A thread to share those hayfever blues...

Ok. It's sunny. There is a mild breeze. The air smells sweetly of grass and flowers, and people walk the streets of Britain half naked and smiling at their good fortune. Except me and my recessive genes.

Year after year I watch expert advice proffered to the masses on how to deal with the 'summer sniffles'. 'A little tablet here, a little nasel spray here. Oh, it's nothing, just shut up and get on with it, you whining workshy cretins.' ...Oh Doctor shiny bright with health and good living, if only it were that simple! For thirty years I have snotted, sneezed, suffered and generally whinged about the unfairness of it all. I have tried every tablet I can, I stick polleneze up my nose when I leave the house, I drink herbal teas designed to sooth my nasal passages, I wear sunglasses outdoor, I eat local honey though I hate it, etc etc.

Nothing works. And so I find myself discomforting both my colleagues and fellow public transport users (yes, go on, open that window just a little wider, so I can be force fed pollen at 50 miles per hour!). Yes, five plus nosebleeds a day at fifteen minutes each is perfectly normal! Yes, that is my asthmatic chest cranking up a gear when you spray the office with perfume to hide your fag smells!

So I'm miserable. I am house bound when not at work. I have all my windows shut and I can barely see through squinty eyes. And, no it's not a black eye, I haven't been crying (though you will soon if you don't stop asking inane questions) it's bloody hayfever...

Did I mention the crankiness? PMT ain't got nothing on HFT. How do other people deal? Me, I'm drinking lots of Southern Comfort and eating ice scream. It's the only way to survive this six weeks of hell...

Oh Gawd and here was I feeling sorry for myself because I hate the summer because I'm fat.

There's one thing you haven't mentioned that worked for my brother who suffered terribly in the summer - he moved, he moved to California and suffers only when he visits the UK in the summer months which he tries to avoid. OK it's a little extreme but perhaps worth a go? I say try a fortnight's dose to begin with.

Nosebleeds so often? What about cauterisation?

Sorry not much help - bring on the winter.

Emm

PS photo is less scary than the last one!

I've had heavy nosebleeds since being a child. I'm not sure if it's always been allergy related, but I also get them when I'm stressed, Cauterization has been discussed with the doctor, but it's only a short term measure and he feels it's over reacting (maybe I should turn up at the surgery and dump the bloody rags on his desk!). My nose gets so aggravated with allergies I don't think it would last very long.

As an adult I have I moved to the coast which has definately helped but I work inland in a large city right next to a motorway. My other half suggested moving to Iceland this morning...I think he was joking! But it might help...!

I want worms. Gimme the worms...it's been found that people with worms have less allergies because their immune systems are too busy fending off the parasites. It's been mooted that they could be used for treating severe allergies and I would be a very willing volunteer.

My husband disagrees. He's mentioned seperate beds if there is any possibility of worm transference!

And Emm, please don't be so hard on yourself about summer. I am a red head with translucent skin. I hide behind factor 50 and floppy hats every summer, even on days when I can go out. I never ever bare my short white legs! I feel trapped and uncomfortable in my own skin, and I really admire Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud for embracing her paleness and refusing to tan.

I do hate summer!!!

And thanks for the pic comment. The scariest thing is I really do look like the original doll pic, though the current pic is actually me!

Cauterization over reacting? You gotta have it done. My son had terrible nose-bleeds, I got fed up with changing bed sheets and running to collect him from school (health and safety prevented a teacher touching him, like he had AIDS or something!!)

Worms huh? Interesting. I think the dog has worms and she suffers not from hayfever, wind perhaps! And separate beds? I could go for that.

Saw Sex and the City movie at the weekend and thought Samantha's hat would be perfect for you


Anyway I can't see any resemblance to the pic above and the old one. I guess that's articifical foliage above - or were you caught between sneezes?

There must be other hayfever sufferers belonging to THC - any other advice people?

It's actually the clematis in my yard before the grass pollen season hit, sadly it's all been blown to pieces by the wind now.

And bring on the hat! And advice!

Jane, I was about to ask what you're doing in the shrubbery if you've got hay fever, but you've answered rthat above!

Have you thought about alternative therapies like acupuncture? I was very sceptical until acupuncture got rid of tendonitis I had that my GP couldn't do anything about. One of my friends had acupuncture after a miscarriage, and is now happily and healthily pregnant. I would say that with the amount of suffering you have, you'd be prepared to try anything.

Me too Emm, and I suffer terribly with hayfever!!

It could be worse midges, ticks, mosquitos, sunburn

In Japan it was common to see people wearing a white mask over their mouth and nose.

I'd prefer not to wish for winter. Hopefully the relevant pollen will finish soon.

There was an article recently about pollen attaching to diesel exhaust which makes it worse than hay as the diesel particles are smaller.

"In the short term, breathing in diesel fumes can cause coughing, itchy or burning eyes, chest constriction, wheezing, and difficulty breathing."

Perhaps you have dieselfever

... thanks Sam!!! I meant acupuncture - not getting pregnant!

Is that all it takes? Boy have I been labouring under a mis-conception!!!!

Well if you want to stop having hay fever year after year? It's Honey, just buy local (unboiled) natural honey and take 1 teaspoon every day. Not really such a big deal, even if you don't like it. Try it! It really works, after all have you ever heard of a beekeeper with hayfever?

Thanks Tim, you may be right as I have been eating more English honey this year (though not every day) and hardly had any symptoms compared with previous years.

I did try honey, but it hasn't seemed to help. The height of the grass pollen season has well and truely smacked me down the past few days. Sleep appears to be the only cure but I spend so much time worrying about what I should be doing that I can't sleep!

Still, t'is nearly past for another year. And speaking of bees knees, I was at a restaurant yesterday that sold smoothies not just with honey, but with actual bee collected honey...I was a little sceptical but the waiter earnestly assured me it was true. MInd, he had just asked me for id when I ordered wine, and I'm 36 so I'm thinking this is not a man to trust...!

I sympathise. I am really, really suffering this year. Despite being on Cetirizine Hydrochloride (Piriteze: but you can get generic stuff for about 70p) I have violent sneezing, itchy sore runny eyes, sore throat and wheezy breathing. I've been like this since April.
It's really getting me down ~ nothing helps. Not local honey, not sunglasses, hats, washing my hair, bedding & clothes (it's not practical to do this every day anyway).

I am convinced about DieselFever, actually. I grew up in the countryside, and only got hayfever when I moved to the city.

Does anyone know if I can double up on my Piriteze? I don't want to bother the GP with hayfever: he doesn't even take my chronic backpain seriously.

Hi Jane!

Hope you aren't suffering too badly! I take a antihystamine (loratadine I think) every night before bed as I get hayfever and heat rash in the summer months and this seems to work (Tesco's own - the cheapest).

People seem to raving about this vaseline type of stuff which you get in Boots etc which you smear on the inside of your nose? Sorry to not have more info but it is supposed to be good. Good luck!!

Simone

If you try honey it has to be local to you! Try all the asthmatic remedies such as changing your pillow often and having a bedroom as dust free as possible.
Try not to blow your nose so often,dab it when it runs because if you keep on blowing it you inflame the nose even more aswell as making it bleed.
If your hayfever gets very bad you can take the occasional dose of the original piriton on top of the ceitrizine or loratadine but dont overdose and remember it can make you very sleepy and doesnt mix with all drugs.
Last of all try and chill out, tension makes your symptoms worse

non-drug alternative treatment?
Naseleze


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/he alth/alternative_medicine/article434133.ece

Before you do anything, go and have a chat with your local pharmacist who will be able to help you. As you say it may be the petrol fumes that are to blame or something else. He will be able to give you something as well.

I must admit the air quality does seem better in the country, can pong a bit when they are muck spreading.