Ready?

I’m starting to think I’m allergic to cats!

I know it sounds laughable, after living with cats for well over 50 years.

But, no, I haven’t lost my senses due to side effects of chemotherapy.

Here’s the situation.

I get up early, usually a few minutes before or after 5 a.m. At that point, I wander into the kitchen, drink a little water, perhaps snack on some yogurt, then sit at the dining table with MacBook Air in front of me to check news, email, etc.

And my nose is running. Within half and hour or so I have a little mound of used Kleenex on the table next to me that grows through the morning.

I always attributed this to genetics because my mother suffered with postnasal drip and always sat with a box of tissue within reach.

Here’s the thing. When I leave the house, it passes. My head dries up. Tissues stuffed in my pocket go unused.

But there’s a long list of other symptoms associated with pet allergies that I don’t experience. So the jury is out.

And, for the record, this started well before cancer appeared on the scene.

In an attempt to test my allergy hypothesis, I just bought an air purifier capable of processing an area the size of our living room. It was finally unboxed and turned on Wednesday afternoon. I’ll see if it makes any difference. And when I leave the house for medical appointments, I’ll pay attention to whether my nose responds by drying up.