Hay fever hell! (Day 18)

I hadn't really considered what I was going to write about for this post today and now that I sit in front of the computer my enthusiasm for writing about any of the subjects I've noted down over the past few weeks is pretty flat. In fact it's taken a whole lot of effort to do the normal little stuff this evening - cooking, clearing up, bathing and putting the little one to bed etc, all thanks to that lovely little Summertime allergy, hay fever!! Those of you that also suffer know what I'm talking about, anyone who doesn't probably thinks I'm being a wimp! After all it's just a summer cold isn't it? I wish!!

This past week I have either been so blocked up that I can barely breathe, my ears are clogged and my head is banging (the problem that comes with hay-fever teamed with underdeveloped sinuses!). A lot of the time these past few days I've literally wanted to rip my eyes out of my head because they're itching so much, I've been waking through the night to scratch my throat (anyone that know's me will know that weird noise me and some other family members and friends make whilst doing this!) or try and blow my blocked nose but failing miserably because it's too congested and aside from all of those lovely symptoms there is guaranteed to be some regular sneezing going on! I feel more tired than normal, which I'm not sure is a symptom itself or lack of sleep due to the other symptoms! The best part of all though (and I'm sure I'm not alone) is that every year I look forward to the Summer so much and then it gets here and brings it's cousin the high flipping' pollen count! Just perfect! 

Every year I try and remind myself that I must take a spoonful of local honey in the lead up to Summer, although perhaps I should just do it all year? Anyway, I never remember and none of the medication I've tried seems to really work so I thought I would publish a blog about this in the hope that someone would have some proven remedies that actually work... In return here's a few facts and tips that I've found that I thought you might be interested in...

Did you know that there are different types of pollen that you can be allergic to and they are all released at different times of the year?

First it's tree pollen, which is released during the Spring.

Next up (my arch enemy) grass pollen, which is released late Spring / early Summer.

Plus there's also weed pollen which can be released anytime from early Spring to late Autumn (luckily for me weeds don't seem to be my problem!)

So if you feel like you had a spout of hay fever last month then tree pollen is probably your antagonist and for me and others suffering right now, let's hope that the grass pollen count will calm down really soon!

Did you know that hay fever is actually the most common allergic reaction with over 10 million people in the UK suffering with it? Well now I don't feel so special! It is more common in boys than girls in childhood but equal for men and women in adulthood. It's also more likely that you will have it if you have a family history of allergies like eczema and asthma.

In addition to antihistamines and over the counter or prescribed medication the NHS have a few tips to prevent the symptoms, so maybe worth trying to follow some of these basic precautions (none of which I ever do by the way! Maybe I should start trying to actually help myself a bit!!)

• Wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes when you're outdoors.
• Change your clothes and take a shower after being outdoors to remove pollen on your body.
• Try to stay indoors when the pollen count is high (over 50)

I won't go into pollen count on here but you can read more on the NHS website if you're interested...

So that's about it I think. I'd love to hear what you fellow sufferers use to help. I'm open to any kind of witchcraft too so please comment below and let's help each other enjoy this Summer!

P.S. If you're still reading this and you don't actually get hay fever, congratulations, you deserve a medal! However, I guess now you might know a little bit more about why the rest of us are whinging so much!