A Hay-Fever Diary
Last year I put together a Pain Diary to see if I could find a better strategy to feeling better.
So now, as I’m suffering badly from hay fever or something like that, I’ll see if I can find any link. Note the two factors after the date are the pollen level according to the BBC and how I have felt on the day out of ten.
Monday, May 23rd – Moderate – 3/10
It started as a good day.
But after washing my hair at about three, it went swiftly downhill. It was almost as if I’d got soap in my eyes.
I had dinner at Arbutus and felt a bit better as I was very cruel to a rabbit. But I suspect the restaurant was air-conditioned.
Tuesday, 24th May – Moderate – 3/10
I got up and after breakfast went back to bed only getting up at about 10:00. I didn’t eat much all day, as I was so tired. I think it was just a Beanz thing for lunch and strawberries for supper.
Wednesday, 25th May – 4/10
Again I got up late and went to IKEA in Croydon. Lunch was a plate of IKEA gravadlax and a bottle of ginger beer. Did the air-conditioning help?
Thursday 26th May – Moderate – 6/10
Lunch was an egg dish in Carluccio’s and then getting wet in the rain.
Supper was a Marks and Spencer beef stroganoff after a drink down the pub.
Friday 27th May – Low – 5/10
I had a lot of pain this morning, in my face, left arm and left leg. I was sneezing a lot as I walked around the city.
After lunch of a salad nicoise, I slept for two hours.
Supper was another Marks and Spencer salmon after a drink down the pub.
Saturday 28th May – Low – 5/10
Less pain than yesterday, but like yesterday I did have a two hour sleep after lunch.
Sunday 29th May – Low – 6/10
The pain has been back in my arm today. And I had a good two hours sleep in the afternoon.
I didn’t have much lunch, but supper was Moroccan Chicken from the freezer with rice and strawberries to follow.
Monday 30th May – Low – 6/10
The pain was still in my arm today. And again I had a good two hours sleep in the afternoon.
I cooked the Beef and Bean Casserole, but supper was very much a snack.
Tuesday 31st May – Low – 7/10
The arm pain wasn’t so bad today and I didn’t have the sleep in the afternoon.
Lunch was eggs in Carluccio’s and supper was a couple grilled pork chops with some beans.
Wednesday 1st June – Moderate – 5/10
I didn’t have much pain, but I did need a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon.
I was also lazy and had supper in the Northgate Arms
Thurday 2nd June – High- 6/10
I went to the physio this morning and after some asparagus for lunch, I slept for a couple of hours.
Supper was fish and beans.
Friday 3rd June – High – 7/10
Perhaps the physio helped, but my arm was much better today.
Lunch was in Carluccio’s in Hampstead and supper was a Waitrose Indian meal for one after my long walk in Bow.
It was the first day in a long time, when I didn’t have a long sleep in the daytime.
Saturday 4th June – High – 7/10
As the blog shows, I went to the Derby, where it was very hot. I came back tired and went to bed at 21:30, which is early for me. I slept until 07:20, which is a long sleep for me.
Sunday 5th June – Moderate – 6/10
Not too bad a day and the pain hasn’t been too bad. It’s now 22:00 and I’ll be going to bed soon.
The Anonymous Widower 
Coming from a family from a family with a long line of allergies and intolerances, a couple of things strike me.
Check the ingredients on the shampoo. Once your histamine level is up generally, you tend to react to things you wouldnt react to if the levels are normal.
Ginger beer, if it is the proper stuff, has yeast in it, which as the bubbles pop can get into mucus membranes such as nose and eyes.
Not sure what your scorings are – the level of pollen given in the atmosphere, or a code of your own.
Comment by liz | May 26, 2011 |
I’ve used that shampoo for some time. It did feel like a reaction to the shampoo or it could have been the bath soap, but again I’ve used that for years.
The ginger beer didn’t affect me at all and anyway my previous dentist felt that bubbles were good for you, due to the effect of small amounts of CO2.
The moderate/low is what it says on the BBC pollen forecast and the percentage is how I feel.
Comment by AnonW | May 26, 2011 |
Sometimes reactions can occur suddenly to things you have used before. All their lives my girls had used the Boots own Soltan products for sun safety and after sun care. The day before one of her A levels eldest daughter spent time in the care with the correct factor sun screen, for a sensible and safe length of time, and then came in, took a shower using her normal products and put after sun on. The reaction to the aftersun was fairly rapid, within 15 or so minutes she was very red and blotchy and itchy and slightly puffy. Reading the ingredients in the bottle she had used, and another bottle of the same product we had in a cupboard, a single ingredient change seemed to be the problem! The emergency doctor, who happened to be the husband of a friend of mine, gave her a large dose of steroid and a note for the exam board.
The added ingredient – aloe vera!
I too prefer things with bubbles, because my mouth is very dry, partly due to nerve damage but mostly due to medication, I always have a bottle of Morrisons soda water somewhere about my person. Tap water just doesnt have the same effect.
Id 10/10 very good or very bad?
Comment by liz | May 26, 2011 |