Debilitating hayfever at the end of my tether

[freakinthespreadsheets]

I don't know where else to turn. I am hoping, praying someone out there has suggestions for what I can do to bring down my hayfever symptoms.
I have tree and grass pollen allergies so suffer all year round with moderate symptoms. Then I have fullblown attacks where I am wheezing ( i don't have asthma) my eyes swell almost closed, headaches from the sinus pressure, my face blisters up, im dizzy and lethargic and I ache all over. I cannot breathe through my nose at all so my mouth is dry, gums are sore and its hard to swallow, my jaw aches. I can't drive, I can't focus on work during these attacks. They happen 6-7 times a year and last around 5 days at a time. Then the rest of the time I still have more moderate hayfever i never get a break.

When i tell you I have tried EVERYTHING. I am prescribed fexofenadine 180mg and this didn't work on its own so I've tried taking more than one a day (doc said this was fine). Bought my own cetirizine, loratadine, clorphenamine etc. Have tried every nasal spray, eye drop etc under the sun, both prescription and OTC, and no combination of any of these things seems to bring my symptoms down or prevent these attacks.

I do all the right things, drying bedding indoors, showering and washing my face when I come in from outside, changing clothes, use the hayfever wipes and sprays and the pollen barrier balm, all of it. I have tried the hayfever injection, two doses of it, and it didnt relieve my symptoms. I get no reprieve whatsoever and I am exhausted.

I literally don't know what else to do. Please please please does anyone have any recommendations of what i can try?

I have also tried the spoonfuls of local honey trick, wearing sunglasses, the vaseline hack, washing my hair before bed, hoovering more often, etc. This has been going on for years since i was a teen (i had mild hayfever as a child) and has become progressively worse as I've got older.

I am so sorry you suffer from such severe hayfever. It must be driving you up the wall to have it impact your life this way and your work even driving being a struggle. You have tried everything clearly that you can, but there is one thing that nay help. I had awful hayfever too, on daily meds, itchy, scratchy eyes, nose running and blocked up so much. I felt faint sometimes from the sneezing and like wooly headed when the grass grew and blossom came out. About 5 years ago my diet was full of pasta, bread and pizzas. I ate bread almost daily and pasta several times a week, frozen vegetarian food and jacket poatoes, chips etc. I went even worse in lockdown and had too many takeaways and knew I needed to change. Now, I very rarely eat any bread and pasta is barely consumed at all. Pizzas are a 1 off treat but carb cravings hit the worst before my period. I eat rice and lentils, chickpeas, fresh tuna and cod, with veg and swapped to sweet potatoes. I don't even take any allergy meds now and get maybe a few sneezes and my eyes are not puffed up and running. Honestly, cutting out the pasta, bread, wheat to almost 0 has made all the difference.

Yup, BTDT. I got referred to the allergy clinic at the regional hospital. Tests - skin prick and bloods and then qualified to be desensitised. 3 lots of 6 months, under the tongue pollen pills.

PM if I can help further. Not an instant solution and doesn’t work for everyone, but worth a try.

Dymista nasal spray has been a literal miracle worker this year. Dripping tap of a nose was ‘switched off’ literally overnight. Haven’t had a single symptom since the first dose. Marvellous! Fexofenadine etc never even touched the sides.

Might be extreme and not possible for you, but have you considered moving? To a country with less pollen?
I get hay-fever attacks, albeit not as long lasting, and it is horrible. If it were the severity you describe i would be clinically depressed. That's no way to live...

I think you should be hounding GP for more support - you need to see a specialist, hvae more tests and possibly see if you can be referred for better treatment. The long-term desensitisation thing a PP mentions is something you could try - if you can get the referral (I know it can be hard).

But even just from your GP - why aren't they offering you a steroid nasal spray for when things are really bad and/or injection? Ditto, you say you don't have asthma but you wheeze - so a pump for these moments surely is the answer? DH has the kind of asthma brought on by hayfever and he has a blue pump for adhoc and is supposed to take the brown pump daily from March-August.

Get the steroid injection. Mine cost £45 and i get it late February to prepare myself. I still take the fexofenadine on top of it. Still have symptoms but more manageable

Dymista has been a game changer for me too.

Better for you than oral antihistamines as well - my ENT consultant said she’d prefer to see me on Dymista over fexofenadine.

I had the same until a week ago, my doctor prescribed Ebastine but I have no idea if it is available in the UK, plus prednisolone for a week to get it under control. It's the first week in summer in years that I've been hayfever free.

I went to GP when I realised it was carrying on year-round for me. They prescribed Avamys which absolutely fixed things
www.ashcroftpharmacy.co.uk/ad-landing-page/a-spray/?gadsource=1&gaddcampaignid=21863800992&gbraid=0AAAAAoPTVdoJZDo5Z7XnkphRZGDQisHVH&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq72yJW-jQMV-4lQBh0I6yXmEAQYAiABEgIAmPDDBwE

When I ran out I got this over the counter from boots which works the same

www.boots.com/boots-allergy-relief-50-microgram-nasal-spray-10235461?srsltid=AfmBOooTLocRrnVU1d5bzAWhtXOMzJ2Uu_wsT5Chh1QDZ-qGT-n6fpbv

Both of them I take daily to build up in my system then weekly/as needed if I have a flare up. Absolutely game changing

Benadryl Acrivastine is the only one that touches ours.

Ooh do you know why that is, out of interest?

Wow this is really interesting. Do you think it was a gluten sensitivity?

Thank you, i have booked yet another GP appointment and am determined NOT to get fobbed off wirh yet another shit nasal spray. Did you get this on NHS do you mind me asking and how did you go about asking for it?

Unfortunately dymista hasn't relieved anything for me at all :( but thank you for the suggestion and trying to help!

Unfortunately I'm not in a financial position to move at the moment but I do love my holidays where I don't suffer as much!

I've had the injection and steroid nasal sprays which don't prove effective for me unfortunately.
I'm definitely going to push for the sublingual immunotherapy though! Thank you

@freakinthespreadsheets - sorry if this is a stupid question but do you take the medicine once the symptoms are showing?

As i said in the OP I've had two doses of this injection and unfortunately it didnt provide me any relief :( I wish it did

Not sure if suggested above but iv just been prescribed fexofenadine but Allevia is the equivalent over the pharmacy/counter or on supermarket shop floor. I use it for sun allergy too which I develop hives. :-(

Thank you, this isn't actually one I've heard of as it doesn't seem as widely available as some of the others!

Yes I take 180mg prescribed strength fexo, and usually triple up my dose on those :( it's so expensive to buy OTC and NHS have stopped prescriptions of it now the 120mg is available OTC so I'm going to really struggle

Thank you, I think that's a drowsy one but I'll give it a go! Can't hurt!

I’m so sorry you suffer badly, I’m right behind you and had to knock on doors until eventually I was referred to an immunology clinic. They prescribed gravax which you take year round and it increases the pollen internally. By summer the symptoms ease up.
HOWEVER! I’ve managed to find my own way without it and it’s the only thing that’s worked for me, same fexofenadine as you, plus become nasal spray, but the magic cure is pollinosan from Holland and Barrett. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been life changing. 6 tablets a day. My symptoms have disappeared

I don't think it was a gluten allergy. There wasn't any stomach cramps, feeling sick, skin rashes etc when I ate bread or pasta. It has really helped though with making my hayfever 90% better and med free.