Seasonal allergies (rhinitis) are horrible this time of year and I can usually deal with it by taking Claritin, but yesterday the sneezing wouldn’t stop and I had to, albeit reluctantly, pop a Benadryl because nothing else worked.

I knew what that would mean… the day would be totally lost; completely wasted. I’m pretty sensitive to all meds, and for me, the affect of the antihistamine Diphenhydramine is similar to being so drunk and impaired that all I can do is sleep.

It didn’t take long before I began to feel numb and drowsy. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and slept the day away which I loathe doing; I hate to squander any second of a day, however, when my allergies get that bad, nothing else works.

When I finally woke up, my allergies were gone and so was my Saturday. There was nothing left to salvage.

It wasn’t nearly as devastating as that 1945 film, The Lost Weekend, about the desperate life of a chronic alcoholic as he’s followed through a four-day drinking bout, but I felt useless and unproductive, even guilty for doing absolutely nothing. It’s not an enjoyable feeling.