That this is fucking up my life??

[snottery]

Some kind of hay fever / allergy / mild asthma.

I realise it's not 'serious' in the grand scheme of things, but it's really affecting my life and my sleep.

Had phlegm / post nasal drip for years and years and that's bad enough, but recently it also includes such delights as

Hours upon hours of streaming / blocked nose / sneezing almost every day
Taking in too much air when blowing that I get heartburn and trapped wind. Can't burp so this is horribly uncomfortable until it comes out other way
Throbbing bridge of nose
Even my teeth hurt at times
Itchy skin
Sometimes wheezing and a bit hard to get a breath.

It's embarrassing as I'm constantly wiping or blowing my nose or making horrible choking noises trying to get phlegm up.

The final straw has been the past 24 hours. I got 4 hours sleep last night because of it, my neighbour was banging down at me cause of the noise of my nose blowing last night, and I cancelled a family outing this morning cause of embarrassment and just generally feeling shitty because of this.

Finally gave in and took an antihistamine which I found in the cupboard. It's helped somewhat. Not completely but enough.

Please, Please tell me that these tablets work long term and that your body doesn't get 'used' to them??

It's making me miserable.

No idea what I'm allergic to, but it happens when I'm indoors for days and the phlegm has happened year round. I'm guessing dust.

You really should give up dairy. It was a life changer for me and I had all of those symptoms.

You have my sympathies OP. I have just suffered 11 weeks of this (think it was some sort of post Covid 19 symptom) After 3 weeks I phoned the GP who initially gave me a week of antibiotics for sinus infection- then a second week as it wasn’t clearing.

I tried to persevere but it was really difficult - interrupted sleep either waking up streamIng / dripping or too blocked to breathe or getting through the working day struggling to talk as was concentrating on breathing, and was aware that my trying to breathe was not pleasant for work colleagues on virtual meetings etc etc.

Long story short - nasal steroid spray prescribed by GP along with a different anti histamine [which turned out to be Benadryl) Cured virtually overnight.
Good luck with whatever you do - the chronic aspect of this was debilitating for me and I had almost reached the end of my tether. So glad that I have eventually come out the other side.

I don't understand what you don't just take the antihistamines? If this is messing up your life that much then take proactive steps towards sorting it out. Speak to your GP first. DH had allergy testing done, showed he's allergic to pet hair, grass etc. He also has hayfever. He takes an antihistamine daily all year round and it keeps it well under control.

DD also appears to have hayfever so we spoke to a pharmacist who recommended an antihistamine and Sudafed as she had pain around her jaws/ear/teeth area. That may be an option of your teeth are affected as it can sometimes be sinus related.

Don't know if pillows are feathers, I sleep on loads of pillows, most of which are very old. I do wash bedding often though.

Old pillows are likely to be full of dust which can cause allergies. I used to wake up with a sore throat every day before I replaced my pillows.

I take a daily anti-histamine for hayfever through the summer and cat/dust allergies through the whole year and have done for years with no ill effects.

I have to say my allergic rhinitis got really bad when I was already vegan so that wasn't connected for me but I do believe there is a connection between dairy and phlegm - and anyone reducing dairy consumption is a good thing anyway so try it!

There are tests that show what you're allergic to. You need blood tests and skin prick tests to measure IgE, and these tests should be conducted by medical professionals. There are some people offering 'allergy testing' whose methods have no basis in scientific fact so don't fall for these. Go to your GP for a referral to a consultant allergist. Dust mites, pets, pollen or mould are common allergens. You will be advised how best to treat symptoms- usually a combination of lifestyle adjustments and medications. Immunotherapy for certain allergens is available now too.

I have suffered from hayfever all my life - literally my first memories are of car drives with streaming eyes and nose and wheezing lungs.

I take 10 mg loratidine, bought over the counter, every day, from early spring right to October. I have to take it before there is a chance of anything triggering my nose, and stop only when the last possible trigger is done, but IF I do that, and take the table religiously, i am absolutely fine.

if i miss, or start late, and my nose gets irritated and inflamed, then it never really comes back under conrtol again.

I have taken loratidine for many years - possibly a couple of decades, tbh - with no loss of efficacy and no increase in symptoms. other OTC anti-histamines don't work as well (trial and error a bit on that one, but they're not expensive).

Ditch all your pillows, buy new ones and get good tightly-woven pillow covers, too.

I could have worn this op. I have serious allergies, you can get a blood test done but I believe the nhs only does them as a last resort now. I'm allergic to loads of stuff. Indies it's dust mites. Other than that Cats, dogs, birds , trees, grass.... the list goes on. If it's just your nose that's bothering you then I would suggest you get s as really good quality hepa air filter and a few salt lamps to improve your air quality. You can also get an allergy device for your sinuses which I'd tweet light magic red lights that you slide up your nose. I don't know what it does but it helps massively. Then a regular routine of daily antihistamines and sinus spray and you should see an improvement.

If you don't then go see your Gp. You can get stronger pills through them. Mine continued and I got referred to the ENT as I couldn't court with the jaw ache and heart beat in my top teeth. Turned out the allergies had caused polyps and scar tissue in my sinus cavity abs I had developed a MRSA infection and it couldn't drain through the narrowed channels. I had surgery last year and it's intoned it massively although the allergies are sun there, it's less than it was. My chest infections have reduced too as it's helped to ease the post nasal drip I had pre surgery.

Don't write it if as s "just" allergies. It can be totally debilitating even if it is " just" allergies.

@MrsMozartMkII

I get very much like that when I have too much dairy. Really not nice.

Same here. Made the mistake of mac and cheese tonight. I regret it now! X

(I also have allergic skin reactions, with eczema that fluctuates from mild to totally disfiguring, and have never quite conquered that. I did have skin allergy tests that showed I was dramatically allergic to the plaster holding the tests onto my skin.......but nothing else useful!)

If your symptoms are year round you are probably allergic to dust and the cat. If they get worse in spring/ summer it’s probably pollen. If you’d like to know your specific allergens you could request a referral but this is likely to take months (all referrals are generally taking much longer than usual due to Covid). Alternatively your GP might be able to request blood test (specific IgE to cat, pollens and dust). In the meantime try and get your home as dust/ hair free as possible and keep the cat out of your bedroom. As others have said you need to start regular treatment: you can get a good range over the counter from your pharmacist but your GP will be able to prescribe things that are more effective. You should have a daily antihistamine (cetirizine, loratadine, or fexofenadine), nasal steroid spray (beconase, flixonase is better) and eye drops (sodium cromogylcate or olopatadine). Read the instructions on how to use nasal sprays properly otherwise they won’t be as effective. Life is too short to be made miserable by allergies that are easily treatable! Good luck

take some medically prescribed antihistamines, see an allergy specialist - e.g. an NHS Consultant or suffer, your call.

Change your duvet & pillows to hypoallergenic and definitely do not let your cat into your bedroom or onto your bed. Once you start reacting to one allergen you may find you react to others ie as well as dust & feathers you may have a slight allergy to cat hair.
Hay fever affects some people worse at different times of the year for example in the spring it’s tree pollen that’s strongest followed by plant & grass pollen in the summer.
You need to take antihistamines regularly so they build up in your system and possibly use a nose spray to help with congestion when it’s bad and maybe eye drops if you suffer from itchy eyes. See your GP as you could possibly have more allergies than you are aware of & you may need a referral to ENT.

Sounds miserable.
I would get an air filter. I live in small house and have one in lounge and one on landing. Both on low constantly and I put on full pelt when I am out.
Also you may find a nasal spray good. We have piretize but try some and see what helps.
I also buy air cleanse spray from amazon.

Just seen that you have a cat. I don't show any allergies to my cats in the winter but in summer it's shocking. On amazon you get something called pet asd l c C leaned and you rub it on the cat and it helps to stop your reaction. Works a treat.

All good advice above. Absolutely talk to your gp, change your bedding, experiment with different laundry detergent, change your diet around a bit. The biggest difference for me came when I got a purifier. It changed my life. Unfortunately you need to spend quite a few hundredon them, not a cheapy one from b&m. I run it throughout the year and we’ve got them in most rooms now. What vacuum cleaner do you use? Try one with a hepa filter as these don’t eject dust back into the air.

Don't suffer without medication - there's no point. In tree bark pollen season I use brown and blue inhalers, antihistamine tablets, nose sprays, eye drops and drink gallons of turmeric tea. Without these I have no life at all. Just spend 24/7 wanting to poke my eyes out with a stick they itch so much - can't see, can't breathe and do nothing but blow my nose. The total-attack of so many medicines at once gets the allergy and asthma under control immediately and then I can reduce the steroids and sleep-inducing tablets to a minimum.

Inside the house is problematic though. You need to work out the source. Hope it's not a pet. First do a thorough hoover, steam clean furnishings, mop and damp dust, get rid of feather pillows etc. And trial your cleaning and beauty products. DS's Lynx spray could bring on an asthma attack for me if he used it upstairs in his room and I was downstairs in the kitchen. I've noticed some cleaning sprays do the same. Chuck out any that make you wheeze.

Good luck.

i suffer from hayfever, it can be really debilitating. Different people take to different antihistamines; but you do have to take them regularly and allow the dose to build up. However, recently I've been using Haymax, which is a really sticky mix of beeswax and other oils that you kind of smear around your nostrils. It sounds much more gross than it is, but it's really helped with my hayfever (which is admittedly less at this time of year, but bad this year). I would also suggest making sure you wash your hair etc every night before bed and washing bedding very regularly when it's bad, as you collect the pollen on your hair and skin and then deposit it in your bed and wake up streaming... there is lots of advice online too

It might not be hayfever. In my early 20s I went from never having suffered allergies beyond the odd sneeze to full blown, intolerable constant sneezing, agonising itchy eyes, nose and eyes leaking constantly and a wheezy chest. It was unbearable and I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd miraculously developed the worst hayfever on earth overnight and antihistamines hardly touched it.

Then I moved out of the flat I was living in, and in my bedroom when I moved furniture damp patch that I hadn't spotted (it was rising damp and in an unusual place, not an external wall or near a window) which had caused mould to grow up the back of a piece of furniture and it turns out I'm allergic to mould. Since then I've never suffered since.

You can get pillows cheaply in asda, ikea or similar.
We buy new once a year as dust builds up in them. We spend a lot of hours in bed so make sure that is not a trigger for you.

I developed these types of severe allergic reactions in my mid 40s having only had very mild hay fever previously.

I did have allergy testing done, but all tests were negative (as I sat thre with my nose streaming).

What helped me was regular (2 or 3 times a day) nasal irrigation until my passages regularly felt clear. I haven't needed to do it at all this year yet, but it's my first go-to. A nasal steroid prescribed by GP. Keeping on top of dust at home. Smearing Vaseline round the outside of your nostrils to 'catch' allergens. Wearing (sun) glasses when out. Taking antihistimines very promptly when symptoms started.

My GP advised that long term use of antihistimines wasn't advisable unless unavoidable (can't remember why) so I use them only when I need them, but do use steroid nasal spray through the spring and summer.

There's absolutely nothing to gain by not taking antihistimes for the symptoms you describe.

I was really sympathetic until I read that you know antihistamines do help but you are not taking them. Ridiculous. You are even affecting the neighbours because you won't take them! Allergies can be debilitating which you can clearly tell so do what you know helps

@cantkeepaway I also was allergic to the eczema allergy plaster!! But nothing else. Starting phototherapy next week

I have horrific hay fever. You need to get allergy tests done (Starting with a visit to your GP) and find out what it is and if it can be eliminated. Obviously, grass pollen (my allergy) is not a wood able so I have to take one citrazine and a nasal spray before bed and one loratadine before bed or I have the same symptoms as you between May and July. Like you, I’m suddenly really allergic to my cats in these months too. I assume it’s because they’re out in the grass and carrying it on their fur.
While you’re waiting for a GP appointment and referral, take some bloody anti-histamines, you loon! I avoid pain killers as much as possible so I understand your reluctance but you really need to medicate for this.

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

I have horrific hay fever. You need to get allergy tests done (Starting with a visit to your GP) and find out what it is and if it can be eliminated. Obviously, grass pollen (my allergy) is not a wood able so I have to take one citrazine and a nasal spray before bed and one loratadine before bed or I have the same symptoms as you between May and July. Like you, I’m suddenly really allergic to my cats in these months too. I assume it’s because they’re out in the grass and carrying it on their fur. While you’re waiting for a GP appointment and referral, take some bloody anti-histamines, you loon! I avoid pain killers as much as possible so I understand your reluctance but you really need to medicate for this.

Well that makes no sense 😂 nasal spray and citrazine in a morning and loratadine before bed and pollen is not avoidable!!!