I've had hayfever since I was a baby, never gone away except the year before I was diagnosed type 1, but I'm guessing my immune system was just too busy dismantling my beta cells to react to pollen 🙄
It helps to know what you're reacting too Pottersusan because not all antihistamines are created equal. This time of the year the main culprit is usually grass because people will insist on cutting it, but when it's wet it can also be fungal spores and the dreaded oilseed rape (the really pretty yellow fields). I'm allergic to tree pollen, blossom, fungal spores, grass the list goes on. Beconase is great outside of the summer months for me (I'm also allergic to dust and pet hair) but doesn't cut the mustard for the summer assault. Piriton nasal spray is very good, but I need optichrom eye drops as well with that and it doesn't help my skin rash (a new feature in the last few years). One a day antihistamines only really cut the mustard for those with mild allergy symptoms, I have acrivastine (which you can now buy over the counter) and that works wonderfully but I have to take three a day sometimes. I tend not to need the eye drops at all now until we hit August which is an improvement. I have also have a red nose machine (or red light allergy reliever) which works very well because it reduces the inflammation, although your nose does run like the clappers when you first start using it.
If the eyes are the main event it's most likely rapeseed or grass I was told, and that rings true for me, my eyes don't run so much as balloon until I can't open them, but optichrom is great for that, stings like a bee for a few moments but keeps my eyes normal sized. Oh and Liz Earle eye bright on cotton wool pads make them feel human again. If you can get the doctor to do allergy testing that's really useful because some antihistamines are better than others for each allergen. It is worth checking it out though just to make sure you're not allergic to something else that you can easily avoid (white wine gives my mum the same symptoms).
It does affect my blood sugar though if I don't medicate, makes it go higher, but then my allergy is quite severe and the increase is limited so I'd guess most won't see an impact.
I hope it just goes, but if not it's worth experimenting with different treatments until you get the right one, otherwise summer can be a bit miserable.
. My nose and eyes are streaming. What effect, if any does it have on your bg levels?
