Hay Fever!

Who else out there suffers from this horrible disorder called Hay Fever? I do! And I get it so badly that I can hardly function. Sneezing, runny nose and blocked sinuses till I cannot breathe at all and worst of all unable to sleep at night. And then the eyes: itchy and irritated. I’ve not been able to wear any eye makeup lately but that’s okay as I’m not planning to go anywhere fancy in this sorry condition anyway! Apparently, hay fever has been affecting about a quarter of the population in the Netherlands this year and has been getting worse every year due to all the climate change. So what can I do apart from crying over environmental issues? One of the ways in which I deal with it is prescribed medication, alternative therapies and illustrating in my sketchbook how I really feel!

Pencil Sketch

I try and avoid conventional medication as much as possible. However, the symptoms got so bad last weekend that I had no choice but take the over-the-counter anti-histamine tablets which were, alas, not working. Desperate, I visited my physician to see if I can get an allergy test only to be told it would be of little use as it is clear I have hay fever and the OTC tablets are not strong enough to tackle it. Then I was prescribed some stronger stuff which I need to take before I go to bed at night. So far, so good. I’m reluctant to resort to them but I have little choice. And here is the pencil sketch I started on my Strathmore sketchbook: Unable to breathe properly due to blocked nose and irritated itchy eyes. I don’t know which is worse…

Let’s Get Coloring!

And how do I feel about it? Sheer frustration! When will it end? When will things go back to normal? Hence drawing about it ought to get that all off my chest! After the pencil sketch came tracing the words with a black marker before painting the background. You can now see what I’ve been going through. Some leftover gouache paint from the past paintings were used up to color the background: yellow, orange and light green. Waste not want not!

Coloring it All in

And whilst the conventional medications work and hence leaves me less frustrated, I have sought holistic remedies as well. My boyfriend’s acupuncturist kindly suggested I go see her for a series of treatments starting in December as a preventative measure. Meanwhile, I am to wear sunglasses and dab vaseline on nostrils before going out and take some probiotics and supplements to improve my immune system. Some homeopathic eye-drops and nasal sprays were also recommended. Let’s see what happens! And here, I completed the painting with a series of mediums such as Faber Castell’s Pitt Artist markers, water-soluble pastels, more leftover gouache and Holbein’s Acryla Gouache, gel pens and “crafty” things like rubber stamps and origami cutouts in shapes of flowers. And look what we have here!

Now that’s better. And although illustrating my thoughts will not cure my hay fever, I am feeling less frustrated. I’m even proud of myself for being able to complete the sketch which took a few days as I was feeling sluggish and lacking energy, typical symptoms of this awful disorder. It goes without saying that hay fever has particularly been bad this month as it hadn’t rained for some weeks. And now I am told it will rain much of tomorrow, which is, for once, wonderful news as it ought to wash away all the pollen and offending allergens in the air. Fingers crossed because I can certainly get some energy boost and start getting even more creative again!