Achoo, Sniffle, Sniffle

The snow is gone, the day time temperatures are above fifty, grass is growing, flowers, blooming, trees pollinating, and weeds emerging; it's Spring!  At our house nose's are sniffling, eyes are itchy, fatigue, skin itching, and headaches are in full bloom.  Usually we can keep these reactions in check by staying in air conditioned buildings and over the counter medications.  

Last fall I forgot to give my son some allergy medicine  before he went on a cub scout hike with his den.  We had recently moved and this was one of his first activities with this den.  He was so excited because they were going to explore a cave.  

I sent him on his way and left for my daughters soccer game.  Later when I came home his eyes were almost swollen shut and his nose was a leaky faucet.  He was also having a hard time breathing.  The poor leader was having a panic attack because she couldn't find me and she thought she had killed him on there first activity together.  

It took a couple of days for his eyes to come down in size and his nose finally stopped running.  His breathing returned to normal after some help with an inhaler and a shower to get the pollen off.  So,  today I am having flashbacks as I look on the calendar and notice that today is another cub scout hike with his den and he hasn't taken is allergy medicine today.  Here are a few ideas on dealing with allergy symptoms.

Eyes

• Cool wash rag on eyes
• Eye drops -- there are many over the counter that work well.  I recently used Clear View and found much needed relief.
• Shower

Nose

• Netti Pot (Not my favorite but my husband swears by it.)
• Warm rag across the sinus
• Steam from a hot shower can also help
• Decongestant (You can find this behind the counter at the pharmacy.  You do not need a prescription to get it)  I have found taking a 24 hour Zyrtec and then a 12 decongestant in the morning works best for me and is cheaper.  Decongestants keep me awake so I do not like taking them at night.
• Prescription Nasal Spray (Like Flonase) works wonders.
• Box of tissues

Cough/ Breathing

• Go to the emergency room or call 911 if they can't breathe
• Go to the doctor and get an inhaler
• Humidifier
• Vapor rub on chest

All

• Change filter on air conditioner/ heater often
• Take a shower at the end of the day to wash off pollen
• Change pillowcases and sheet every couple of days to get any residual pollen out
• Live in an air conditioned home/ apartment (swamp coolers are not good for people with allergies)
• Hardwood, tile, linoleum floors help eliminate places for pollen to collect in your home as well.