Anyone up for a hayfever support thread?

[galen]

I never used to get hayfever till 4 years ago. Then that summer I just got it out of the blue. Really badly. Had it every summer since. The thing is till I had it i always used to think "hayfever - whats all the fuss about?" but boy do I know different now!
Today I have been so bad. My eyes tend to be the worst(although streaming itchy nose, tickly cough and sore throat arent much fun either!) Today my eyes are so bad ,they are all swollen, one even bleeding beneath the surface, streaming, stinging and iching so badly I want to tear themout
So far I have tried natural remedies, nasal spry, eye drops and cetirizine. This year I am now trying benadrylas I,m not BF for the firt time in 4 years!

Anyone else want to pop in for some support, tips of advice!

Ok please ignore rubbish typing...obviously still cant see properly!

I'm in.

I'm sat here squinting at the screen through swollen eyes with a tissue contantly attached to right nostril (the left pne is blocked and doesn't run ).

I think my sinuses may explode.

And this is a good day as I took medication

I think the pollen count must have been particularly high the last couple of days, my hay fever has really kicked off.

Have given up trying to blow nose/wipe eyes, just catching dribbles as they fall. God, I'm classy!

I only took the tablet today, should've done eye drops too but as I stayed indoors with the windows shut all day, thought it wouldn't be too bad. Boy, was I wrong!

Anyone tried that weird light you stick up your nose?

I can't work out if my throat is so bad due to hayfever or and Actual Throat Infection.

No I haven't, is that the thing they sell at Boots?

Took Cetrizine Hydrochloride which worked for about 3 hours, didn't use eye drops cos had to drive and I always feel blurry afterwards!

I have had hayfever about 9 years, this year has got to be the worse ever.

I take 10mg lotarazine, 16 x shots of nasal spray and 8 x eyedrops a day. When I put the eyedrops in it is so so very sore.

This year I started with blisters on my eyes. AND after taking all those meds, I've just got them now.

For nasal problems, I have heard that putting a thin layer of vaseline on the inside of the nostril works, and, cold teaspoons/teabags to the eyes

Oh lordy its been terrible this year, and yesterday and today particularly so.

I use ceterizine (sp?) tablets every day which usually is fine, but not the last couple of days!

Me too

But I'm not sure if it's the cats that have adopted us or the pollen. I tried taking Aerius for the first time a couple of weekends ago when it was awful and that worked a treat.

Blisters in eyes sounds horrid, poor you

I have a tip-- move! OK, perhaps not practical for everyone but I used to have crippling attacks but since moving much, much milder.

Has anyone had the hayfever test Tesco are offering? I mean, when you have it there isn't much doubt but I wondered if particular AHs worked best with particular types.

Castille,

Blisters on the eyeballs are horific, they stick out a mile etc and you feel like you have a brick in your eye.

I have one in my right eye at the minute and it feels like it is growing.

OMG, lovemyshoes, that's awful! Have you seen a doctor about it?

HelloBeastie, the doctors can't do anything at is hayfever, except advising I use eyedrops more than the recommended dose, what they don't realise is that putting eyedrops in is the equivalent of bleach at the minute.

Huge sympathies to you all. I've had it really badlysince I was 2 and have had many miserable summers but have been using the light up nose thing for the last couple and don't need much in the way of other medication, if I do I take anti-histamine.

DD started with it when she was 7 and the first year was horrendous, her eyeballs used to swell which completely freaked me out. She now has 2.5ml zirtek in the morning plus uses her light up the nose machine twice daily and has been fine so far this year.

I had terrible blisters last night - had to wait until I was totally knackered before going to bed as my nose and eyes wouldn't calm down and I knew I'd struggle to sleep if I went earlier.

I've sworn by Clarytin (loratidine) the last few years, but this week it just stopped working. Have gone back to Benadryl every 8 hours which has worked, but makes me feel drowsy and cranky (I had a go at DS's teacher yesterday just for badness, for something which I would normally let go).

Someone said you should change your AHs every so often to keep their effectiveness.

That was a grim few days though.

The one I use is the Lloyds allergy reliever which works on the same principle as Medinose but is much cheaper at £15.

I don't think they work for everyone and you do have to use them regularly - I started off with 3 times a day and now use it twice. I was very sceptical at first but had to eat my words.

Gosh a lot of us are suffering arent we. My eyes were swollen and blistered too by the end of yesterday evening. Went to bed with a cold faceclth over them to get some relief Will look into the nose thing... also need to get some more eye drops today and will also get a different ah I think.
Interesting point about moving...I think it could be something about getting sensitized to the pollen local to you.I have moved house fairly regularly till about 7 years ago. Never gotr hayfever till 4 yrs ago, which would coincide with staying inthis house for several years. We do also have a big field out the back behind the house with lots of wild grass though...Last year my HF was pretty bad and we went to a BBQ at my sisters house a long way away and surprisingly my HF wasnt too bad whilst there, started up the minute we got home though. So moving house every few years could be the answer....think I'll justhave to suffer htough LOL
Hope you're all not too bad this morning. I have managed to peel my eyes apart, blown my nose about 400 times, and sucking a throat sweet to combat my sandpaper throat....not too bad yet then!{wink]
Big sympathetic vibes to all fellow sufferers. Great tips so far....keep em coming!

mine is bad this year...I am waking up with swollen, red eyes every day and they are getting no better

even my ears itch grrr

I feel like bending a hanger out, then sticking in down my throat and in my ears to ease the itching

I've woken up feeling like I've been beaten up - my eyes are so puffy and my throat is closing up.

Think I'll go to the doctors anyway because my glands feel like they're up.

The worst thing is that DH is away and I'll have to be outside because it's not fair that DD misses out.

I've had since a small child and this year is particularly bad. Am also 33 wks pregnant so just struggling on without medication.

Does not help that i live very rurally.

Eyes super swollen and lips cracked and very wheezy - god i hate the month of june its always the worst one for me.

Sympathy for all other sufferers.

June is always worst of all - at least we're nearly through the worst of it.

Tracey - whereabouts are you? I grew up in East Anglia - the Suffolk/Essex/Cambs borders and one doctor I saw said it was the worst place in the whole country for hayfever - low down, wide open flat spaces etc.

Completely inappropriate but DD wants me to put a happy face in so here it is !