Out for the count with pollen
One should be thankful for small mercies. At least the pollen count doesn’t seem to be as severe as it was earlier this summer. I reached a point where I didn’t want to use the remedies this time around, because I felt I would become desensitised, thus making things even worse.
A year ago, I was due to rehearse for a concert with a performer based out of London. We agreed to do a Skype meeting for our rehearsal. For some reason, my colleague didn’t keep to his word, regarding the scheduled meeting time. This created a situation where I ended up buying and using a hay fever remedy that didn’t suit my metabolism.
The rehearsal eventually happened, though not at the scheduled time. Meanwhile, I had used the hay fever remedy and I could feel my vocal cords drying up.
I wasn’t able to shake off the parched feeling in my throat for six weeks after that incident. This had an impact on my ability to practise, rehearse and perform – apart from any of my other duties. I had an aria to sing in an important concert that required me to sing a high note for a sustained length of time. Normally, that note lies easily within my vocal range, but the hay fever remedy had done its dastardly job.
On the concert evening, I managed to reach the note and sustain it, by sheer force of will. The experience has made me wary of hay fever remedies ever since, however.
