Every week for about 8 years, I have visited some kind of medical facility to get allergy shots. Not exactly how I like to spend 45 minutes of my life every week, but in the end, all of the pricks have make me healthier.

I am not the only one suffering from allergies. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, more than 50 percent of Americans suffer from at least one common allergy. Unluckily, I was allergic to all 42 allergens I was tested for back in 2004. That means I am just one of 168 million Americans affected by allergies.

For me, relief comes in the form of the three allergy shots I get each week, 190 milligrams of medicine I take daily, and avoiding them for life.

I found an list that would help me avoid allergies for life. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation put together a list of the worst cities to live if you have spring allergies. The top three cities on this list were Knoxville, Tenn., Louisville, Kent., and Charlotte, N.C. For our area, Wichita, Kan., ranked 13; Omaha, Neb., ranked 33; and Kansas City ranked 41. If you are interested in the whole list, you can download it at Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

I will definitely keep those places in mind in the future. Until I move from Lincoln, I will be taking my pills and getting my shots, trying not to use all the Kleenexes in our apartment. (My allergies have been acting up for the last week, but I am slowly getting healthy.)