Allergy season

MustardMan

MustardMan

Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
3,646
I'm curious how many other W&SS folks out there deal with allergies. I actually had to take a hiatus from outdoor activities in my late teenage years, because my allergies became so bad that no meds could come close to helping, and my eyes would get so swollen that I literally couldn't see. Luckily, as I have aged, they have calmed down a bit, and better medications have come on the market, that make them reasonably manageable.

Still, there are weekends where a certain plant is in bloom or something, and no amount of meds will do me any good, and I've ended up canceling a few planned outings because my allergies were just plain nasty.


On top of that, I always have to carry an epi-pen with me, because of a severe allergy to hornet stings.


How many other W&SS'ers deal with allergies, and how much does it affect your time in the woods?
 
I don't have allergies, but my I have to take caution when I go out with anyone else. My time in the woods isn't limited much, but my time with others is. Anyone who I would happen to be able to go out with has allergies, and are usually not able to do much when I really want to do something.
 
Oddly, I don't get hay fever every year but when I do it's a drag. I've got a little £14 phototherapy thing from Lloyds pharmacy that fixes it right up.

Be clear that I'm a skeptic by nature, extremely skeptical some might say, so a little gizmo like this wouldn't usually stand a chance. Then there's that I hate gizmos. Tools good, gadgets suck. That said, I saw a bunch of medical doctors knocking one about between them and my ears pricked up. There was all the blah and may be placebo for some and blah that one might expect, but underneath all that it was impossible to ignore a bunch of positive feedback from patients. A bit after that someone bought one for me completely out of the blue so I gave it a go.

Anyway, I completely disregarded any recommended exposure times and rinsed it. Being a void the warranty kinda person I went at it hammer and tongs. I'd sit at a computer with that up my snout tapping a repeat on it after the 3mins auto shut down [the only annoying feature is that limited 3mins]. You're supposed to feel it kick in after a couple of weeks or something and then keep topping up. After about three days with several half hour sessions I could feel a benefit. After that I scaled back to just letting it run its 3min cycle a couple of times a day, or when I remembered. If I stay on it it only needs those few cycles but when I haven't done it for a long time I do have to start again with hammering on it and all that bloody beeping. Haven't needed to put it into bat this year yet but I'm confident in it if I do need it.

Given that this looks like the kind of thing I'd normally stamp on it's still a bit of a surprise to me that it lives and really does seem to work on me. looksie
 
I just acquired the allergy to pollen, first time ever in my life, it had me down for the first three days, cause I didn't know what I had, started takin an allergy pill and good to go.....doesn't keep me out of the woods!!!!
 
MM
Maybe you can find "locally produced" honey and try some of that
every day before allergy time.
the thinking is the bees are visiting the plants in your area
and some of that pollen winds up in the honey,and
eventually in you.
you would then build a tolerance to it.
i read that in a few places.
i dont have allergies but i do take a spoon of honey in
my evening tea,daily.
 
Allergies have plagued me since I was a kid. I learned never to make important decisions in April -- that's when I always used to get into fights in grade school. Thankfully, allergy meds have improved a lot since then.
 
fugawee said:
MM
Maybe you can find "locally produced" honey and try some of that
every day before allergy time.
the thinking is the bees are visiting the plants in your area
and some of that pollen winds up in the honey,and
eventually in you.
you would then build a tolerance to it.
i read that in a few places.
i dont have allergies but i do take a spoon of honey in
my evening tea,daily.
Click to expand...

What he said - I have been taking local honey for the last few years and it has made a big difference. You need to start early in the year to build up the tolerance, I started taking it again in February.
 
Oh allergies...

For the last ten years I have had a pretty bad allergy to dust (or as my immunologist said, "both" type of dust mites), but I think there is something else out there that triggers a response. It's typically worst in the morning and night...and during the summer season.

Like MustardMan, it mainly affects my eyes, which is just awful. I guess I can't really say that because I have sneezed easily over 150 times a day. But I definitely get those itchy, watery eyes that just beg you to itch them (and it does feel good to itch in case you were wondering). Another symptom is an itchy throat.

I tried multiple treatments, but only a temporarily worked, and they were Zyrtec, Zaditor, and a off brand allergy medicine using Cetirizine (that might be what's in Zyrtec, not sure). Other prescription and over the counter or oral medications, eye drops, nose sprays, and allergy shots proved useless.
 
Allergies suck. I can handle getting hit by a car, but the sinus headache will keep me from work. I've found that taking mucenix when my sinus starts to get stuffed up will alievate the problem most of the time.
 
I've got cetirizine hydrochloride too. Works well enough in the short term. Never used them long term because I don't want to wail on anything like that.
 
baldtaco-II said:
I've got cetirizine hydrochloride too. Works well enough in the short term. Never used them long term because I don't want to wail on anything like that.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I take it when I have too...not just one everyday. Well maybe in the summer when I literally have to or suffer immensely
 
I have afibb, so I can't take any decongestants. I take Loratadine, and it works pretty well for me. When my season hits however, I usually go for regular Claritin. Sometimes, I feel like I want to gouge my own eyes out. My season is in the fall.
 
I have the most problem from early April through May. Grass pollen is the worst. Over the counter allergy meds help me. By this time, June, it's gets better.
Scott
 
I had horrible allergies in my 20's. Took weekly shots and all that. Then I discovered Vitamin C. I take 6 grams of Vitamin C per day and no more allergies. A lot of folks think this is an old wives tale but works well for me. One caution, work up to 6 or 8 grams a day gradually or you will get a sour stomach. There is a good website that talks about vitamin C called doctoryourself.com

Good luck with the allergies. Few things are more miserable.
 
Claritin-D 24 Hour works very well for me. The key is to start taking it a week before you expect to need it.

Several years ago I was complaining about my allergies to my late grandmother. I asked, "Grandma, did people have all these allergy problems when you were young?"

She answered, "No...we had polio."

I quit my whining. :)
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I have afibb, so I can't take any decongestants. I take Loratadine, and it works pretty well for me. When my season hits however, I usually go for regular Claritin. Sometimes, I feel like I want to gouge my own eyes out. My season is in the fall.
Click to expand...

I thought Loratadine is the same as Claritin... only a LOT cheaper.;)
 
Spring pollen doesn't bother me but as a teenager our family doc. said I had "hay fever". I was miserable during the early fall in school with a constant runny nose and non stop sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.
I've since figured out I'm allergic to Ragweed. Before it starts flowering I start taking claritin and stay on it for a few weeks and I'm pretty good to go.
 
I suffer severely from grass pollen. In my late teens it started out with runny nose, sneezing, and red itchy eyes. Over the last 10 years it has gotten progessively worse, to the point where it affects my breathing too.

I started out with regular over-the-counter meds and proceeded to stronger multiple prescription drugs every year, but every year the allergy would get worse and the drugs less effective.

Now i get a corticosteroid injection when the season starts and for the past 2-3 years its worked wonders for me. I cant feel my allergy anymore and if im lucky the shot will last all season. Last year though, i had to get two shots.
I dont really like the idea of corticosteriods in my body, cos its some real nasty stuff with some serious sideeffects, but its the only thing that works for me.

Grass pollen in my part of the world goes from mid-May till late-August, and before i got my corticosteroid shots i used to dread summertime. I used to stay indoors whenever i had the chance. I never ventured out in the woods if it was grass pollen season, but nowadays, as long as my injection has taken effect, i can do whatever i want.
 
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