Anyone else got raging hayfever?

[BendyLikeBeckham]

I am sneezing all day, swollen eyes, mild sore throat, runny nose, earache in one ear, awful headache first thing in the morning.

Taking antihistamine daily, which does help but not 100%.

Every time I sneeze always 6 times in a row I'm paranoid I might have/be spreading the virus. Stupid really. But people look at me with horror!

I don't remember having it this early in the year before. It usually hits with grass cutting season.

[Gammeldragz]

Yep, since last week. I've only started getting it the last few years (in my 30s) so assumed I was. I'll, but temp didn't go up high enough and it seems to be one day off, one day on at the moment!
I have nasal steroid spray for nasal drip, but the mucous did go green last week which I assumed was a cold, so didn't use the spray in case that made virus worse.
Usually I would barely notice these symptoms!
DS has been very sneezy too, assumed he was spending too much time with the cats but must be pollen as he's going for a walk every day in the fields and woods nearby.

[BendyLikeBeckham]

Solidarity to all the other hayfever sufferers. Bit worrying those of you reporting a temperature. Hope you are ok.

I can't understand why I wake up with a headache and swollen eyes when I keep the window closed.

[chocolatespiders]

Does anyone know if GP has stronger antihistamines they can prescribe for allergies?

[StrangerDays]

Me too! My hayfever has been so awful I've been doubling up on anti-histamines.

[FirewomanSamantha]

DS and I have had full on hay fever symptoms for over 4 weeks now. I had to take him out of school a week and a half before the school shutdown due to his coughing and sneezing alarming people, and I have to try really hard not to cough/sniff when I go to the supermarket, it's really not good to have hay fever symptoms at the moment!

I have found that drying duvet covers on the line makes it worse and DS seems a bit better since I started drying his in the tumble dryer instead.

I am also asthmatic and have noticed that my chest is tighter and woke up with a wheeze this morning but whilst I am managing to run a (gentle) 5k three times a week, figure that I am okay.

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Mine is much worse than usual. Can barely see for swollen eyes. But maybe not being at work means I’m noticing it more. Should have been at the sea this week, not the garden!

[chocolatespiders]

Intresting point about line drying I have done this today, I am wondering if I should tumble them now. Would that help?

[Ataxicbrother]

I'm suffering too.

I'm incredibly wheezy and breathless, as well as sneezing.

As well as high dose steroid inhalers, I'm also supposed to take a steroid nasal spray for nasal polyps, but I worry that taking too many steroids may make me more vulnerable to CV-19, so have decided to stick with just the inhaler, and suffer from polyps and sneezing.

I also take Montelukast, as well as Piriton and Clarityn (one is not enough), and Montelukast is supposed to help with allergies, but not helping.

[MortyFide]

OMFG yes, I made a separate post about it because I've never had hayfever in my life. It's unbearable, once a day antihistamine is only lasting 10 hours and the Beconase and Optrex mist has done very little to help.

I don't know what to do with myself, in fact I cried earlier and even did an online e-consult form for our medical practice in the hope that I can either score something stronger, or get clinical permission to double dose the loratadine.

How do you lifetime sufferers live with it, its horrific!! I don't actually know if it's tree pollen or the new puppy that came home a few days before the symptoms started...

[Splodgetastic]

It could also be because you are spending more time at home than usual. This creates more dust, as dust is basically your dead skin sloughing off. If you have air freshener puffer things at home those can also be quite irritating.

[MrsSnitchnose]

Ugh, I feel your pain. I'm like this most of the year, you name it, it makes me sneeze, even my own cats! The only thing I've found that gives me relief is a steroid nasal spray the doctor gave me, on top of a double dose of antihistamines most days

[notthemum]

Shit @ chocolatespiders. I completely forgot about the washing thing. I am such a div. I should have learned by now as I started getting hay-fever when I was 17 and am now 56. Not much use to most of you I'm afraid, but when I was much younger I used to get it really badly, couldn't breathe, sneezed and coughed from March til September and worst of all couldn't bloody see. My eyes used to swell up inside and it looked like I had water blisters in them but felt like sand.
Hope I'm afraid could be a way off but I finally appear to be having less symptoms.
Anyway, as for your question yes I really think the tumble dryer would be best. Sorry.
Sending 🍷for everyone as flowers may not be good.

[delilahbucket]

Mine is really bad and my eyes are so puffed up this evening. I need to get some eye drops but the ones that work I can only get in Superdrug and that means a trip to town.

[MortyFide]

How do you stop yourself rubbing your eyes madly? I'm itching all the way up to my hairline.

[Dontwanttobeyourmonkeywench]

@chocolatespiders you can ask for Fexofenadine. That's what I get because OTC isn't strong enough. I usually get a steroid nasal spray as well and use OTC eye drops as if was eyewash. I've had bad hayfever symptoms for the past week and now have a lovely sinus headache to go with it. BTW, you can also develop a mild temp with hayfever as your body goes a bit nuts with inflammation.

[longcoffee]

Yep. Working through tissues at an alarming rate, seems like it has crept up on me this year. Mind you, have totally lost track of what month we're even in, so that's possibly something to do with it...

Saw this today on a FB list, which did make me raise a snotty smile!

[MrsSnitchnose]

How do you stop yourself rubbing your eyes madly? I'm itching all the way up to my hairline

Knowing that my eyes will be extremely painful and swell up like anything if I do. The last time was grim, my actual eyeballs went all knobbly, like uneven jelly. I could see it in the mirror. Scared the crap out of me because it's never happened before

I try to just blink hard and hope that 'scratches' them enough

[MortyFide]

I woke at 2am.with a banging headache, eyes crusted closed and the dreaded maddening itching. My whole face is driving me crazy. I'm resorting to a cold flannel, its 4 hours until I can take another antihistamine and Optrex/Beconase is doing nothing.

I am trying to exert willpower but the sensation is overpowering. I'm trying to occupy myself (or just go back to sleep, which my DB - as a lifetime hayfever sufferer - claims is the only solution when you run out of medication options or other remedies).

[KingaRoo]

I normally only get very mild hayfever but yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. Constant sneezing, blocked nose, itchy eyes. I'm even sneezing all through the night! Never had it like this before.

Are there any contraindications in taking antihistamines with Corona about? Might sound silly but I'm worried about taking any kind of medication as we know so little about the virus and how it reacts with medication.

[MortyFide]

I'm no doctor KingaRoo but I doubt taking antihistamine would affect CV19 - assuming you mean whether it would leave you more susceptible to catching it or not? I don't think that's how it works! Take your antihistamine as you would normally, but maybe someone more medically knowledgeable could articulate that better than I.

I've just taken mine and I'm waiting patiently for it to kick in - the cold flannel on my eyes helped me get back off to sleep in the early hours. It's isn't runny nose and sneezing that's bothering me much (I sneeze maybe 5 or 6 times during the day), it's the itchy eyes.

[PatchworkElmer]

Feeling horrendous here. DH packed me off for a nap yesterday afternoon! Feel like I’ve been hit by a bus!

[TeenTraumaTrials]

Absolutely the same here. I have hayfever and allergic rhinitis and take cetirizine and beconase spray every day. I've been shuffling and sneezing for weeks and blaming the cheap cetirizine DH bought off Amazon!! Totally paranoid about sneezing in supermarket but have perfected the quiet sneeze into crook of arm.

[Jins]

Worst hay fever for years here. I’m managing it with cetirizine and nasal spray and I’ve had ‘permission’ to take cetirizine twice a day which helps.

[KingaRoo]

Not that taking antihistamines would make you more likely to catch it, but that if you do have it e.g. with mild symptoms, whether it might work to exacerbate the illness and increase its severity.

[Siameasy]

I only started getting it (or suspecting) as I’ve got older.
I feel like shite every morning - scratchy throat like sandpaper, phlegm, sneezing violently sometimes yet during the course of the day it goes. Does that sound like it? There are lots of willows round here and their catkins are covered in pollen.