The Knowledge Board:
Hay Fever
Hi I'm Belinda I'm your community manager at The Patients Voice.
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Hay Fever is so called because it involves some kind of allergic reaction to air born pollens. We are launching this blog in June because this is the high point in the number of suffers in the northern hemisphere.
We are running the ResBlog because we are interested in the opinions and experiences of people who suffer from Hay Fever.
In particular we are interested in exploring the following questions:-
• At what age did you start to suffer from Hay Fever and what are the symptoms?
• Has it gotten worse over the years? Does your location (i.e. town or county) affect the severity?
• What treatments do you use? Have you tried “alternative treatments”? If so which ones do you use and how effective are they?
• What impact if any has it had on your working life?
• What was the quality of support like from Healthcare Professionals such as physicians and nurses?
• If you had one piece of advice for a fellow sufferer what would it be?
• Would you be interested in contributing to an online encyclopaedia for other patients?
Thanks very much in advance for your help. Please feel free to check back on the blog to see what others have said and perhaps contribute further thoughts.
As with all our market research projects, of which this ResBlog is one example, the responses of people who participate are anonymous. This in line with market research codes of conduct. To participate all you need to do is scroll down to the comments area, type a nickname of your choice and then put your comments into the box. To find out more about what we do both in terms of work for our clients and our patient communities and resources please feel free to explore our web site further if you have not already done so.
I look forward to reading your comments and, of course, thank you very much for your input. Finally can I ask you to bear in mind when you blog that you comments will not just be read by other bloggers and The Patients’ Voice team but also , in some cases, the clients for whom we work.
Best wishes
Belinda
Moderator | 13/06/2007 13:00:00
Thanks for joining us. Tell us what you think! Best wishes Belinda
folklikeme | 13/06/2007 14:52:00
I suffer quite badly with full cold symptoms when Laurel comes into flower in April/M, and again in late July/ August when buddlea pollen is rife. I only use piriton, or the shop's own equivelant, as over the counter medicines are so expensive.
May cummings | 13/06/2007 15:19:00
I was aware that I suffered from Hay fever as a child but it has only returned in the 6 years or so. I am 39. My commom symptoms include sneezing, watery eyes, and itchy throat. I feel really tired and miserable following about. I usually use over the counter medication and the strange this is that if I use the one a day tablets for a two week period (providing I get the right one) then I do not need to take any medication for the rest of the summer.I also use self conditioning techniques to help me relax and this usually suppresses the condition. My advice would be to identify what causes your reaction amd try to avoid it (perhaps the wife or the husband - only joking), see what medication works for you and try as mucg as possible to relax. Lets face it winter will be here soon enough. Good luck.
Nostalgic | 13/06/2007 16:03:00
As a teenager I suffered terribly from hay fever - sneezing, itchy eyes and nosecontinually running. But I went overseas for my National Service at age 20 and spent nearly 2 years in hot conditions (Cyprus, North Africa and the Persian Gulf). Since my return I have hardly ever been bothered by hay fever.
Lisa | 13/06/2007 16:32:00
I first got hay fever in my early 20's (I'm now 30). I'm mainly affected by grass pollen and have suffered more than usual this year. I take benedryl but have recently been given an asthma inhaler as I have been very wheezy. My best tip is to avoid pollen as much as possible and relieve your symptoms with nasal spray/ eyedrops. . It's not very environmentally friendly but don't dry clothes/sheets outdoors and keep windows shut as much as possible. Also, take your anti histimine BEFORE you go to bed, so you don't have to wait for it's effects in the morning.
susanxx | 08/07/2007 22:45:00
I have suffered since I was 8yo, I hated playing out as is was very bad with nosebleeds. I was prescibed the tablets still doing the rounds, the ever useless Piriton but they were and are a total waste of space. Sneezing was very bad for me, the eyes didn't really bother me but the itchy throat was painful and sore. I had many tablets over the years and then tried injections, I could not use a nasal spray as the nosebleeds came back if I did. I wnet thru a phase were I thought I had grown out of it, I'm now 52yo but I have just moved to the coast and to my horror I'm in trouble once more, sneezing and snotty, maybe I should move back to the polluted town I came from, at least I wasn't suffering like I am now!
Gary Barnes 13th July 2007 | 13/07/2007 15:28:00
Have suffered since a child and am 62 now, the symptoms got worse and reached a peak around the age of 25. It then levelled off and eased during my later years, I did have to move from one rural area as the cereal crops made me asthmatic during the summer.When I was young I was given injections but I still had to take other medicine, at the moment I take Mizollen which has been quite good but has not been as affective this year for some reason. I have tried Kinetic therapy but all that did was cost me money. My working life was affected considerably as sometimes the continual sneezing, steaming eyes and nose made working impossible.The healthcare offered is I feel quite poor as the Doctors only prescribe what is new as it comes up, I do not think that some take it very seriously at all, bit like a head cold" you'll be ok Tomorrow" My best advice is to coat your internal nostrils with Vic especially at night, I found this helped me breath better and eased the tickle in my throat that keeps me awake. My problem appears to be grass pollens but there are other things that get me to in some weeds.My best relief is when at the coast/seaside, my symptoms virtually disappear.
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