Help - my hayfever is awful at the moment :(

[mumat39]

Despite all the rain my hayfever is horrible at the moment :(

I have a constantly stuffy blocked up nose, which is always running, itchy ITCHY eyes, an itchy mouth and chin and my hayfever cough is really bad too. This is bad all day and worse at night.

The last few years I've been getting by on my Medinose but this year I've tried clarityn and piriteze and neither have worked that well.

The clarityn gives me a headache and the itching eases a bit but the stuffy runny nose is still a problem and it doesn't help my cough at all.

The piriteze really makes me feel very tired and sleepy but again doesn't seem to help my hayfever at all.

DD also has hayfever and the last few days she's been coughing much more especially at night.

We both had 100% apple juice a few days ago and were both coughing more after that but that might just be an odd coincidence

I have an airfree in her room, but not sure what that is doing.

I dry all our washing indoors.

We have to have windows open as the bedrooms get really hot even when it's cool outside.

Oddly, my hayfever is much worse inside even though it is still bad outside.

Are there any tips, tricks or gadgets anyone would recommend.

I'm not getting enough sleep and i'm finding it hard to function in the day as it's been this way for a while.

Many Thanks in advance.

[countydurhamlass]

i use benadryl as the others make me drowsy. i also use sudafed nasal spray which works wonders for hayfever and snotty noses from a cold. also before you go to bed have a shower to wash off any pollen.

[weaselm4]

The only thing that's helping me at the mo is eating constantly. For some reason the itching stops while I eat.

Not helpful at all, I'm afraid, but you do have my sympathy, it's really bad at the moment .

[eragon]

splash out on a air/pollen filter for your room.

might be worse because of mold allergy on top of hay/pollen problems.

shower before bed, shut windows in early evening and early morning, as thats the highest point for pollen levels.

shove some vaseline up yr nose.

are you all ok with other fruit or have a tree nut allergy problem?

[mumat39]

Hi

Thanks everyone.

We all have bath/shower before bed but the windows have to be open as the house gets too hot otherwise.

I'll try Benadryl next. I hate that groggy feeling I get with some antihistamines so I hope that'll be a good one. Is it possible to actually become immune to anti-histamines? (thinking of my DD more than me as she has multiple allergies and I worry about that sometimes)

I was thinking of an air/pollen filter and also something that would help reduce dust as we have an extension being built next door which is making even more dust than we usually have. Eragon, could you recommend one please? We have one of those Airfree machines that's supposed to incinerate dust but that doesn't seem to be doing much so have switched it off.

On another thread someone recommended an ioniser but I actually would really like one that sucks the nasties out of the air.

I'll try the vaseline. I usually put a bit of Vick around my nostrils but finds it evaporates.

Is there any way of helping the hayfever cough? It's really horrible and making me realise what a weak pelvic floor I have - horrible

I recently bought a fitbit which tracks how well I sleep and on average it's taking me about 1hr and 49 minutes to fall asleep, as I can't get comfortable due to my stuffy blocked runny nose or this cough :( Feeling really miserable about it.

Thanks everyone :)

[cheryl59]

Regular showers, or washing your face and keeping your hair damp, can help dampen down pollen. Haymax is a less gunky version of Vaseline and Sterimar is fab for flushing out your eyes and nose - it's only seawater too so safe for everyone, even kids or pregnant/breastfeeding women. I blogged some all-natural hayfever advice on my blog, if that's any help to anyone : madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-all-natural-hayfever-survival-kit.html Good luck, it's so horrible knowing it can last all summer with nothing much helping :(

[lifeisfuckinggreat]

I had amazing results with acupuncture surprisingly enough. Sorted it in one session.
Also how about trying local honey?

[flossyfloo]

DD's hayfever is really bad this year, normal antihistamines not working very well. I took her to the Dr's and she was prescribed Telfast (Fexofenadine) and it seems to be doing a good job.

DD was mostly having trouble late afternoon as the other antihistamines she was taking were wearing off (not that they were doing a very good job in the morning!) but with the Telfast she take one twice a day and they are keeping it under control. The doc said they are her favourite thing to prescribe as they work so well!

The only slight problem is that they do not come in syrup form, only tablets (if you were thinking of some for your DD, not sure how old she is?). Although, my DD is 6 and she has been managing them just fine.

[mumat39]

Thanks everyone.

Cheryl, I'll check out your blog. I found haymax ok but on really bad days it didn't really help that much.

Life, oooh acupuncture. That sounds scary and interesting. I'm fascinated by alternative therapies so will have a look at that.

flossy, glad you found something that works well for your DD. It really is horrible at the moment. I really thought all this rain would help wash it away, but no such luck. I actually bought a couple of air filters for our bedrooms and DD seems to be coughing much less with it on, at night, and I think she is sleeping slightly better. The one in our room seems to be helping too. DP also suffers and was waking at dawn, sort of 5 am most mornings to have a sneezing fit. That seems to have stopped. My cough has also improved and I'm also waking up a bit more refreshed, so that's good too. I still get that annoying tickle in the morning but it's definitely not as bad as it was.

Thanks again and I hope you've all had a good weekend. :)

[CarolA23]

I did some research on the Airfree unit which you are using and as you mentioned youre not sure what it does I can tell you it won't help your hay fever as much. The airfree incinerates pollution in the air which pass through it however some particle pollution and gas contamination will be released back into your room again. My advice would be to take a look at the IQAir range of air purifiers and to have a read of this page www.allergycosmos.co.uk/hay-fever/treatments/

[user1469617289]

Hi, Have you looked at getting an air purifier to help with your symptoms, especially with it being worse at night. We got an IQAir unit as it as a HEPA filter. We use in the living room and at night in the bedroom. It has helped a lot in reducing our symptoms and would not be without it, especially in the spring/summer months. Check out this page www.allergycosmos.co.uk/air-purifiers