Spring Sorrow

I hate the spring. For someone who likes walking and spending time outdoors this might seem something of a paradox. The reason: hayfever.

To many people hayfever might not seem like a big deal. But when you suffer as badly as I do, it is. My nose streams constantly, I sneeze literally hundreds of times a day, my eyes feel like they have acid in them and my whole face aches. I wake up every day feeling like I'm hungover.

Studies have found that hayfever can have a significant impact on mental health. Feeling ill for weeks at a time is going to do this, as well as losing sleep because of it and finding leaving the house an unpleasant experience because it makes your allergies flare up.

For me, hayfever, or "allergic rhinitis" started in my early twenties. My immune system is quite strong- I rarely get ill- but it got carried away with itself and started releasing an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). This releases the chemical histamine which causes inflammation which causes the symptoms in the hope of stopping what my immune system has assumed is an infection but is really just pollen.

I often wonder why I was selected to receive this horrible allergy. The only other member of my family who has hayfever is my uncle so whilst it's in the family it's far from the norm. There is some scientific evidence that firstborn children are more likely to develop hayfever so I like to think I can pin some blame on my younger brother for having the indecency to be born after me.

Of course, there are treatments. It's just that they don't really work. Over the counter antihistamines do nothing so I have prescription tablets but even they have limited effect. I also use a nasal spray and an eye spray which both have a decent short-term effect but it's only a matter of minutes. The pharmaceutical companies have utterly failed to make a product which makes much difference. One of the best treatments I've found is to eat an ice cream or ice pop as the cold reduces the inflammation which gives me a good half an hour of feeling better.

The main piece of advice you are given is to avoid the allergens. This might be fairly straight forward if you are allergic to cats but when you are effectively allergic to the air that's not so straightforward. Basically it would mean never going outside which is ridiculous. It's all very well if you live in the middle of a city but in my small town most houses have a lawn and there are patches of grass everywhere. It's impossible to avoid pollen. I do try to stay inside more at this time of year but that doesn't exactly help my mood- to be stuck inside when it's gloriously sunny outside is no fun at all.

The other way to avoid allergens is to try and block them so I tend to be seen wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes from pollen at this time of year. I feel like such an idiot wandering round with sunglasses on even when it's cloudy. I almost want to tell everyone that passes me that no, I don't think I'm cool, I'm just protecting my eyes.

So apart from feeling ill, putting on weight because of eating ice creams and not going outside as much and feeling miserable because of feeling ill and not going outside as much spring is great.