What I need is an antihistamine that doesn't make me sleepy and dull, but still works.

I take my Claritin/Allegra/whatever at bedtime. They generally work for 24 hours, but their initial sleepifying effect doesn't bother me the next day.

My doctor used to prescribe me Allegra for my skin reactions all the time: [link]

Ooops. I didn't mean that Allegra *doesn't* work for skin reactions; just that if someone needed extra help, the H2 blockers can help.

My sense of smell came back last night as suddenly as it left. I stood inhaling Vick's Vaporub marveling at the mentholness of it until I started feeling like an idiot. Then I spent the rest of the night coughing.

Angry Woman Keys "WORE" On Her Ex's New Girlfriend's Car

I thought she was going for "this means wore!" but no.

My sense of smell came back last night as suddenly as it left.

Yay! My friend K. has no sense of smell. It must be weird.

First day of mental-health vacation: have been working for 3.5 hours. I expect I'll be working all day. I'm not docking myself a sick day if I actually work the whole day, dammit.

I spent 45 minutes yesterday writing out instructions for editing this very particular quirky journal - bullet list, bolded the important things - and today, the very first paper I proof, it's obvious the editor did not read it. WHY

That's wild, Ginger.

Menthol is a pretty amazing scent, even if you haven't lost your sense of smell for a while. Bummer about the coughing.

I thought she was going for "this means wore!" but no.

I immediately assumed a missing H

So ridiculous, Zen. Definitely do not take a sick day if you are working! Even if you only work most/part of the day!

Ooops. I didn't mean that Allegra *doesn't* work for skin reactions; just that if someone needed extra help, the H2 blockers can help.

THis is good to know-- I will probably try it as I am getting some relief with the Allegra/hydrocortisone/Aquaphor combo, but I still feel like everything that touches my body causes me to feel itchy. Just no longer the kind of itchy that makes me afraid I will accidentally scratch until I reach my brain.

I picked up a Benadryl cream that seems pretty effective. You have to be careful what you combine it with, though, I think.

Man, I shouldn't have said I was over the whatever it was, now I feel icky. Work your magic, Ibuprofen!

The really freaky part was that my sense of smell went off then on like switching a light switch. I have a friend who lost her sense of smell to sinus surgery. She is also quite flaky, which has led to any amount of burned clothes (She's a last-minute ironer.) and food flambe. It's quite miraculous that she's managed to live more than 70 years.

It really brought home how much I depend on my sense of smell, particularly to judge if food is still good. I started to obsess about food poisoning and fire.

I am so glad it came back, though! I worked with a woman who had a brain tumor removed, and it left her without a sense of smell, and she found she could barely eat because nothing had any flavor!

Just no longer the kind of itchy that makes me afraid I will accidentally scratch until I reach my brain.

Oh, Sophia. That tells me we read the same article. That disturbed me so deeply, I'll never forget it.