My hayfever isn't too bad most of the time, but I did stay with a friend with a dog (Allergic to some breeds and it can get pretty bad).
Coping tips:
- Take your antihistimine at the first hint of reaction if you know its going to get a hell of a lot worse. With me, I get a itchy roof of my mouth and that tends to be a warning sign that I'm going to get hellish eyes soon.
- Don't go out in the evening or when people have just cut the lawn
- If it gets really bad, wash your hands, face, glasses and change into non -pollenated clothes and stay inside with windows shut.
- Apparently vasiline just in your nose and just under the eyes is supposed to be brilliant - I haven't tried it yet but the theory is it 'catches' the pollen before it gos into your eyes
- Wear sunglasses
- Ask your doctor if you can combine different types of antihistimine. Sometimes you can take a daily one and then use a fast acting one on top of that when things get really bad.
- Ask for a decent one. Cetirizine doesn't work with me but claritin and the benedyrl stuff does. See what works for you.
- If things get really, really severe, go to normed (an out of hours service run at some hospitals). I did this after suffering for weeks really badly before a AS exam (turned out it wasn't hayfever, but an allergy to a room fragrance). They should be able to tell you what to do.
- Check if it is hayfever, not something else! (Consider: grass, dogs, cats, dust, air freshener, washing powder, some fruits, perfume, soap etc)
Hope this helps and hope you feel better soon.