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.

I think if you call your GP at this point, the first thing they will tell you to do is buy some anti-histamines to see if it works.. they are very cheap - I got 3 months worth of cetirizine from amazon recently for less than £10. My hay fever is awful, so I take it from about March to October every year and it mainly gets my hay fever in check.

No one is going to prescribe you anything until you have at least tried that. Rather than your GP, I'd speak to a pharmacist first. Lots of anti-histamines have come of the prescribing lists because they can be bought over the counter.

You can ask for allergy tests, but it's likely to be a very long wait, some daily anti-histamines would likely make your life a lot less miserable while you are waiting.

I have a henry hoover.

All great suggestions thank you all so much.

The cat is really old and we have had him for a long time, he was passed about from pillar to post and had been a stray too. Will try to keep him out the bedroom.

I'm definitely majorly allergic to something. Or things. I suspect dust mites for sure and maybe cat hair. There is a tree right outside my window as well.

My flat does have some mold, like cracks in the walls and wetness only on the side which faces the 'close' (in Scotland).

I realise how silly I've been in just trying to put up with this. The inflammation at the top of my nostrils literally making my top teeth ache, not sleeping due to runny or blocked nose.

Will take the meds.

You need to sort this out. It's extremely common. There are very effective ways of dealing with it. I am generally atopic (asthma as a child, mild eczema from childhood onwards, terrible hayfever, serious overreaction to all biting insects) but I only notice it as a major problem a few times a year (if bitten by a fucking wasp, e.g.). If I didn't take medication, my life would be a nightmare. I am not, by the way, allergic to any foods and nor are most people with these problems. Giving up milk in your tea unless you also have a lactose allergy will make little difference.

Use a nasal spray daily from early March. I stop in August. The best one is now available over the counter as Pirinase (fluticasone). Antihistamines are a wild west of 'dirty' drugs the most efficacious ones bang a lot of different receptors, so there are unwanted (sometimes useful) side effects. For me hydroxyzine (brand name Atarax) is the most effective. It is also a sedative and anxiolytic, so actually useful if you need to fall asleep and are stressed out! I take 10mg at night at the worst part of the hay fever season, combined with a less-sedative morning drug. Old-fashioned piriton (chlorphenamine maleate) is also good. Some of the ones reputed to be non-drowsy are not so for me loratadine makes me feel as if I've got jet lag. An excellent non-drowsy one is bilastine. (Bought it in Greece in a pharmacy after being badly bitten by mosquitos in the autumn, but alas it isn't one my GP wants to prescribe.) Acrivastine isn't very strong, but it isn't at all sleepy-making. Really you need to experiment to see what your body tolerates. You could also try various natural things. Quercetin makes me feel just as shit and knackered as first-generation antihistamines, but my husband swears by it. Also, try to wash your face and eyes (e.g. change contact lenses, if you wear them) on coming inside, wear sunglasses on high pollen days, and generally try to stay in. (Though this is a mixed blessing. During lockdown I had the best hayfever season of my life. But, as soon as I started going out again, it was worse than ever -- presumably because I hadn't been able to build up even mild tolerance to evil pollen.)

Good luck! You needn't struggle on like this.

I am asthmatic and I take fexofenadine every day to help control all the irritation. I do feel more tired when I take it but not drowsy exactly.

@andannabegins I didn't know antihistamines help until today. Today was maybe the third time in my life I've taken them. Once was when I was covered in insect bites from camping. They have helped somewhat - I can breathe at the moment!!

Also I have to clean my room a lot and have all hypo allergenic bedding to help control it all so there is way less dust

I’m sorry, but you’re ridiculous, getting to the point of suffering so much and disturbing your neighbours! Take a bloody pill! You’re meant to replace your pillows every 1-2 years. Also, how old is your mattress? Hoover it properly, hoover carpets and soft furnishings thoroughly, damp dust everywhere. Do an elimination diet eg remove dairy-2 weeks is recommended to see if it makes a difference.

Sounds more like you need your GP to refer you for allergy tests.

Do a major clean OP. Vacuum EVERYTHING. Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth. Get carpets cleaned if you csn(even better pull them up and have floor boards / laminate.
Buy new duvet and pillows.
Wash bedding, curtains etc.
Have as few textiles in the house as possible.

Also, one way to test what is causing it is to go away on holiday for a week or more and see if it clears up. That will tell you if it's something in your home or not.

You can buy pillow covers. I have these on top of the pillows which zip up, and then also a pillow case on top to stop dust getting in them. Which all gets washed every week. Also a hypoallergenic duvet. The sinus pains give me migraines a lot if I don’t take the tablets and my eyes are on fire

Dont suffer needlessly OP! Call your GP tomo!. I started with all that when I turned 40 out of the blue.
I take fexafenadine and if I run out it's awful, like having a bad cold.
I'm not sure if its hayfever or dust or both I just know it helps massively!

Try acupuncture. My sister suffered from horrendous hay fever and this almost cured it. She is so much better now.

Start at the pharmacy. I’d get antihistamine tablets, plus a nasal spray and allergy eye drops. Give it 2 weeks and if you’re still suffering speak to the doctor as there are stronger things they can prescribe for bad allergies / hay fever. Wearing sunglasses outside also stops pollen getting in your eyes and rinsing face in cool water also helps.

It’s probably hay fever if it’s mainly in spring / summer. You might also be allergic to your cat, to dust or to the feathers in your pillow. But antihistamines can help with those too.

I hope you get it sorted. I have something prescribed by the doctor a few years ago and it’s really changed my summers!

Mattress about 5 years old.

Some of my pillows are way older than that.

Will replace them.

I wash bedding on hot every week, and hoover daily, dust about every 2 weeks. I'll try to reduce dust more.

I've been mostly indoors this year and it's way way worse than ever before. Before it was just the coughing up phlegm, now it's full on sneezing, severe nose issues, itching. So I think it's something indoors.

My dad has used his 'nose medicine' (otrivine) since I was a Child, after some failed nose operation. He can't stop or else he gets rebound symptoms. Maybe that's why I was reluctant. My mum's side have a history of asthma / COPD.

If you think it's due to your home, then you need to clean it properly.

New bedding.
New pillows.
Vacuum the mattress and cover with an anti dust mite sheet.
Vacuum the carpets/rugs.
Clean the curtains/replace with wipeable blinds.
Damp dust every single surface, door frame, bed frame, skirting board, bit of furniture inside and out.
Hard flooring is better than carpet.
Every bit of bed linen that isn't binned (like blankets/quilts/pillows should be) to be washed at 90.
All clothes taken out of wardrobes, washed and replaced, preferably in suit covers.
All books vacuumed, preferably stored in a bookcase with a door. Same for any CDs, DVDs or other media. Magazines should be binned.

Shower every morning and every evening. Look into Neti pots to clear any pollen or animal dander out each day (use cooled boiled water, not tap water).

It's easier to clean if you don't have any clutter - box stuff up in plastic crates if you can.

Use an air cleaning fan/aircon.
The vacuum cleaner needs to have proper filtration.
Windows shut to avoid pollen coming in.

And you're going to have to hit it hard. You're going to be cleaning every day for a while at least - vacuum, mop (steam mops are useful) and damp dust everything.

Not going to suggest binning the animal, although you've already said that could be a cause. The next best thing is to clean up the fluff and dander each day, groom regularly to get loose fur out and dampen a flannel and wipe them over daily. Most don't particularly like it, but it only takes a second or two. If you can, encourage them to sleep downstairs rather than on your bed. Or accept you'll going to have to clean and possibly change your bed daily until you get into the swing of things.

And take bloody antihistamines whilst you wait for a doctor's appointment.

You need to see GP, you also need new pillows.

Cross posted. Damp dust DAILY. Two weeks is way too long to leave it.

Pirinase spray changed my life. I used to get prescription tablets and nasal spray from my doctor but they never came close to what Pirinase achieves.

I've found that if I don't start taking mess as soon as hayfever season kicks in and symptoms start my nose becomes so irritated no amount of antihistamine will calm it down. It can take a couple if days of regularly medicating to get it under control.

Don't wait until it's awful. Often, my first indication is a tickily throat.

It has been coughing up phlegm / post nasal drip daily all year round for many years and in different houses. Interestingly, this clears up completely when I go camping to rural areas. Pollution??

The allergy type sneezing, nose burning and either blocked or running like a tap, itching, sinus pain etc, that's only been spring/summer this year.

My aversion to drs or meds is ridiculous tbh. It isn't due to any reason really, I don't think they are bad or anything, I think I just get annoyed at my body and think it should just function without, and worry if I get relief then they stop working. Backwards thinking.

Too bloody right thats backwards thinking!

For gods sakes go and see your GP there not going to cut your nose off! promise! what they might do is to refer you to an allergy clinic what usually happenes is a doctor puts small amonts of Allergic substances on your arm to see what triggers of a reaction, that way once you know the trigger then you can get a work round for it!!

FWIW the pollen count is Very High overe the last few days the lady here is very suscptable to pollen, sometimes she sounds like a donkey braying when sneezing poor soud! takes Piriton which helps her!.

Now then PLEASE see your GP OK!!

I had this, lovely. There are loads of things an allergy consultant can test for and I never believed they'd be able to help me (was too embarrassed to seek help for about 5 years) but they did.

Go toy our GP. Ask about allergic rhinitis as it sounds like that (the bridge of the nose is the giveaway here).

You'll be ok. I felt like my life was just spiralling with this-there's something unpredictable about allergies that scares people. It will be ok. Try and take that first step and book to see your GP.

I'm with you OP. I actually googled the other day "hay fever is ruining my life" just to read others experiences

My face feels like it's been punched a million times and my eyes end up a mess. The insides of my eyelids actually peel off its that bad!

I'm on a steroid nose spray (avamys) and fexofenadine and it does help on normal days, I still die a death on high pollen days tho!

I'll do all that, thanks xx

I don't have a downstairs it's a flat but I'll keep the cat out of the bedroom.

Also we haven't had a washing machine for a while (use a big tub to handwash with handwash powder, and garage-laundrette big stuff like bedding weekly). I'll try to take the bedding more often than weekly.

Definitely get yourself some new bedding, and keep the cat out of the room, as hard as that might be.

Also, not sure if it's been mentioned already, but do not hang your bedding outside to dry, you'll just end up with a bed full of pollen.

And keep taking the antihistamines! One every day, even if you feel like your symptoms aren't too bad on a particular day, that just means they're working, but only if you keep taking them.

Yes to all the ideas above, antihistamine every day, nasal spray as directed, eye drops if necessary (keep them in the fridge), replace pillows and wash / replace duvet, keep cat out of the bedroom.

Also make sure you wash your hands immediately after you touch the cat, especially before touching your face.

Don’t dry your clothes or bed linen outside where they will collect pollen.

Um, how fond of the cat are you?!