I'm getting itchy!!!!

And my asthma has kicked in. Yes, it is definitely Fall and getting colder. While some parts of Fall are great: the squashes, the changing leaves, Halloween; other parts, for me are not so great: colder weather. Anything below 70 degrees, my body looks at it as an allergen and tries to fight it. I have what is called Cold-Induced Urticaria. The gist is I am allergic to cold and get hives because of the allergy.

I was diagnosed YEARS ago, when I was about 9 years old and had red bumps after swimming in pool filled from a cold mountain spring. I remember my mom laying out a blanket in the sun at our campsite so I could warm up. Hot showers do not help so much with this.

As I have aged, it has gotten worse. My asthma kicks in when it gets just "cool". I actually have the risk of anaphylaxis if I am not careful. Over the summer, I have to worry if the pool will be warm or cold. Generally, the day after it has rained, the pool is colder. I loved this past summer with all the 100 degree days. I do not have issues with breathing in the heat and humidity.

However, this past winter was torture for me. I HATE snow (and now you know why!!)! We had at least three times the normal amount of snowfall for our area. We actually got more than our normal amount in our first blizzard on December 22, 2009. We had two more blizzards after that! I had to shovel that snow (almost two feet each time) since the hubs was on travel for work. I have never been skiing or snow tubing, either. The cold gets to me through the ski pants and layers that I wear.

I often wondered why I was the lucky one to get cold induced urticaria. Then, in March 2008 I was given the answer. I have Celiac Disease. It is an auto-immune disease. Cold induced urticaria seems to hitch a ride with those who have an auto-immune disease. Not everyone, just the lucky ones! *sarcasm*

So, the next time someone says "I hate cold weather" or "I hate snow", there may be more to it. They may have a medical reason for not liking the cold. I joke and say I'm just a wuss, but my cold allergy is serious. I hate the cold!!