Not to be Trifled With

As someone who’s been afflicted with hay fever all his life, I’ve often stifled sneezes while in public. But this behavior can be dangerous.

A 33-year-old former marathon runner is now confined to a wheelchair. Suzanne Aymeric suffered a stroke after she sneezed....The sudden violent movement of Aymeric's sneeze tore a major artery in her neck.

Doctors warn you should never hold a sneeze in, but if you think you've been injured after sneezing, seek immediate medical care.

Immunotherapy injections have worked for this allergy sufferer. The doctor has raised the serum’s potency to “maintenance” level, and I only have to go in once a month.

This spring the hay fever attacks have been milder and less frequent. Living with allergies is now tolerable, and I’m glad I finally found the right treatment in my middle age. As the story of Suzanne Aymeric has shown, sneezing is not to be trifled with.