Hayfever sufferers!

[DumbledoresGirl]

I appear to be suffering from hayfever for the first time in my life. Apparently, I am not alone: loads of people are suffering from hayfever for the first time this year or for the first time in many years, thanks to an unusual amount of pollen in the air this year.

Anyway, it got bad enough to warrant taking something for it yesterday so i duly went and bought Benadryl. The thing I want to know is this: What is the essential difference in symptoms between hayfever and a cold? At the moment I have a runny nose, bouts of sneezing and a tickly throat - all classic symptoms of hayfever I know, but how do I know it is not a cold? Do I just assume it is hayfever because the symptoms gets not better or worse whereas in a cold you would expect some sort of develpoment?

BTW, sympathies to all regular hayfever sufferers. This is horrid!

Basically you just know. Hayfever symptoms are constant.

Also snot with a cold is generally green, allergy snot is clear.

HTH!

I had a cold AND hayfever on Saturday

I was lots of fun at a hen night, NOT.

I really believe it to be hayfever as I had the symtoms a few weeks ago (including itchy eyes) and it went away and now has come back again. Also, snot is definitely clear - thanks for that distinction Northerner. But the symptoms are so similar to a cold aren't they? What misery this must be every year.

Yes, very similar to a cold. You will feel shit for all of teh summer.

DG my DS has hayfever and it does tend to come and go depending on the weather and I suppose what plants are in flower etc. It is definitely worse this year than previous years and definitely worse in the better weather. DS has a very runny nose and sore eyes. He also coughs a lot at night. The medication he is on and the eyedrops make a lot of difference, especially the eyedrops.