Hi Jared,
I'm sorry you are still feeling so overwhelmed. There are days when yes, this is part of how things go. It's harder some days than others, unfortunately, especially when you are still trying to figure things out and your medicine regimine is not yet correct.
I FULLY agree with Deb in that you are not properly medicated yet. Your doses are not high enough or you would find that you would not be so easily overwhelmed by smells and the like. Another thing is that this disease goes in waves in that some times you'll react more to certain things than at another time. Allergies work like that in that you have "seasons" and then once the season is over, things improve. I've found that there are seasons when I'll have more intestinal issues and then other seasons when that's fine and it's other issues like shock or anaphylaxis. You have to learn not to get your emotions involved in this cause they will make the entire situation worse!
It's like working with children, Jared. Parents must learn to be above the problem and not part of it. The more you lose your patience with the symptoms and the more you get emotionally overwhelmed or impatient or upset, the more you will end up reacting because your emotions are involved in it all! You've got to teach yourself NOT to get impatient or upset and just roll with it instead. By doing this, you will not allow yourself to begin crying or having problems and they will not become involved then and part of the problem. Easy for me to say, hard for you to follow, but this is how it is.
Remember, Jared, strong emotions are strong triggers and it's very important that you don't give into them. You've got to instead, talk and reason yourself out of them!
For example: when you begin feeling frustrated and sorry for yourself for not being able to do what you want to do - just plain house cleaning for example - you have a choice to make: either you are going to feel sad and depressed and begin lamenting and crying over it, saying you are more work than worth, that you are causing more work than resolving it and then get all blue and depressed and then this makes you cry and with the crying, starts up the reacting and makes you feel ever sicker...; or you are going to say to yourself, "Look, I'm not having a good day, so I've got to keep it very low key, Oh well. Since this is how it is today, what can I do that will not trigger me and make me worse?"
You see, Jared, you do have a choice - either you give in and lose control of your thoughts and feelings and this makes it all worse, or you are going decide to look at the situation in a practical sense and refuse to let your emotions and thoughts go down the wrong paths and try to see what is positive of the situation and make the best of it.
These are the choices we all are faced with on a daily basis! We make CHOICES of how we are going to work with any given situation all day long, every day. Depending upon your choice and decision you are either going to go down the wrong path and make it all worse!
I had someone say to me the other day that one of the positive things about me is that I dont' complain - ever! It's true! What good will it do me to be complaining about my health problem? Is it going to IMPROVE my situation any? NOPE!! In fact, it's only going to end up impacting upon my situation by giving me the wrong attitudes and feelings and this will in turn impact my entire health situation! I'm no Pollyanna! Far from it! But I'm also not the kind of person who likes to throw personal pity parties for they don't help anything and only end up making it worse.
So, chin up! Stiff upper lip! NO TEARS!! NO PITY PARTIES!! Roll with the punches! and learn to make lemonade from those lemons you've got there!!!
I am CONVINCED, Jared, that once your doctor is able to get you on a higher amount of medications and can bring you some stabilization, then these low and difficult days you still face will be a thing of the past!!! You will look back and say, Yes, they were 100% RIGHT! Appropriate Medication IS THE KEY!
Hugs and I hope things get better today!! Sounds like you need MORE ALLEGRA!
Lisa