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Summer is great, right? Wrong! Because for millions of people, summer means only one thing: Hay fever.
Fellow hay fever-sufferer; here are things you know to be true:
1. You dread the arrival of the summer months, even though the pollen season can technically last from January to November.
2. That's when it starts. With the watery eyes.
3. And the sneezing.
4. The never-ending sneezing.
5. Your face feels like this.
6. You sneeze so much you start worrying about the rainforests.
7. In general your sinuses feel like they are melting.
8. And it's mostly all down to this: pollen.
9. Seriously, to 18million people in the UK, this scene will fill you with dread.
10. Grass pollen is the worst, with 95 per cent of people who suffer from hay fever being allergic to it.
11. Did we mention that pollen gets everywhere? Don't make the mistake of opening your window at night to let in some cool air. That will only pollinate your bedroom.
Via siobhanleighxo12. Inexplicably the worst place in the world to be a hay fever-sufferer? The Tube.
13. Hay fever is so tiring. Sneezing and rubbing your eyes all day can lead to a general sense of unease and un-wellbeing. By the time you get to work you're ready to go back to bed.
14. While you're at work, all you'll be thinking is how nice it would be to put your face in a bowl of ice cold water.
15. Or alternatively, being able to pluck your eyeballs out of your head, give them a good wash, and put them back in.
16. Weekends are no better. That lovely sunny weather, perfect for picnics and festivals? It's an allergy minefield.
17. It's OK though because there are drugs to help you combat seasonal allergic rhinitis. Drugs that if used over a long period of time could lead to an increased risk of dementia.
18. Loratadine. Cetirizine hydrochloride. This might not mean a lot to most people, but to hay fever sufferers these are often your only friends through a long, sneezy summer.
19. They are antihistamines used to treat allergic reactions, such as pollen. But they can also make you drowsy. So don't think about driving if you're taking them. Or operating heavy machinery. Or being pregnant. Or breastfeeding.
20. Did we mention that beer and wine contain histamines, which as the name suggests is what the tablets you are taking are trying to stop?
21. That ice cold beer you really fancied during the hot summer? Sorry, nope.
22. Of course you could always take eye drops.
23. Sometimes you think about moving to escape. Scotland has always looked inviting.
Via Met Office24. Overall summer is a bit of a nightmare, and by the time you finally start to build up a resistance, summer is over.
25. Next year you'll try the natural method of eating local honey for several months before pollen season begins.
26.Next year...
ARGH!
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