The Last Monday Of January Blows Cold In North Texas With Extreme Mountain Cedar Tree Pollen Allergic Misery

It was not freezing this morning when I had myself a last Monday morning of January hot tub hydrotherapy session. But the temperature was 33, with an extremely speedy wind making the temperature really feel as if it was frozen way below freezing.

Nonetheless I had myself a mighty fine, albeit breezy, time hydrotherapy-izing. I had some soreness from Sunday's overdoing of the high speed hill hiking on the Tandy Hills which seemed to be quickly abated by the hydrotherapy.

When I woke my computer up this morning I quickly found that some websites were having issues. Facebook was one. Another was the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

An hour or two later the misbehaving websites were back working and so I was able to learn, via AccuWeather, accessed from the Star-Telegram, that the Pollen Counters have returned the Pollen Level to EXTREME. No mention was made of the EXTREME level being caused by the dreaded Texas Hill County Mountain Cedar, but I assume that is the Tree Pollen culprit being referenced.

With the dreaded Tree Pollen level back being EXTREME, after a three day break, I, so far, am not having a return to the EXTREME respiratory woes which began about a week ago today. I suspect my relief may be short lived, which is the norm for any relief that manages to come my way.

Looking at the picture above, looking west through the metal spears which, for the most part, keep malicious forces from penetrating my security zone, you can not tell how windy that wind is blowing out there. I had a ski band ear covering device installed, plus two hoodies, long underwear, several top layers under the two hoodies. And still cut short my neighborhood inspection due to excessive shivering.

Relief from the cold is scheduled to arrive in a couple days, followed by relief from the EXTREME Tree Pollen a couple days after the cold leaves town.

I must try and remember where I put my extra blankets. Tonight the low is supposedly going to get quite low, as in the teens  low, so I'll likely need some extra blanketing. Or three dogs.....

In Fort Worth Learning Why Austin's Cedar Fever Makes Me Sick

I finally have a name for that which has vexed my breathing apparatus this past week.

Cedar Fever.

I learned this via Mrs. Galtex via a posting and link on Facebook.

Mr. and Mrs. Galtex returned to D/FW on Wednesday from one of their frequent Portugal visits.

This is what Mrs. Galtex had to say, in part, about their return to Texas...

"Mr. G is not doing too well right now, as the cedar pollen count was sky high on Wed when we flew back to Texas. He immediately started sneezing and sniffing once we landed at DFW and went outside."

Mr. and Mrs. Galtex moved from Austin to the North Texas zone of Fort Worth to escape the dreaded annual Cedar Fever attack.

The link Mrs. Galtex Facebooked went to Jeffee Palmer's Now and Thenadays blog to a blog post titled  Austin Makes Me Sick!!! which gave me a lot of info I lacked about this Cedar Fever from which I have been suffering.

Below is a blurb from Austin Makes Me Sick!!! Read the blurb then click the link to read the rest of the story about this living hell known as Cedar Fever....

The number one reason not to live in Austin is CEDAR, specifically the pollen that cedar trees produce resulting in the truly abominable cedar fever. “Cedar is juniperus ashei,” allergist Dr. Eric Schultz told a local television reporter recently, “It’s one of the worst allergens, or most potent allergens on the planet. Here in central Texas it’s rampant, especially in Austin.”

You might think I’m talking about a runny nose or some sneezes here and there. Again, you’d be wrong. It’s far beyond that.  For weeks you can be plagued by sore throat, amazing phlegm production, a nose that won’t stop running, watery, itchy eyes, intermittent sneezing attacks, and ultimately a hacking cough. 

Suffering From Extreme Texas Tree Pollen Pollution Waiting For Relief On Sunday

According to the AccuWeather graphic above the stifling pollen pollution is going in to Extreme mode tomorrow and Friday, before reverting back to Very High on Saturday, followed by relief on Sunday when the pollen pollution is scheduled to be Moderate.

I am  currently being drugged  every four hours with a little white pill containing something called Chlorpheniramine Maleate. This particular anti-histamine seems to have somewhat abated my respiratory woes.

I did not have myself a mighty fine time last night when it was time to get horizontal. I tossed and turned til way past 3 in the morning. Eventually I successfully passed out for an hour or two.

The outer world was freezing when the time arrived for my regularly scheduled hot tub hydrotherapy session this morning. I skipped the hydrotherapy again.

What I am currently wondering is how come when I lived in Western Washington, a location where there is a lot more foliage of a much wider variety, than my location in Texas, I had no allergy woes?

It's very perplexing.