I've just come back from a singing lesson .

As always, it was great, but....the outside of my nose was itchy, my chin itched, the inside of my ears itched, my throat was full of grot and if I breathed too deeply I started coughing .

In other words, the hayfever season has started with a vengeance .

Other than industrial strength antihistamines (which leave me dozy so not safe to drive or fit to sing ) does anyone have any tips for dealing with seasonal allergic rhinitis?

How do you cope with it and singing? Or should I take a break until November ??

Cheers

Katyjay

I use NeoClarityn which works well, luckily I am not too bad yet, just sneezing etc, but usually my eyes are really bad, and I'd prefer them not to be in the middle of exams. I find the same with playing the flute, I have to keep blowing my nose, and yes if you take too big a breath you do start coughing.

How does affect you worst? (e.g you can get eye drops, and sprays and things)

I used to get hayfever quite a bit, but when I was being prayed for with church friends, I got the word "pollution" about it (I used to cycle a lot), so I started wearing a cycle mask, and it helped a great deal. I still try to be careful not to get too much pollution into the car through the cool air blowers too.

Sounds like you ming need to visit the doctor. I used to get asthema wih it - all cleared up now, but he have me two inhalers, and it stopped the coughing, especially at night. Hayfever is soooo miserable.

Yes, I went to the doctors, they might be able to give you some stronger, non drowsy stuff, that you can only get by prescription.

My hayfever is usually terrible too. I have found in the past that most medication is useless. My advice to you would be cut your dairy intake. Also I am trying Flaxseed Oil, which is supposed to be very good. I will let you know if it works for me. Doesn't it just drive you nuts when the back of your throat and inside of ears itch?

I don't usually get that, but it sounds awful! I'd want to itch them!!

I've only started getting it in the last few years - very unfair. I take over the counter stuff which controls it at the beginning and end of the season, but for july-August it's just a case of 'no top notes'.

Yes, I agree that the itching inside throat/ears/nose is about as nasty as it gets. You feel like you want to insert pipe-cleaners to scratch it...

I've been thinking about several cocktail sticks selotaped together.
I'm not sure how it affects my singing. I have been singing for less than a year, but my voice has on and off days according to how high the pollen count is, so I guess singing is out of the question for the next two months or so.

Does hayfever / the thought of winter colds determine when people might apply for exams? I don't get hayfever now, but think twice about doing an exam in the winter. What happens if singers should get a cold before the exam?

Very seriously, folks, don't EVER put anything in your ears or down your throat, regardless of how much they itch.

For the throat, I find I can get temporary relief just before singing by drinking very cold sparkling (not still) mineral water - but not so much of it that it makes you burp, of course - and the effect doesn't last long.

For the itchy face, eyes etc, washing with very cold water helps temporarily as well, so I do that before I sing if it's hayfever time.

But both of these are temporary, and tend to wear off over the course of about an hour (which is what happened yesterday). I'm on fairly strong antihistamines already, and don't know how much more I can do to cope with the irritation.

I suppose hayfever, colds and snuffles are an occupational hazard for any singer. If you feel that are going down with a cold just before an exam, as much as possible stop practising or talking to save your voice and drink gallons of hot water laced with lemon juice and chopped-up ginger root.

Quite often I find that a cold won't actually kick in until the day after the big performance, when it hits hard! That's what happened to me last winter - I finally succumbed to a cold the day after my ATCL exam, at which point I lost my voice completely, and couldn't sing in my choir's Christmas concert

Ho hum!

Cheers

Katyjay

Hmm, maybe there is a cream or something, you sound like the pollen really irritates your skin. Have you seen your doctor recently?
Does anyone know where to get a pollen forecast from, as the BBC one no longer works for me.
Oooh, I have just thought, if you suffer badly from hayfever, you can get injections, which are supposed to work well, maybe see your doctor about this one.

Yes, I will reiterate this. Of course I would never poke anything in ears nose throat, etc. Very dangerous.

After I sang a lot in one go recently, I lost my voice the next day and didn't get it back properly for about 2 months.

As for hayfever, I just whinge about mine and don't take any prescribed medication.

Maybe you should take some medication

I use flaxseed oil, but I refuse to use prescribed medication that has been rammed down some poor animal's throat first.

Ah I see. Maybe there are some animal-friendly products. I'll do some searching for you.

See:

http://www.nativeremedies.com/histadrops-h...ef-product.html

Thanks, Nicki. That's very kind. Flaxseed oil seems to be the best one, but I'm sure there are others I have overlooked.

I am sorry, I wouldn't know of much medication, because although I am against animal cruelty I still take medication, although I should probably look into more animal friendly products.

But when you have hayfever under control it is marvellous!!

How does it effect you?

Thanks. I will investigate this further when my flaxseed oil has finished. My symptoms are mostly itching, and blocked and runny nose at the same time. Oh, and sneezing. How about you?

Usually, my eyes are terrible, in the mornings I can't open them, and they just get really itchy. However, they haven't been too bad this year. Runny nose, and sneezing. Fun

Yeah, my eyes used to be really bad in the morning, but now I work at night so I'm never up in the morning now, and don't have that problem now. Do you think we should move this talk to the cafe? or is it still relevant to the topic?

Erm, well it is getting slightly off topic, shall I start a new topic in the Cafe forum? I will do, I'll name it "Continued conversation about hayfever"

I have heard that you can build up a sort of immunity by taking a spoonful of local honey every day from early spring. The honey *must* be local, so it contains the same pollen particles that you're allergic to. I keep meaning to try this but only ever think about it in June - when it's too late. I'd be interested if anybody else has tried this, and whether it works.

It does work if you have your teaspoon a day from about early march....

OK, all I need now is some foolproof way of reminding myself to do it in enough time...

Write it onn the calender if you own one

I've heard it does work but don't know any local honey sellers and don't like honey!

That might be a problem....

Yes it could be, although our semi local aunt, thinks my Dad loves honey, when in reality he loves anything but. So for his birthday and Christmas, he always gets honey. Well he did until a year ago, when he had to tell her (she's his sister!)

Mine is so bad this morning I can hardly do anything! I take Benydryl nasal spray, but I'm not convinced it actually does anything. I find mine is worst first thing in the morning and then bad again in the evening. It is a pain.
David.

Well yesterday, I woke up at 4am, with it being terrible, but then it went away. Mine is ok today thankfully.

Glad it's ok today Nicki, especially for your birthday! Luckily I've never suffered from hayfever, but many of my friends have it so I do know how miserable it can be. *hug*

If my eyes were bad today, I would have just wanted to dig a hole and hide! It would have just topped off my bad day!

I think i'm getting hayfever. I'm sneezing a lot at the moment, and sometimes I get itchy eyes. I don't think its too bad, but i'm going to make a doctor's appointment. I'm also having trouble sleeping at the moment, could that be anything to do with hayfever?

Why are you sleeping badly? E.g if you're sleeping badly because your eyes are itchy then it probably is hayfever.

I find Zirtec is brilliant, and doesn't make me particularly drowsy. We were just camping under some olive trees in Italy, which I think were the trees that were giving off a really thick sweet smell, and coating everything in yellow pollen every morning. When I looked at what I'd brought there were only three tablets, which I hoarded for the last 3 days, and it made me a lot more comfortable from itchy eyes and runny nose. I don't understand why I never used to suffer when I was little, but now it seems to get me every year.

I say "Zirtec", in fact I buy the Numark stuff which has copied the active ingredient and only costs half the price - a 30 day supply of one a day little tablets is about £5.

I find I sleep badly when my hayfever is playing up. Always waking up with headache, bad breathing, hot etc.
Although the last few days, hayfever has hardly bothered me at all! Woohoo! Just itchy eyes and that seems to be it *touch wood*.
How's everyone else's?

It has actually got worse, I can't breathe, my eyes are ok, but just get congested and horrible generally.

Eyes and nose not too bad, but cough really getting on my nerves - it's interfering with my singing.

Yes, I did wonder whether my cough was associated with hayfever. It is annoying though, and I can understand how it must especially affect your singing Katyjay.

arrgh...high pollen count today...erg...hayfever...got to sing "Summertime" outside this evening (sounded like a good idea when it was suggested in March)...where am I going to get a top B from??

Oh no, good luck! Although my eyes aren't itching they are feeling a bit uncomfortable, and this morning, I needed so many tissues.