I’m allergic to grass!

Allergic rhinitis. The condition when you’re allergic to Rhinos. I jest. I’m talking about Hayfever. 1 in 5 people get it and I know many joke about it when asked why they’re all nasally and blowing their nose in decent weather, they respond “I’m allergic to grass”! Though sometimes, it’s really not that funny! Severity varies person to person, and then on the current pollen count. The higher the pollen count, the more severe the symptoms – higher exposure to the allergen. It also depends on the type of pollen the person is allergic to. This is also referred to as pollinosis.

Symptoms include; the sniffles, runny nose, sore throat, swelling, itchy eyes and more. A lot of people get it to a mild degree, getting “sneeze and sniffles” as I like to call it. This is also the way I suffer with Hayfever. I also get itchy eyes that just water and a scratchy sore throat sometimes when it’s quite bad, though I also spend a lot of time indoors with my current health so I’m not as affected as much as I would be if I were to be outside often. When I was in secondary school, I witnessed the worst hayfever sufferer I’d ever seen. Everyone seems to have hayfever to some degree but boy, this was bad! His face had swollen, his eyes had swollen in to little more than slits, his voice was croaky. He had it bad! I remember thinking how insane it was that someone could react so badly to nature.

Tissues! One of my best friends in my handbag. Okay, so I’m the type that has the kitchen sink in her handbag, but truly, one thing I can not go without, is tissues. I try and have a little pack of wet wipes in there too. Always very useful! I’m prone to sniffles in winter and Hayfever in the summer, so I always need my tissues. If you end up having to blow/wipe your nose a lot, you can rub some Vaseline or a crappy lip balm on to the side of your nostrils before you go to blow it, then instead of rubbing the skin more and making it dry and crack, you will rub the Vaseline off; so you don’t have such a sore nose! In winter, I’m permanently applying Vaseline to my nose, though if you do it and leave it in the spring/summer, you’re inviting pollen to the end of your honker; so apply it,  then blow! These have been crucial things for me with suffering from hayfever. They may or may not work for you, but it’s nice to share. I also have a nasal spray that squirts up my nose which helps too. Do you have any tips for coping with allergies?

If you check the forecast and a high pollen count is predicted, you can nip symptoms in the bud by taking an antihistamine before leaving the house. It doesn’t work for everyone, some people are still symptomatic but less severe, others, it completely knocks them out of the ball park. Though it’s also worth keeping in mind that they can make you rather drowsy.  If you suffer severely and antihistamines don’t help, your GP will be able to help you out. So don’t be afraid to ask just because “everyone” has it. We’re all affected differently by different things and there is no shame in asking for something to relieve your symptoms! And remember, cover your nose when you sneeze!