Good morning all,
When the leaves start filling the trees, and I live high up amongst them, I get a sort of 'hay fever' wheezy chest blocked sinuses, sore throat. This is my first PMR tree season and my 8 mg Pred dose is not adequate just now.
Am I just being silly or could there be a link between the hay fever and increased PMR symptoms? If so, I will up my pred dose for a few days.
Morning Oxford
This maybe worth having a chat with your GP about as actually being on the steroids should in theory make it easier not worse.
He may suggest an inhaler rather than adding to your oral steroids, have you ever used a Peak Flow Meter at the Surgery? As that gives a baseline to what your normal capacity is.
I’d definitely book an appointment, if l were you.
Hayfever Time is No Fun! 🤧
Thanks Mrs N.
I have an inhaler for occasional asthma and have used that. It helps the hay fever symptoms but not the pain. As always it is not straightforward. My MRI scan recently revealed a herniated bulging disc which is pressing on my spinal nerves, so the increased pain could be due to that. I'm seeing a Spinal Surgeon on 8th May, but I'll definitely speak to my doc in the meantime.
It’s not easy when there are several things going on (me too at the moment 😉) your GP may suggest a Preventative Inhaler over this period to see if that helps.
Both my boys have hayfever, one lives in France & has a sit on lawn mower as he has a lot of land. He’s currently half way through a desensitising regime that starts in December every year, for five years. The Medication they give him once the pollen season starts is also very good. I never thought my City Man About Town Son would turn into a Country Gent living in France!
Hope you don’t suffer too much & let us know how you get on with the Spinal Surgeon.
MrsN 💐
Thanks again🙂. Our kids do surprise us don't they!
Local honey supposed to be helpful in desensitising process.
Both my boys (grown men) eat local honey 🍯
Has it helped at all? Theres also some light thing i have seen that you shove up your nose. I never had hayfever etc but reckon either as i get older or my body dislikes me more my sinuses are constantly causing issues. At the first sign of tree blossom i wake up with caked eyes and nose.
The eyes & stuffed up nose are signs of hayfever, are you in the U.K.? I like the Liz Earl Eyebright, make compresses of it, it’s so cooling for your eyes.
The boys just eat the honey because Mum says it was good for them, especially if l buy it, like the Manuka Honey for the one with Asthma when he gets a Chest Infection!.......
I always listened to my mum!.
I have started taking an antihistamine when it gets bad, i am amazed how you can develop such things in your 50s upwards.
It’s like everything, it catches up with you on the end! 😔
I've always been the organising, doing everything one. Last week, a quite elderly man brought me a gift. Two folding walking sticks which had belonged to his late wife.
Very, very kind but it didn't half make me catch my breath! 😮🤔
Oh Bless Him Oxford! I bet you didn’t know wether to laugh or cry? 😉
😀😪
Aaaw. It is hard to know how to respond. But thats about 30£ worth! 😜
Well the hayfever is stressing your immune system fairly effectively ... But equally the pred should, as MrsN says, be helping.
You DO use antihistamines I assume? If not - try them. We use loratidine (non-drowsy and cheap as chips at Lidl, DON'T go to Boots)
Thanks PMRpro. I haven't used antihistamines but I will now. 👍
Always worth a try - if they don't work don't continue. But at under a £1 (from Lidl at least) it is always worth a shot and logical for hay fever.
Definitely , get to your GP to check which antihistamines they are happy for you to use.
I have the Beconase spray each morning and oral antihistamines if I am going outdoors around plants. The spray I have used since my teens and it works really well at reducing the sinus issues and stuffed chest.
I used to get hayfever very badly , and it also affected my skin , but I do eat some local honey every day and that tip has been helpful.
Since doing so the sinus symptoms are less but importantly I don't get the skin reaction.
All of the usual health issues we have can be made worse by having PMR , or coping with the effect an allergy or infection has on your immune system can make your PMR symptoms feel worse.
Although Pred is a steroid , and steroids usually clear sinus related issues and are used for asthma , eczema and severe hayfever , it may not be the right steroid for your condition , or the dose of Pred you are on may not be right to help you cope with both the PMR and your hayfever/ asthma symptoms .
Although , your asthma inhaler should be helping with the hayfever.
That's why it is definitely worth going to the GP to discuss what will work for your personal needs during hayfever season. We are all different , with unique needs and drug combinations so it's worth getting some specific medical advice early .
Thank you very much Be. That was really helpful.
In spite of your hay fever the picture is very cheering. We have pink crabapples and a white dogwood blooming. I also have a cold, caught from young grandson so adding antihistamines to morning routine.
To help keep things clearer you could consider a neti pot or similar device. It helps wash pollen out of your nasal passages.
All my life I have had sever hay fever . to the point where I would be ili in bed in a dark room with windows shut. For the last 3 years, since I started on Pred I have been hay fever free. The upside of pred for me. I can go on holiday and sit in the garden in summer. I do get a bit itchy and sneezy when the pollen count is really high. A Breconase nasal spray helps. At the moment oil seed rape is causing problems. that is an irritant to mucus membranes not an allergen and antihistamine isn't much good for it.
PMR/Sciatica
PMR for 10 years
Problem with sleeping PMR and costochondritis. 
PMR and lurgy...
