Hay fever 2016 edition

According to reports 2016 is a particularly bad year for hay fever sufferers. This is something to do with the fact that we had a warm and wet winter and spring and it created the perfect conditions for more tree pollen. The other problem appears to be that the trees are late flowering and this has clashed with the flowers and the grass pollen. Certainly in the last few days the pollen count where I live has ranged from moderate to high.

The trouble is that I only realised I had hay fever a few years ago. I had just started a new job and one of the managers was retiring. Our office had so many flowers in it we could have opened our own florists! I developed an itchy nose and throat and really gunky eyes. I developed hay fever.

Since then I have noticed that I get a bad bout every other year. Apparently there are certain trees, like the Birch, that have two yearly cycles of really intense pollen and 2016 is one of those years. I have to say that this year I have been especially bad. I have tried everything at my disposal and nothing seems to be working.

1. Hay fever tablets - I have tried the one a day ones that are both the drowsy ones and the non-drowsy ones and they have had little to no effect.

2. Nasal spray - this is a new one for me and it says it can take a couple of days to be effective so I am hoping this will kick in soon

3. Honey - the more local the honey the better for you apparently as it means you are able to build up an immunity to the local plants. The other good thing is that honey will also sooth a sore throat that is caused by hay fever.

What are the symptoms this year?

For me I have had the following symptoms this year and one is really bugging me.


  • Sore throat - this is the worst thing for me this year as it is really sore and I haven't had this in a couple of years. It is caused by pollen irritating the back of the throat and by breathing in through the mouth because your nose is stuffed up from the hay fever.
  • Itchy nose - this is because of pollen irritating the sinus at the back of the nose and it makes you want to tear your nose off your face.
  • Itchy ears - this is a new one for me this year. Again it is because the nose, throat and ears are all connected but the itch is deep inside my ear and makes me want to tear the side of my head off to get to it.
  • Itchy/gunky eyes - this is the build up of pollen in the eyes. I rub and rub until they are sore sometimes (so I try not to do this if I can) and if I run my finger along my lower eyelid it comes away with a jelly like substance. Grim.
There are some things you can do other than medication and eat honey though. I have started showering in the evening to wash away the pollen that builds up in my hair and on my skin during the day. Avoiding certain times of day helps too and the general advice is to stay indoors during 7am - 9am and 5pm - 9pm (but these are the times I usually commute so that doesn't really help). Also I have bought some eye wash and I cannot wait to get home and try that on my eyes, it will be so soothing.

What things do you do to avoid hay fever?

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