Are the pollen allergens here different from Issaquah?
Being my first spring since I moved here from Issaquah, I'm curious if anyone has similar experience or insight on what pollen is in the area that might be new to me.
Bit of a weird one, but starting about three weeks ago (night of April 2 to be precise) I've had a persistent, metallic taste in my mouth, accompanied by constant salivation (but not excessive, only as much as I expect from being hungry). It doesn't seem to be triggered by food generally or specific food, nor does it make anything taste wrong, it just overlaps. It's hard to tell if the saliva is the source or if it's just wicking it, but the taste is discernably local to the floor of my mouth. When my mouth gets dry it gets stronger, but I'm pretty sure it isn't causing dry mouth on it's own. No other symptoms, no pain, sensitivity, swelling, bleeding, congestion, drip, or anything else I've noticed. No changes to diet or medication around that time (closest was over a month prior). Hydration could be better/more consistent but I've definitely been worse in the (recent) past with no such issues.
The only thing that has seemed to temporarily alleviate it is Benadryl, but my testing has been very limited and unscientific. I'm lucky in that antihistamines make me neither drowsy nor wired. None of them, as far as I know, not even a little (I once washed down antihistamine-based OTC sleep aids with Nyquil in desperation, no dice). But the whole thing is just bad enough to annoy me without being so bad I'm forced to keep myself dosed. Mouthwash and gargling saltwater have been totally ineffective.
Now, as a kid I had horrendous seasonal allergies. Most prominently cottonwood, from which I got crippling congestion for the whole summer. Months out of the year, every year. Zyrtec pretty much fixed that but over the years I also observed much milder congestion too early and too late in the year for cottonwood, and nowadays I take it like half of the year just in case. I couldn't tell you what day exactly, but I have started taking Zyrtec for the year.
The timing and lack of any other symptoms leaves me at a bit of a loss as to what it could be besides an allergen. Aside from a semi-major food allergy (a specific protein additive, makes breathing difficult) and a very minor one (apple skin, itchy throat). I've only ever been allergic to tree stuff. I would have said just pollen but I'm currently in a cabinetry program and had a gnarly skin reaction that got narrowed down to sap from a classmate's white oak lumber. Possibly also worth noting was that the first and worst case began within literal hours of visiting North End, one of only two times I've been that far north since moving. Anyways, my healthcare options are shit, so I'm crowdsourcing before I do anything formal.
Sorry if this is too much detail or the wrong place to ask, I'll happily take directions if there is a more appropriate sub.