Empathy and Pity for Allergy Sufferers

For about a week and half I've been suffering from itchy eyes. They finally got so bad that yesterday my right eye was swollen almost shut. The puffiness below it is horrible. I looked so bad I skipped my swimming class - I didn't want anyone seeing me like this.
I was saying how ugly I was and Bud said no, that I was beautiful. I said something like, "Oh, sure, I'm so beautiful you should take a picture of me and put it on Facebook." Well, he tried, but I hid. The eyes are slightly better today and the overwhelming urge to rub them seems to be passing, so, I'm hoping....

This is the first year since we left the farm that I have had allergy eyes. Those last few years there I suffered every spring. But since I didn't have the problem after we moved, I assumed it was the trees we had on the farm - most likely the Red Cedars since there was an abundance of those.
Right now the only trees budding are the maples and we do have one right above part of our deck and it is wet with dripping sap. Could this be the culprit? Or is it something else?

Having eyes swollen nearly shut always reminds me of the summer the bumble bees made a nest in the seat of our buggy. We knew they were there but took the horse and buggy out for a jaunt anyway.
Betty and I were on the seat, just like pictured above. And I was driving because I was the bossy one and always had to be in charge.
Cousin Frank was standing behind us. He started jumping up and down which made us bounce up and down on the cushion which stirred up the bumble bees. They came out fighting, which means stinging. At that time I didn't wear eye glasses yet, but had on my pretty, sparkly red frames, dime store sunglasses. The bees got under them and stung me around my eyes which were swollen shut the next day.
I got the horse stopped long enough for Frank and I to bail out. Betty was more concerned about Queenie and stayed with her. My cousin and I both got stung, Betty didn't. There's a moral there, I know.
There may also be a lesson I'm needing to learn about pride or some such vanity, which is why I'm having itchy, swollen eyes. Whatever is going on, I am definitely finding empathy and pity for all the allergy sufferers out there!