Anyone else get this/know about this? What seems like allergy attack turns into 24-hour "cold".

[AllergyOrCold]

I am 40, have some kind of allergy to dust/dust mites plus a bit of hayfever and cat hair seems to set me off a bit. It's not a massive problem.

I wear masks in supermarkets and any crowded indoor spaces, I'm pretty fit and healthy, DH and I wfh so no workplace/regular germ-bringers except my kids.

Over the last couple of years or so I have been monitoring any symptoms mostly due to Covid (not had it - yet). What happens every couple of months or so is I start having itchy eyes, nose, violent sneezes etc, which is usually what happens with lots of moving dust or going through old clothes (although what I'm talking about doesn't often have an obvious trigger). However this doesn't let up even when I'm away from the cause (even driving to another town etc) and then ends up with runny nose, sore throat, headache, stuffy head, generally feeling a bit crap. This develops at turbo speed and is usually gone 24 hours later. I try and rest as much as possible so I recover quickly.

When it's obvious I'm near e.g. cats, I feel it ramping up but when I move to another room it goes back down again.

When I get a cold I usually feel a scratchy sore throat first but then still have all the sneezes, streaming nose, etc although usually ends up with a lingering cough/snot for a few days.

So is it possible that something external can trigger a full 24-cycle of cold symptoms, or is this just a fast-moving cold?! I'm suffering today but it's not unusual for me. I thought it was because my dad opened up an old dust sheet in another room to do some DIY but that was 8 hours ago.

Would love to know if anyone else gets this. I always think I know at the start if it's a cold or allergy (even if I'm not sure what's triggered it) but by the end I just feel confused.

No idea what it is but I get this too! Usually every few months. I often get a full blown drawn out cold a week or 2 later but I'm never sure if it is linked

My DH sometimes gets this sort of thing after he has been swimming.

Yes, swimming definitely accelerates a cold for me.
reelcat good to hear I'm not the only one!

Boyfriend gets this - as a hay fever/multiple other allergies sufferer it’s quite a phenomenon to watch. I sneeze every day - some days more than others but from March to September I have a constantly runny nose. But my boyfriend has it like you - violent sneezes, runny eyes, runny nose, ends up having to sleep in the spare room. The next day he’s absolutely fine. I keep saying he should go for an allergy test.

Allergy symptoms are an immune response to the irritant.
Most cold symptoms are an immune response to the pathogen.

It makes sense that there's a lot of overlap in the way the symptoms can present.

You come into contact with allergens —- dust, dust mites, cat hair, pollen etc..—- triggers response of itchy eyes, sneezing etc.. You might think you move away from the allergens but they’re on your hair, clothes and skin. They fall onto the fabrics of furniture, car seats, bedding.
I was sneezing away earlier today and a friend asked if I had a cold, no it’s just dust or pollen or Labrador hair or anything else floating in the atmosphere that loves attacking my nostrils.

I'm similar. Same allergies but dust it biggest one.

If I sort out the wardrobe (clothes are worst for dust) or something else dusty I always feel like I have a cold the next day too.
I get itchy inner ears and throat/sneezing that then seems to end up like a head cold.

My sinuses and allergies also got worse around 40 when I hit peri menopause.

Take anti histamine if you know you're going to be around dust or cats etc. I also started using the masks I had for covid when I'm sorting clothes or stuff that's been stored/dusty boxes/Christmas decs etc or dusting in the house. It makes a massive difference to me as it helps stop the initial sinus reaction and therefore the head cold.

I have a severe peanut allergy.

What you're describing is what happens to me if I go into a pub and the fabrics of the seats/curtains are peanutty.

If someone opens a bag of peanuts in the same room I get this but with the addition of shortness of breath.

Other than that, it's exactly the same as you're describing and triggers illness that lasts 24-48 hours. It's a royal PITA and is enough to have stopped me going into the sorts of pubs that sell a lot of peanuts and have the older style upholstered seating.

Yes. Same here, and my brother. We refer to it as allergic rhinitis but I don’t know if that’s exactly correct. Sometimes I think stress / lack of sleep etc can bring it on or at least make you more susceptible.

This is all so interesting, especially the peanut one. I do get a bit short of breath but I think that generally happens when I have a cold too, I'm fitter generally than I was a couple of years ago so really notice it now.

Absolutely sorting clothes is the biggest for me, I did do a clearout recently with a decent face mask and didn't get so much as a sneeze!

Allergy symptoms are an immune response to the irritant.
Most cold symptoms are an immune response to the pathogen.

It makes sense that there's a lot of overlap in the way the symptoms can present.

This is what I had guessed but am not educated enough in these things to know for sure!

My reaction to cats is exactly as you've described, lasts 24 hours even if I left hours ago.

I guess it's a bit of a moot point, but alternatively it's good to know if I've got something contagious like a cold or if it's just allergies...