When I was diagnosed with an allergy of cold urticaria (which basically means I'm allergic to the cold and cold water) my freshman year of college, it was honestly one of the most relieving things in the world. Not because I wanted to be unique or different with my allergy but because I had been breaking out in hives for weeks without any clue as to why. It was because I had been suffering with something that even steroids weren't helping.
I went to the student health center on my campus where they gave me anti-histamines which didn't help, they just made me groggy and dehydrated. I went to an urgent care during the spring break of my freshman year where they gave me steroids and another antihistamine. I was on those for two weeks without any type of improvement. I went to my primary doctor where again I was prescribed steroids and more antihistamines. Again, to no avail. Finally after about a month with the hives, they went away. I don't know why they stopped. I don't know what changed. All I know is that I was relieved because I was no longer miserable. Until that summer when I stuck my legs in a pool and suddenly they were back. At this point I was sent to see a specialist - which is where I finally got my diagnosis.
It wasn't as though I woke up one day and bam, hives. It started small, with a few bumps on my leg that I wrote off as bug bites. Then it started spreading up my legs and to my stomach, from my stomach to my back and arms, until finally they reached my face. My body wasn't always covered in hives either. They came and went from place to place but there was always hives somewhere on my body. It was so distracting during class and at night when I was trying to sleep.
Besides being diagnosed with cold urticaria, I was also diagnosed with this really cool thing called dermatographic urticaria, which roughly translates to skin writing. All that means is that if I were to scratch myself or draw on myself with my nails it would stay there for a few hours instead of disappearing within a few minutes like it normally would if you have an itch and scratch it. I say this is cool because it's not life threatening nor is it dangerous. It's like I get temporary white tattoos whenever I want. All I have to do is scratch my skin with whatever pattern I want and there it is for me to see for a little while.
However, my allergy is not a joke. It's not something to be made fun of when I can't make it to class. I shouldn't be judged for something I can't control. I shouldn't be told I'm lying just because you never heard of it. Sure, I'm not allergic to peanuts or eggs or something common but that doesn't make it any less valid. I've had professors read my emails aloud to the class when I emailed them because it was pouring that day and I wasn't going to be able to make it to class because I was breaking out and having a reaction. I've had professors ignore my email so when I went in the next class and asked if they got it they replied with "I got it but I didn't believe it so I ignored it". Do you know how frustrating that is?
I have to carry an EpiPen with me everywhere I go. I have to take medicine whenever I shower because heaven forbid the hot water cuts out. This isn't about oh-poor-me-take-pity-on-me-either. It's about the fact that everyday people are diagnosed with allergies and they're made into a joke. There's a difference between me joking about my allergy and someone else who doesn't understand or have it joking about it. My best friend is allergic to shrimp and her default joke whenever we go out is "I should order the shrimp scampi". She isn't going to actually order it but she knows that she can joke about it because while it is serious, it's something she's dealt with for most of her life. Something life-threatening isn't funny but just like how people with anxiety and depression make jokes about what they have to cope with, people with allergies do the same thing.