Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is an allergic inflammation of the nasal airways. It occurs when an allergen such as pollen or dust is inhaled by an individual with a sensitized immune system. Symptoms vary in severity between individuals. Sneezing, running nose, swollen eyes, or sore throat are the main manifestations. When I was young, my father and my uncle all suffered from this seemingly insignificant illness. They took all sorts of medications to alleviate their unwelcome symptoms. For an occasional sneeze, one may dismiss it out of hand, but spasmodic and prolonged sneezing can be hurtful and detrimental to one’s health. Many people, including me, often misdiagnose it as common colds, as in many ways the two diseases are common.

   I contracted it a few years ago when I moved to Beijing. Whether it was because of the polluted air, my deteriorating stamina, or work stress, I couldn’t figure out, but I have been waging wars on hay fever for several years. A miracle happened when I went to reside in Macau: the terrible disorder simply vanishes into thin air. So you see I by coincidence have found the panacea for my illness: changing environment.

   When I came back, I thought I had been exorcised of the demon, but this month, all came back. For a few days I have been so afflicted by the illness that I was afraid to attend parties, to make a speech, or even to take a bus. It would be very awkward and indecent to sneeze continually in the crowd. Yesterday I thought up an idea. By wearing a disposable mask, I found that I could contain my sneeze，but what a picture I must have made in the crowd. It is weird for many to see a man wearing a mask in such a hot weather. When I complained to several colleagues about my discomfort, no one expressed their sympathy as, to an outsider, a cold or an allergy is too minor a disease deserving their attention. Only the patients themselves know the inconvenience and discomfort that their illness brings to them.

   When my tutor invited me to dinner, I made up my mind to take some medication, which quickly relieved me of my sneezing symptoms. We had a wonderful time together that night and I felt grateful for that little tablet. Next day I felt drowsy and my brain seemed duller than before, so I stopped taking the tablet, but my sneeze assaulted me again. It even affected my sleep as I might waken up by my itchy and running nose in the midnight. I was forced to take the tablet again. The vicious cycle rolled on for nearly ten days.

This minor illness reminds me that how careless we often are when we are healthy, when we are able to do many things at ease. What’s more, we have an inveterate habit of shunning medicine. I have been very obstinate in refusing to use nasal sprays containing steroids for two weeks, but at last I gave in. With one spray of Nasonex daily delivered to each nostril, the symptoms were dramatically controlled within two days. Now I have been nearly relieved of my ailments for a week since I began to use the spray.

It appears that hay fever can be brought under control by an appropriate use of medication, the benefits far exceeding the potential side effect.