Hayfever and Allergies

There was an interesting discussion about hayfever and allergies on the Vic Covid-19 thread that I thought could be carried on here.

I've never considered myself to suffer from either but this year in particular Ive felt mildly unwell for months. I wake up feeling snotty and stuffy, Im constantly blowing my nose and sneezing. Im thinking now it might be hayfever or allergies, and Ive booked in to see my GP and bought myself some Nasonex.

Interested in more around what I can do to determine if this is the problem and how best to treat it as its really having a negative impact on my day to day. Today in particular my nose wont stop and my head feels super blocked up and kind of have a headache.

My sister in NZ has had a bad year, two really bad sinus infections and I have had one too. She got referred off to an ENT specialist and he reckons it's her neck. I have just come from my GP after taking 6 months of Dymista which has helped and I too might have neck issues ( so off for a scan). Just another things to consider.

Take an anti histamine. If it works, then it’s an allergy to something. If you want to investigate further then your GP can refer you to an allergist.

Do this before you try the nasonex. Nasonex can treat various other sinus issues that aren’t always allergy related.

This year was a bad pollen year though, next year you may not get hayfever at all.

LM I recommended the nasonex as most people seem to have to try a few different oral antihistamines before they find one that works, and the OP didn’t sound like she could cope with that! Plus as she says she’s going to the GP who will presumably do order a rast test and find out what the allergy is to (pollen, dust mites etc).

2020 was one of the worst years I’ve ever had for hayfever/allergic rhinitis/allergy induced asthma. And I know from the Fluffy vents thread and chatting to others that I’m not the only one whose been like this.

I’d also try an antihistamine before nasonex. (I buy the huge boxes of Zyrte-c due to myself and one child having issues.) Nasonex is okay but I loathed the feel of it. It also made zero difference for one child.

LM I recommended the nasonex as most people seem to have to try a few different oral antihistamines before they find one that works, and the OP didn’t sound like she could cope with that! Plus as she says she’s going to the GP who will presumably do order a rast test and find out what the allergy is to (pollen, dust mites etc).

Absolutely, it’s the best thing ever for hayfever.

Just if the OP is trying to narrow down what’s causing her runny nose, nasonex won’t help much. It’s stops almost any runny nose, hayfever, polyps, other irritations. It’s strong stuff.

Thanks all. Ive tried the nasonex this afternoon and 4 nurofen. Feeling a tad better. Its so hoooot and windy too here.

LM I recommended the nasonex as most people seem to have to try a few different oral antihistamines before they find one that works, and the OP didn’t sound like she could cope with that! Plus as she says she’s going to the GP who will presumably do order a rast test and find out what the allergy is to (pollen, dust mites etc).

 

Absolutely, it’s the best thing ever for hayfever.

Just if the OP is trying to narrow down what’s causing her runny nose, nasonex won’t help much. It’s stops almost any runny nose, hayfever, polyps, other irritations. It’s strong stuff.

I reckon the GP can help with that - but relief from symptoms would be more important short term I suspect. OP has been having a bit of a rough time of it all, and constant hay fever symptoms makes you feel so awful.

Thanks all. Ive tried the nasonex this afternoon and 4 nurofen. Feeling a tad better. Its so hoooot and windy too here.

If you’re really suffering and you think it’s allergies, behind the counter at the chemist is polaramine. It’s an old school antihistamine. It will make you drowsy (knocks me out) but it’s very effective. When my hayfever gives me itchy skin, it’s the only thing that stops it. It says 6 hours on the pack, but if I take it before bed I’ll still be tired the next day. Worth it though, when symptoms are bad.

Ive been thinking about why I might be having some problems. We moved to a new house last year and did a heap of renovations, new carpets, new paint, new kitchen, laundry, bathroom, wardrobes, everything. So wondering if something has been stirred up. Also thinking I will get my split system serviced, we tried washing the filters cause there was a bad smell a few months ago, but maybe it needs more than that. Ive already removed a lot from the house like candles and diffusers etc.

Just for fun daycare called me to pick up DD today, the hot weather made her ezcema really bad and her hand and foot got all red and puffy. The GP wasnt bothered when I did a telehealth though.

If you’re really suffering and you think it’s allergies, behind the counter at the chemist is polaramine. It’s an old school antihistamine. It will make you drowsy (knocks me out) but it’s very effective. When my hayfever gives me itchy skin, it’s the only thing that stops it. It says 6 hours on the pack, but if I take it before bed I’ll still be tired the next day. Worth it though, when symptoms are bad.

Yep, there is this or phenerghan - both super old school & work wonderfully. My hay fever has been horrid last year, worst since prior to undergoing desensitisation nearly 20 years ago. Polaramine was my saviour.

I’ve also ended up with a sinus infection from out of control hay fever, so if you are feeling particularly crummy, don’t hesitate to visit your GP to rule this out.

[mention]Vitsyra[/mention] if you have a split system you really need to get it serviced properly. Mould can into the insides and not just the filters (we wash these every other month). I’m particularly sensitive to it (wheezey and definite hayfever symptoms). A total flush and clean does wonders for them. And once you see what sort of gunk comes out you understand why they are supposed to be done a minimum of every two years. Work serviced the one in my workroom yearly after I had an asthma attack from it not being clean enough and it being designated a workplace health and safety issue).

Also household cleaners get me. I don’t know what they use in Coles here either but every so often I go in there and start straight up and it’s to do with the cleaning products. Glen 20 in particular can’t be used anywhere near me.

I have been trying to go green so my house cleaners are castile soap and essential oils these days

Woke up this morning feeling terrible. Had a sneezing fit and my nose wont stop running. Cant wait to get on top of what ever this is.

We moved to a new house last year and did a heap of renovations, new carpets, new paint, new kitchen, laundry, bathroom, wardrobes, everything.

Could just be volatile compounds coming off carpets etc.

It's a recognised thing. When we had a refit years ago at work i had to stay off the new floor for a week as i felt ill if i went down until all the stuff coming off the carpets etc had had a chance to reduce.

You might want to look into investing in an air purifier to run during the night. We have just brought one from Kmart ( the large one ) and it's very quiet. My DH did a bit of research and the Kmart one stacks up well compared to the $ 500+ ones, and supposedly they will be sticking replacemnet filters soon. I have managed to get my DS off his nasal spray everyday since using it ( however it has only lessened my issues).

Where to start...

Try a saline irrigation. The big bottles.

There are two fantastic for me nasal Sparta that have really helped - avermis and demista. Expensive but I can smell someone mowing grass and not be wiped out the rest of the day so well worth it for me.

I have been trying to go green so my house cleaners are castile soap and essential oils these days

Woke up this morning feeling terrible. Had a sneezing fit and my nose wont stop running. Cant wait to get on top of what ever this is.

Essential oils make me sneezy just as much as any other fragrance. The key for me is to be as fragrance free as possible.

It's definitely been a bad year, and for me, who used to spend most days cooped up in an office or working out at the gym, exercising outside hasn't helped. All those lockdown walks used to finish with an antihistamine.

The thing about allergies is that they do just appear. I was fine until I wasn't - grew up with cats, played outside as a kid, my childhood home was pretty messy and dusty and definitely not disinfected too often - and then at some point in my 20's, bam, my immune system just shit the bed. I get bad hayfever, hives, I'm allergic to cats (I won't avoid them though, because.....cats) and I have some food intolerances these days too. So don't tie yourself in knots trying to find the "new" cause - it might be things you were fine with before.

I use rhinocourt nasal spray daily and it's pretty effective. When I get hives/itchy skin, which is esp bad in humid weather, I'll scratch and hate it til the weekend and then take a phenergen, which is SO effective, but it leaves you so stoned the next day, so doesn't help during the work week.

[mention]Vitsyra[/mention] um essential oils can be a huge trigger as well. Oregano oil? Can’t have that stuff anywhere near me. I can tolerate the actual plant and herb fine but essential oils for many can cause huge hayfever issues. (When the doterra craze went through my town I couldn’t go anywhere )

Your GP might send you off for allergy testing and you’ll need to have not had any antihistamines for a period of time prior. So just bear that in mind.

When we renovated our current house, we were planning on keeping the existing ducted air con because it was still functional. The electrician strongly recommended we replace it and when they pulled the unit out, I could see it was covered in black mould. Gross! We replaced the unit, added a pre-filter and put in ventilation into our roof so the humidity didn’t built up in the space encouraging mould growth.

I’ve seen many GPs over the years and many are dismissive of ‘mild’ allergies because they are so common. They just treat the symptoms but don’t investigate the root cause so you can actually try and remove/minimise the irritant in your life.

I only found out about our dustmite allergies because my children have anaphylactic allergies to other things. Part of the treatment was to reduce as many of the other irritants in their life as possible so the body isn’t in a constant state of defending against attack. Eczema was one of the symptoms too. Touch wood, we haven’t had a serious episode in many years.

The best things we did was to invest in dustmite protectors for all our bedding and air purifiers. The allergist explained that we spend approximately one third of our lives in bed. If we can make that a genuinely restful space for the body (from an allergy point of view), the body will be better able to cope with attacks the rest of the time when we can’t control the environment.

I have been sneezing since July - and DH has had his nose blocked/running for easily as long. We have gone through more tissues this past 12 months than EVER.

In the morning, I know I am awake because I start sneezing. Nasonex did nothing (although apparently I didn't give it enough days consecutively - its a possibility) and so now I take Loratadine. As I hate taking drugs I only take 1/2 on bad days but it does mean that I am not sneezing for the whole day.

My daughter has terrible ezcema and I'm asthmatic. So wont hurt to make some changes.

I dont use much essential oil, just a drop or two on a cleaning rag once a week for the toilet/bathroom, but maybe Ill stop for a few weeks and see if that helps.

$63 for GP to tell me I probably have hayfever and should try taking some Telfast and a nasal spray. Bleh.

$63 for GP to tell me I probably have hayfever and should try taking some Telfast and a nasal spray. Bleh.

That annoys me. If you want to get definitive proof with allergy testing, find a GP connected to an allergy specialist/clinic.

One of my kid’s specialist can not cope with the demand for his services so set up clinics which are predominantly staffed with GPs, nurses and doctors in training who want to specialise. It saves his time for the obscure and difficult cases but provides so many others with medical care from staff with more knowledge and interest in this area.

I didn’t bother getting myself tested because with all the changes we made, I felt a noticeable difference. I also casually spoke about my own situation with the doctors when my kids had appointments.

Good luck. I remember how awful that period was with the congestion and constant background headache. I found myself also more susceptible to every bug going around.

That sounds like me! Daily headaches, catch every cold going round lately.

Im going to try and proactive. Since Im asthmatic and my daughter has ezcema, its sounds like any changes I make will benefit us both in lots of ways. Since my symptons are worse when I wake up in the morning, going to start with changing things in my room, especially bedding. Open to any suggestions or product recommendations.