[Realization] Facing physical discomfort and the results of my medical visit. | Even though my favorite season is spring...

Hello. This is RaM.

Thank you so much for choosing to stop by and read this article among the many notes available here.😊

On this note account, I weave together my own thoughts, lessons learned, and tips that can be applied to daily life, all while living in a way that cherishes myself.

Please, relax and take your time here.♪

Introduction

The fact that I dislike hospitals is something my family already knows.

There have been times when I've run away until I absolutely had to go after a health checkup, but this time, I went to the doctor without running away.

Actually, I have been experiencing physical discomfort in early spring for several years now,

and until now, I just thought it was the change of seasons, being busy with work, or maybe stress, so I would take some over-the-counter medicine I chose at random and wait to see how it went. However, this year, even without any significant stress, I still felt physically unwell.

Thinking that this was something else, I decided to go see a doctor.

The physical discomfort I feel in early spring includes skin irritation, a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes.

When these symptoms appear in early spring, the first thing to suspect is hay fever, right?

And so, the department I visited this time was the Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat) clinic.

The circumstances leading to the visit

It was about eight years ago that I started feeling something abnormal in early spring.

At first, my face was so itchy I couldn't stand it. However, it was just at the time I had changed my basic skincare products, so I just thought maybe the cosmetics didn't suit me.

Since then, I started using basic skincare products for sensitive skin, and skin irritation has become much less frequent. But still, for many years, I have continued to experience a state where my face gets itchy and my skin irritation tends to get worse in early spring.

Since spring was also a busy time for work,
I was convinced that my skin problems
were caused by stress.

And, going back about three years.

Around March to May,
I started to experience symptoms
like runny nose and sneezing.

I had mysteriously believed that allergy symptoms
were caused by excessive stress (lol),
so I didn't admit it was hay fever (I just didn't want to admit it),
and thought it was a stress allergy.

And then, at the end of February this year.

Once again, symptoms like itching of the face and eyes,
runny nose, and sneezing started to appear,
and over-the-counter medicine became indispensable.

Because I had interpreted the symptoms
as an allergy to stress,
when the symptoms appeared while I wasn't working,
I was forced to suspect
it might be hay fever.

I decided to go for a checkup while I had some free time,
and decided to visit an
otolaryngologist within walking distance from my home.

The result was...

I had tests done at my first visit,
and went back for a follow-up two weeks later.

The result was,

I had an allergic reaction to cedar.

Yeah... I suppose so 🥲

In terms of the numbers,
I was told that if it's 1 or higher, allergy symptoms will occur,
but the number in my test results
was over 2.

Since I started getting prescribed medicine,
it works better than over-the-counter drugs (though the strong drowsiness is a problem),

and above all,
by knowing what is happening,
I was able to think about appropriate ways to deal with it.

I realized once again
that it is important
to accept things as they are for now.

But...

My favorite season was spring 🌸.

Since I was a child, I have loved the flowers that bloom in spring🌷, so
it used to be a pleasant season, but
there is now a possibility that it will
no longer be my favorite season.

That alone is sad😥

Why did I not want to admit it to that extent?

Even though I have had
many warning signs until now,
and
even though I had purchased and taken over-the-counter medicine,

why was I unable to admit the reality
that I might have hay fever?

I believe it is simply due toa lack of knowledge.

Without having researched much
about what hay fever is,

I saw people close to me struggling with hay fever symptoms,

and I thought,
"Once you get hay fever, it becomes a struggle every year."

Because of that, I had
a negative image of it.

That is precisely why I think I
wanted to pretend the symptoms I was having did not exist.

Certainly, suffering from symptoms every year
is a difficult thing.

But even so,
if I do not properly investigate my own symptoms,

if I do not properly learn about hay fever,

it is only natural that I cannot take appropriate measures.

What I have been doing
was, if anything,
leading to my own suffering.

This time, when I acknowledged my subjective symptoms,
went for a medical examination, and saw the test results,
I also felt a sense of relief in some way.

Realizations from the test results

Even though I realized I had symptoms that I would have to
live with for a long time to come,
why was I
relieved?

Although it is painful to acknowledge symptoms,
by knowing what is causing them,
you can think of countermeasures.

I think the main reason I felt relieved this time
is that I finally understood the cause of the symptoms
I have been suffering from.😊

Since my symptoms were caused by a reaction to pollen,
I was able to acknowledge it to myself, saying,
“That must have been painful,”
and comfort my own mind and body.😌

If I didn't know what was causing the symptoms,
I would have just continued to feel anxious
about the fact that I was having symptoms
without any direction.

Since it is my own body,
I will be living with this for a long time, but

I want to live my life while encouraging myself,
saying, “From now on, I will be able to take measures in advance.”

The fact that I felt relieved because I knew the cause
and knew how to deal with it
might be something that applies to more than just hay fever symptoms,
so I decided to write this article.

In closing

In today's article,
I shared what I thought about
based on my experience of feeling relieved
when I was able to acknowledge something I didn't want to admit.

When acknowledging negative things,
it can sometimes be painful,
but in return, your sense of self becomes stronger,
and it can be a trigger to realize
what is truly important.

Have you ever had an experience
where you were able to acknowledge something negative
and felt relieved?

This realization
was born from the episode where I had suspected for years that I might have hay fever,
but I hated admitting it and had avoided going to the doctor.

It goes beyond just being the type of person who dislikes hospitals,

and I think this article offers a glimpse into my past,
where I truly could not acknowledge myself
and had not been taking care of myself.

As for how I, who used to be this kind of person,
came to want to have a core of “taking care of myself,”
I plan to delve deeper into that in a separate series.
I will introduce it again.

Lastly,

Among those reading this article,
are there any of you who suffer from hay fever?
I have an allergic reaction to cedar,

so this is a difficult time for me.
For those of you with the same allergy,
I know this difficult period will continue for a while longer,

but let's get through it together~🌱✨

◎

Thank you so much for reading until the end!

It would be a great encouragement if you could leave a like, comment, or follow.

May happiness come to you for reading this far🍀

I look forward to seeing you in my next post.

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