The scourge of modern life

it's (a non-stop) allergy season in Australia.

One of the bigger reasons I’m traveling in Thailand is to escape the hay fever season in Australia. If you don’t have allergies, you may not understand how dreadful pollen can be—I didn’t either until a few years ago. I was blissfully unaware of how our bodies are constantly working to keep us alive and healthy, just doing the ‘right’ thing.

I never had seasonal allergies until I moved to Melbourne in 2020. At first, I blamed the mood swings and fatigue on getting older, moving countries, changing jobs, and lockdowns. But even after all that settled, I still felt so awful. It wasn’t until Spring of 2023, when Rosie began licking her paws raw. The vet diagnosed her with depression, which was a shock since she’s the most spoiled and happiest girl. The doctor prescribed antidepressants, but after a month of watching our lovely girl grow weary and drained, we sought a second opinion. That’s when we learned it wasn’t about her temperament at all—it was something called ryegrass. The grass seeds from ryegrass and other common grasses used in Australia were getting into her tiny furry paws and making her itch. After one anti-itch spray later, she was back to her bouncy, happy self.

That’s when it hit me… ‘maybe I’m allergic too… could this really be what’s going on?!’

A doctor’s visit and a blood test later, it was confirmed. I’m severely allergic to ryegrass, which is used everywhere—in playgrounds, sports fields, backyards, and nearly anywhere grass can grow. It’s wind-pollinated, which makes it literally impossible to avoid. It floats through the air, getting into your mouth, eyes, hair, clothes, everything.

I’m relatively young, so it’s normal to overlook health concerns by avoiding the doctors, but this diagnosis was incredibly validating. It wasn’t that I was ~lazy~ when I canceled plans or missed work—I was genuinely too exhausted to function. My anti-social gremlin days were officially justified.

My sweet Rosie had been my little canary in the coal mine all along.