Help! Hay fever and I'm rubbing my eyes so much they are hurting me and puffy. Can anything help?

[KirstyJC]

I have hayfever and it is getting to my eyes so badly. I wear contact lenses which I have been wearing all day as the itchiness is worse with glasses, but I still end up rubbing them so much - today they are ridiculously puffy and so so sore and itchy still.

I am taking Loratadine tablets (still BF my 2.2yo DS2) but nothing else.

Can anyone advise me on anything else I could take? I can put up with the sneezing (reminds me to do my pelvic floor exercises) but the eyes are agony.

Would eye drops help? Or is there anything else I could take eg tablets? I'm not stopping BF but he only feeds once a day at most, and is 2, so I wouldn't be too worried about the effect on that tbh.

I would be most grateful for any suggestions.

My eyes get itchy too.

I wear sunglasses whenever i leave the house.

Do not rub. If you itch, put on a cold compress.

I am sure other people have better ones but these work for me.

Ooh - never put your bedding or nightclothes out on the line.

I tend to take an extra antihistamine on a bad day but I wouldn't have thought that would be good for you while breastfeeding.

Keep your windows closed

Wear sunglasses big ones

If you have long hair tie it back

Keep your hands clean and don't touch your eyes

Damp dust inside

Ice compresses and was your eyes out with saline

Can't help on the med front I'm afraid

Thanks - I am actually reading this with one eye whilst I hold a cold flannel over the other, and alternating eyes! (It's either that or rub them again, and when I start I can't stop).

Didn't know about bedding outside though, what a shame - I love the smell of freshly air-dried washing. Will try then next time I change the sheets.

Which antihistamine do you take? Does it help with the itchiness?

Pirotin?
You are meant to shower once you get in to wash all pollen off/out of hair too :)

Dusting? I have to start dusting!??!? Oh crap this is worse than I thought!

Oh yes, and I tried a little vaseline under/around the eyes after someone said it is meant to catch the pollen (similar idea to the nose stuff you can smear under nose when pg) and it did help a little, as well as stop the rubbing hurting quite so much!

I am on loratidine.

Lol re dusting but, on the plus side, you have a perfect excuse not to mow the lawn. I still do it but with hair fastened back, huge sunnies and an immediate shower. Plus a second antihistamine.

My main hay fever allergens are tree pollen and rape so I try to steer as far clear as possible.

Eating local honey is supposed to help reduce symptoms.

I hate honey. Although if dark chocolate Bounty works instead then I'm onto a winner.

I have no idea what my allergens are. I have only got hayfever since being either pregnant or BF. There is a 5 year gap between DS1 & DS2 and he only fed for a year, so it went away. Then I had DS2 and fed him until halfway through pregnancy with DS3 who is still feeding. About 5 years non-stop pregnant or feeding has meant hayfever for the last 5 years, and it seems to be getting worse each year. But I have no idea how to work out what in particular causes it?

I don't get it at work as I'm in a hospital with little contact with the outside but at home it is ridiculous. We have only been in the garden for any length of time so it might well be something there, but I don't know what.

I have looked at Piriton details and it says I need to check with a doctor before taking if I am BF, but I suspect that is aimed at women exclusively feeding very little ones, not hefty 2 year olds. I will ask our pharmacist on Weds when I am back at work again just to be sure. (The one in Tesco always says 'no' to any and everything when he hears I'm feeding - think he wants to cover himself in case DS3 grows another leg or something - and he never actually checks in the medicines book?!?!)

you could take chlorphenamine (piriton) or cetirizine as well as the loratadine.

eye drops may help

obv check all out re breastfeeding before you take anything else x

Take your lenses out before using drops.
If in doubt, I used to take the dose of antihistamines that my bf child would have been allowed anyway - so any that passed through would be of a dose that wouldn't harm.