"The Worst Allergy Year Ever"

The flowers are nice to look at on daily walks
but they do mean a higher pollen count.

Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, and today your humble blogger suffered the worst hay fever attack in years. The reason is due to (what else?) climate change: [bold added]

When accounting for the expected increase in carbon dioxide concentrations as global temperatures rise, researchers predicted up to a 200% increase in pollen emissions.

The study found that pollen seasons could start at least 40 days earlier in the spring and last for nearly three weeks longer than the average over the past two decades — potentially affecting people previously untroubled by allergies...

UCSF allergist and immunologist Eugene Choo said he’s noticed the trend too.

“We’re seeing patients complaining more and more that this year is the worst allergy year ever, and the next year it becomes the new worst allergy year ever,” he said. “It’s not just a fiction … symptoms are generally getting worse.”

I popped a couple of Benadryl® tablets and went to bed. I used to prefer other allergy medicines that were less powerful but didn't bring on sleepiness, a side effect of diphenhydramine.

Now that I'm having trouble getting enough sleep and being productive during the day is no longer a priority(!), Benadryl is the allergy medicine of choice.