To ask your hay fever symptoms

[trevthecat]

Last year I got hay fever for the first time. This year it is already absolutely horrific. Banging head, sinuses on fire, sneezing, cough. Also though ears are blocked, everything sounds muffled, skin is all sensitive, like when ill, feel cold. I'm not ill though, no temp. Antihistamines are helping all symptoms a little but not much. Struggling to cope. So I ask, do you suffer with the ears/ skin? Any advice please

I've always had itchy ears which I put down to eczema but read a while ago it can be another hay fever symptom. I get very sneezy and recently my eyes have joined in

Yes all of the above go to your gp they can prescribe antihistamines that you can't get over the counter .

My symptoms vary. In spring, when tree pollen is the trigger, I'm more sneezy and get a runny nose. In summer, when the oilseed rape is in flower, I get a sore throat, earache, a cough and dreadful sinus pain. In the autumn (fungal spores) it's more congestion and sinusitis.

My top tip is to get a nasal spray (Boots own works well for me, but there is a wide range and some really good ones are prescription only) and use it religiously, especially on waking and last thing at night.

It seems to prevent the congestion and inflammation getting out of control. And using eye drops (especially those containing sodium cromoglycate) helps reduce the runny nose, weirdly.

It really can make life miserable. It's like having a cold for most of the year.

All of the above, also feel completely wiped out, ears itch all the way down to my throat (if that makes sense),sore face, the list goes on!

My top tips are never dry bedding on the washing line and keep bedroom windows or curtains closed.

Itchy ears here too, which the doc said was eczema but is definitely exacerbated by the hay fever.

Itchy eyes. Sneezing loudly and copiously (I even woke myself up one night by sneezing in my sleep). Runny nose/stuffed nose. The roof of my mouth itches too and that seems almost worse than all the other stuff.

I've bought an air purifier, which does seem to help indoors. I already take daily anti histamines, but am due to see the doc again on Tuesday and get stronger ones because the otc ones aren't touching it any more.

I only started getting hay fever symptoms in my early 40s (am 50 now) and it took several years before I cottoned on that it wasn't a summer cold but was in fact hay fever.

Itchy ears, itchy eyes and (only at night, around 2am) an intensely itchy throat so annoying that I'd quite like to rip out my entire neck.

Itchy eyes, itchy ears, sensitive skin, itchy throat and mouth, sneezing, feeling like I've got a cold and sinusitis. Ah yes it's joyful.

When my itchy skin was really bad the doc gave me steroid cream, in addition to the eye drops, prescription antihistamines and steroid nasal spray I was already using. You can get infrared probes to help with nasal passages itching. You might want to try an air filter, covering your entire bed with a sheet when you're not in it to stop pollen landing on it, you can get tiny filters the sit inside your nose too from amazon. Anti allergic bedding can also help.

For me the best thing was Medibee. They're pollen tablets. I found them miraculous after my years of suffering.

I get hay fever tablets from Aldi. I can take either kind (there are 2 chemicals). They are one a day, but sometimes I need two. Aldi are about £1 for 14 - far cheaper than piritons. I think I might have got super-sensitized on a holiday in France around the time they were hay-making. I can't recall it before then.

I am allergic to pollen, and also to cats. 2 minutes stroking a cat and my eyes are streaming. Dogs are Ok.

Mines started up again in the last couple if weeks and as well as the itchy eyes, ears and nose, my arse itches like crazy. Sorry, I know own it's TMI. I love the sneezing though!