew up, I was the chief cat care-taker.......albeit they were barn cats!! How did THAT happen?
Anyway, 4 days later I went through another series of "skin pricks" to test for food allergies. I remember telling the nurse, "You're not going to find anything, 'cause I'm not allergic to any food." Well.....WRONG.
How was I supposed to know I am allergic to mustard?
And rice.
And soy.
But you know, I don't have anaphylactic reactions to these things. I just get itchy. I can handle itchy. And not even severely itchy, just mild enough not to even notice.
The allergist wanted me to think about allergy shots. I had no idea what that even was, and after I heard what it entailed, I thought, "You MUST be crazy."
You start out with a syringe full of the things you're allergic too, custom designed for you and injected several times a week for like a couple months or something. Then they wean you down slowly over a period of time to where you end up with a shot a month. But the entire series has to go on virtually uninterrupted for like 5 YEARS before you're essentially "immune" from the allergic reactions you have. BUT, and here was the kicker for me, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE!!! What? All that, and you still might experience some symptoms? Uh-uh!! No way....not me!!! Plus, you can't do this while you're pregnant. I couldn't guarantee them that wouldn't happen again to us, and I'm glad I did because I was pregnant with #6 within 2 or 3 months.
That fall, I had the WORST reactions EVER. I think being pregnant just exacerbated everything. In retrospect, I think what the PA at the allergist's office did was overkill, but I walked out having had a steroid shot (which I practically BEGGED for) plus literally a shoebox FULL of all different kinds of medications to take at all different times of day. Most of the medication she gave to me and it lasted until the worst of the season was over, but some of it required a prescription and would be an ongoing expense. I had no idea how much it would cost us over time, and how we would pay for it.
By the time ragweed season is about over here in Texas, Mountain Cedar blooms as a lovely Christmas present and brings on a whole other set of symptoms, albeit, very similar to ragweed.
By January of 2008, I was having constant sinus infections and did multiple rounds of antibiotics with no relief. My wonderful parents-in-law felt so sorry for me, they even had all the air vents and duct work in our house cleaned and sanitized. I was so thankful for that!! I'm not really sure if that helped me or the fact that our baby was born near the middle of that month, but my sinuses cleared up pretty quickly after that.
At the present time, I've been back to my allergist only a couple times, usually in September and then again in February or March. This last February, I was down to just taking a Zyrtec a day, using "Rhinocort Aqua" nasal spray, and "Pataday" eyedrops. The allergist told me I should only really need the nasal spray as it's an excellent defense to blocking the absorption of the allergens, but I have a tremendously difficult time with my eyes, so he okayed the eye drops if necessary. He also suggested that I get started on my medication several weeks in advance of the upcoming season. So on August 1 of this year, I started my spray up again along with taking a Zyrtec a day, in hopes of nipping this thing in the BUD this year. I have to say here that I've tried just about every nasal spray from Flonase, to Nasonex, to Nasacort, and I find Rhinocort Aqua to be far better than all the rest. No funny smell, no dripping down your throat, no burning. They work well on reducing allergy symptoms, but all have these weird things that you notice about them. Not the Rhinocort. LOVE it!
But these medications are EXPENSIVE. Now that Zyrtec is over-the-counter, it's not AS expensive, but nevertheless, it's an added cost every month. The spray costs me $25 a bottle with my insurance, and it lasts about a month. I don't need it as much in the summer time, but just about the other 9 or 10 months of the year, it's my best friend!!
So every morning, I'm spraying one shot in each nostril before I leave the bathroom, and I'm good to go. At night, it's one Zyrtec, and another spray in each nostril before I turn off the light. That seems to keep me operating pretty much like a "normal" person!!
I've also had to switch over to daily contacts because of the allergy issues with my eyes. There's another $100 every 90 days!!
Talk about high maintenance!!! I should be the poster child!!
SO...I'm always on the lookout for ways I can save money with all of this.
And look what I just found a couple weeks ago.....I about passed out I was so EXCITED!!!
Here is a picture of your typical bottle of Zyrtec:
(click on the above links to read the articles)
It's no joke, folks. If you're like me and you live with allergies, then you know why it's really important to know this!!
My battle with allergies began back about 15 years or more when I was still living in Ohio.
My parents live in an old farmhouse completely surrounded by corn, soybean, or wheat fields depending on the rotation for the year. I didn't really notice any problems until I was in college. The sneezing and itchy eyes would start near the end of August and subside near the first frost.
I went to college in South Carolina and had no problems there at all.
After college, I moved to New Hampshire. During the two years I lived there, never a problem.
But the fall I moved back to Ohio, I about went insane from the itchy, watery, swollen eyes, and consequently experienced my first lovely encounter with a steroid shot. Ahhhhh.....almost instant relief. I honestly don't remember taking any other medication after that, but surely I did. After that, I lived in Michigan for 4 years and I don't remember ever having a problem during that time.
When we moved to Texas, nearly 9 years ago now, I initially had no symptoms. But as the time has gone on, things have gotten increasingly worse for me. I would end up with pink-eye within 24-48 hours, and the sneezing, itching eyes, itching skin, itching ear canals, itching skin on my face about drove me to the looney bin! Within the last 2 or 3 years, I've had to see an allergist to get to the bottom of what was going on and why.
On my very first visit, they started the skin prick test for environmental allergies. I have to say....THAT WAS AN EXPERIENCE.
They poke your bare back about 30 times with these tiny little needles that inject the tiniest amount of allergen they are testing you for.
Well, my back practically exploded and I looked like I had been whipped because of all the welts. And the ITCHING....oh...the ITCHING!!
Anyway, it was that test that told us I'm allergic to practically all of the flora in our area. This list also included dust mites, and CATS (which didn't terribly disturb me because I'm not a cat lover.) That came like a bolt out of the blue because on the farm where I grew up, I was the chief cat care-taker.......albeit they were barn cats!! How did THAT happen?
Anyway, 4 days later I went through another series of "skin pricks" to test for food allergies. I remember telling the nurse, "You're not going to find anything, 'cause I'm not allergic to any food." Well.....WRONG.
How was I supposed to know I am allergic to mustard?
And rice.
And soy.
But you know, I don't have anaphylactic reactions to these things. I just get itchy. I can handle itchy. And not even severely itchy, just mild enough not to even notice.
The allergist wanted me to think about allergy shots. I had no idea what that even was, and after I heard what it entailed, I thought, "You MUST be crazy."
You start out with a syringe full of the things you're allergic too, custom designed for you and injected several times a week for like a couple months or something. Then they wean you down slowly over a period of time to where you end up with a shot a month. But the entire series has to go on virtually uninterrupted for like 5 YEARS before you're essentially "immune" from the allergic reactions you have. BUT, and here was the kicker for me, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE!!! What? All that, and you still might experience some symptoms? Uh-uh!! No way....not me!!! Plus, you can't do this while you're pregnant. I couldn't guarantee them that wouldn't happen again to us, and I'm glad I did because I was pregnant with #6 within 2 or 3 months.
That fall, I had the WORST reactions EVER. I think being pregnant just exacerbated everything. In retrospect, I think what the PA at the allergist's office did was overkill, but I walked out having had a steroid shot (which I practically BEGGED for) plus literally a shoebox FULL of all different kinds of medications to take at all different times of day. Most of the medication she gave to me and it lasted until the worst of the season was over, but some of it required a prescription and would be an ongoing expense. I had no idea how much it would cost us over time, and how we would pay for it.
By the time ragweed season is about over here in Texas, Mountain Cedar blooms as a lovely Christmas present and brings on a whole other set of symptoms, albeit, very similar to ragweed.
By January of 2008, I was having constant sinus infections and did multiple rounds of antibiotics with no relief. My wonderful parents-in-law felt so sorry for me, they even had all the air vents and duct work in our house cleaned and sanitized. I was so thankful for that!! I'm not really sure if that helped me or the fact that our baby was born near the middle of that month, but my sinuses cleared up pretty quickly after that.
At the present time, I've been back to my allergist only a couple times, usually in September and then again in February or March. This last February, I was down to just taking a Zyrtec a day, using "Rhinocort Aqua" nasal spray, and "Pataday" eyedrops. The allergist told me I should only really need the nasal spray as it's an excellent defense to blocking the absorption of the allergens, but I have a tremendously difficult time with my eyes, so he okayed the eye drops if necessary. He also suggested that I get started on my medication several weeks in advance of the upcoming season. So on August 1 of this year, I started my spray up again along with taking a Zyrtec a day, in hopes of nipping this thing in the BUD this year. I have to say here that I've tried just about every nasal spray from Flonase, to Nasonex, to Nasacort, and I find Rhinocort Aqua to be far better than all the rest. No funny smell, no dripping down your throat, no burning. They work well on reducing allergy symptoms, but all have these weird things that you notice about them. Not the Rhinocort. LOVE it!
But these medications are EXPENSIVE. Now that Zyrtec is over-the-counter, it's not AS expensive, but nevertheless, it's an added cost every month. The spray costs me $25 a bottle with my insurance, and it lasts about a month. I don't need it as much in the summer time, but just about the other 9 or 10 months of the year, it's my best friend!!
So every morning, I'm spraying one shot in each nostril before I leave the bathroom, and I'm good to go. At night, it's one Zyrtec, and another spray in each nostril before I turn off the light. That seems to keep me operating pretty much like a "normal" person!!
I've also had to switch over to daily contacts because of the allergy issues with my eyes. There's another $100 every 90 days!!
Talk about high maintenance!!! I should be the poster child!!
SO...I'm always on the lookout for ways I can save money with all of this.
And look what I just found a couple weeks ago.....I about passed out I was so EXCITED!!!
Here is a picture of your typical bottle of Zyrtec:
$24.95 (Wal-Mart) or about $31.99 for this and a bottle of 30 bundled together (Costco).
So I thought I was doing really good with the deal at Costco on the Zyrtec.
Until I saw this....
So I thought I was doing really good with the deal at Costco on the Zyrtec.
Until I saw this....
This is the Costco brand of Zyrtec, the generic, if you will. I see the same ingredients listed as on the brand name Zyrtec. The main difference is the number of tablets.....365 in this bottle.
But the cost you ask??
$15.95
BOO-YAH!!
This saves me SO much money. If I do the math, a year's supply (365 tablets) of brand name Zyrtec at the Costco price would cost me roughly....$155.73. The Wal-Mart price would be $203.37. Costco Generic price for a year's supply.....$15.95.
I just get goosebumps when I see this.
Unbelievable!!
Thank you Lord!!
But the cost you ask??
$15.95
BOO-YAH!!
This saves me SO much money. If I do the math, a year's supply (365 tablets) of brand name Zyrtec at the Costco price would cost me roughly....$155.73. The Wal-Mart price would be $203.37. Costco Generic price for a year's supply.....$15.95.
I just get goosebumps when I see this.
Unbelievable!!
Thank you Lord!!
1 comment:
God's provision + Good math use = Happiness
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