Thankfully I don't have allergy problems and have just been using it to help break my addiction to OTC nasal spray so I shouldn't need it much longer. However it does make me feel better that someone else has had a similar experience.

I agree, six months isn't a long and storied cycling career however it's not rare for me to ride more than 60 miles when the kids are at their grandmothers and I don't usually have any problems. That said I switched from SPD's to egg beaters a few weeks ago but feel my cleats are positioned well and I'm very happy with them. (no pain, numbness, hot spots, excessive or restriction of movement)

I did have an issue with pointing my toes down until a couple of months ago. I've since been working on my pedal stroke. I do still go toes down sometimes when spinning up hill.