Terrible hay fever in 9yo what on earth do I do

[pinkjeanbea]

Unfortunately moving is not an option but of course we live smack bang in the middle of the countryside with seemingly every type of pollen going

My poor 9yo is affected so badly, I hate the idea of constantly giving her antihistamines but so far it's all I feel I can do. Her eyes stream and go red, she sniffs all day and walks around with a packet of tissues constantly. I don't care having to pay or do anything to stop her suffering, halting the incessant sniffing would also be delightful!
I have no allergies so really not sure what I'm doing. Any ideas gratefully received!

Of course give her daily antihistamines! You wouldn't refuse medication for any other chronic illness surely??
Also get her officially tested as she's likely to be allergic to other items (such as dust) and then you will be offered immmunotherapy which can be life changing for allergies.

Give her the antihistamines if you really want to help her. Also sunglasses. I've never found the nasal sprays to be very effective but allergy eye drops are.

Take her to the GP for advice.

Also make a chart of when her symptoms are worst - that will help you pinpoint the allergen. For instance the tree pollens started a couple of weeks ago, lots of people were complaining their eyes were itching.

Pollens come and go, if she's allergic to one specific thing she might not need them all the time. But they do work best taken daily.

If your willing to do anything, there is apparently Linksuch a thing as an allergy piercing.

Yes this, she needs a one a day and then use Piriton liquid when needed if it gets really dire.

@greenacrylicpaint thanks so much- we have used the normal Bepanthen with some success and it has become our ‘go to’ when itching starts. I didn’t realise that they did one specifically for eczema so I can’t wait to try that too.

Has anyone experienced actual hives with hayfever or just an eczema type rash?

My dd is 9 and has antihistamines every day. She's allergic to dust, animals, chemicals as well as pollens. Sometimes she needs it twice a day.
Please give her medicines

Are they allowed the nasal spray at that age? I start taking mine in mid March twice a day and hardly have any problems. Before I started taking it I was an absolute mess on high pollen days.

Honey contains pollen from insect-pollinated flowers. Hayfever is mainly caused by wind-pollinated plants. Eating one type of pollen won't have any effect on reactions to the other.

Best thing is to see a GP and see if you can get a referral for proper testing. Failing that - or while on what could be a looong waiting list - talk to a pharmacist. Different treatments work for different people, so she may need to try a few different tablets, sprays and drops to find the combination that's most effective for her.

Wrong post quoted there, not sure why

My ds has definitely had hives as part of an allergic reaction to many things. Antihistamines has helped prevent this, along with identifying the allergens and trying to eliminate them as much as possible.

Once ds starts to react to an allergen, he can be more sensitive to others so reactions can vary and be unpredictable.

Here with another "bonkers" remedy: nettles

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/stinging-nettle-uses-and-risks#:~:text=Allergies%3A%20Stinging%20nettle%20leaf%20may,needed%20to%20confirm%20this%20effect.

I'd experiment, for what it's worth

We are new to this also. Dd prescribed fenodexadine. Is that a good one?
Also a nasal one to use it it gets v bad.

We have a meile hepa filter hoover and an air purifier.

Fexofenadine? Never heard of fenodexadine.

Fexofenadine is one step up from over the counter antihistamines for under 12s, I’d definitely give it a try. It has been a game changer for my dd.

I agree with @mathanxiety about carpets, cushions, curtains etc.
I was advised to take my clothes and take a shower straight away with washing hair after coming from outside. And outside clothes don’t go into bedroom.
I close all windows when DH is cutting grass, then his clothes goes straight into washing machine and he himself into the shower.

By the way hay fever makes your eyes itchy, you rub them constantly and may easily get them infectious. It’s a nightmare. So proper course of antihistamines, nasal spray and eye drops is a necessity.
Doing tests is very helpful, she might be allergic on pets and if you get info about what plants she is allergic to you will be able to do planing around it.

I have been taking fexofenadine for quite a while, definitely for last 8 years. It’s prescription antihistamine on NHS then last year became available over the counter. My DD is also taking it with her long course of antibiotics.

I have to take fexofenadine every day, all year round.

I have hayfever that causes swellings, my lips and eyes swell to triple the size, itchy throat, welts over my legs and arms.

I had allergy tests and lots of different trees, grass, pollen etc came back positive so it was hard for my consultant to distinguish what time of year I needed them so I'm on all year round.

Taking the tablet every day is the only thing that's helped.

Mine have had antihistamines forever but none of them work now.
It's very difficult to get treated properly in this country for allergies.
I've changed flooring, got expensive purifiers but they still get a 5-10 mins sudden clearing throat, itching nose, ears etc every day and night without fail.
They have hayfever but also dust allergies etc.

Fenofexedine hadn't worked for us either.

I take antihistamines every day from March to October. My son and Foster son do too. They are safe meds. One little pill makes such a difference. I have eye drops too.

Try different antihistamines to see what works best for her. I found ceterizine brilliant for my tree pollen allergy. Piriton had no effect on it.

Please get over yourself with the antihistamines. As someone whose mother was like this and who suffers very badly with seasonal allergies I can promise you that she feels much more uncomfortable without them!

If she had diabetes you wouldn't feel 'uncomfortable' about giving her insulin, would you?

If you get on top of the symptoms early in the season (too late this year but could be better next time round) they are more manageable. I start with the steroid spray (I rotate between several) in February because my allergies are primarily to tree pollen. In March I start a one-a-day antihistamine (bilastine or fexofenadine) and use Rhinolast (antihistamine nasal spray) if symptoms are particularly bad. I also have to stop exercising outside and go to a gym with air conditioning.

DS1 has dreadful hay fever and the only antihistamine that helps at all is Benadryl. Nothing else, including everything the GP prescribed, even touched it. But, more than anything, a nasal spray is by far the best relief for him, provided it is used consistently.

Sadly the honey cure is an old wives tail and studies have shown it has no effect on hayfever.

Gutted as I would have loved a spoon of honey a day!

the honey thing has been debunked for hayfever.
and when you think about it - honey bees collect pollen from flowers and hayfever is (usually) caused by pollen from plants that spread their pollen through wind.