Is it tree pollen season?

[Crackle]

Because I felt terrible this morning. Same time every year, March I have to start the anti-histamines and take until summer, strangely enough and maybe again in autumn.

Always manifests itself the same way, extreme weariness and it hit me last night and today I can hardly keep my head up. had to abandon this morning's run and now have to wait a few days for the anti-histamines to build up and do their job. Should've known really but again I missed the warning signs and again I didn't start taking the damn tablets at the beginning of March. Every year I say to myself don't forget and every year I forget.

Does anyone else suffer from this strange malardy or is it just me?

 

[Brains]

Me to.
It's Birch pollen

You get it when the east wind blows the pollen from the millions of Birch trees on the Russian Steppe.

For future years you can now work out the day it starts, it will be the first decent East wind in spring. Anytime from late February to mid March, just keep an eye on the long range weather forecast and you can actually predict it to the hour of arrival.
It takes a week to ten days or so to build up to full strength

This year it started about 3am 7th March in SE England

 

[Crackle]

7th March: Goodness me, you've identified to the day my sudden dip in running form and a general weariness which has been building up. That's uncanny, how the heck did you figure that out?

Birch is it, I wasn't sure which one, in fact it took me a few years to figure out it was tree pollen. how does it affect you?

 

[Coco]

I've long suspected that tree pollen was causing my 'hayfever', usually get it quite early in the year. I was taken aback at how early it started this year and thought maybe something else was up.

Good call Brains.

 

[Crackle]

He's not called Brains for nothing.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

He's not called Brains for nothing.

Quite. He does also wear an outsize pair of specs But nobody (you get that - nobody) tugs on his strings

 

[2Loose]

I get it too, but didn't expect it yet due to the late winter we had.
No wonder I have felt a bit tiredsticky eyed & generally grotty for the last few days, I guess the symptoms are not yet pronounced enough to be obvious to me.

I should have known .

 

[Brains]

Quite. He does also wear an outsize pair of specs But nobody (you get that - nobody) tugs on his strings

It's a nickname I've been given since school, and was given the same nickname when I started working. I've moved companies several times(same industry though) and the name has followed me.

I was even given business cards with that name on it!
Always a good one when someone introduces me as "Brains" and the other person being polite says "sorry could you repeat that" and they get handed the card.

The reason for the nickname is as you can imagine is I bore a striking resembelence to the Thundrebirds character as a kid in the 1960's and up until my mid 20's (quarter of a century ago).
It also helps that I'm seen as a maritime computer geek.

 

[Brains]

7th March: Goodness me, you've identified to the day my sudden dip in running form and a general weariness which has been building up. That's uncanny, how the heck did you figure that out?

Birch is it, I wasn't sure which one, in fact it took me a few years to figure out it was tree pollen. how does it affect you?

It took me years to figure it out as well, the tip that it was Birch pollen came from a weather forecast years ago.

The reason why I often know the exact start date/time is because about that time of year (it's often Easter) I'm out all night running big Scout events and camping, hence as soon as my eyes start iching I know what is happening.

I also keep an eye on the wether forcasts from mid February onward, as soon as you hear "the snow is melting in the east" followed within a day or two "strong eastily winds" start on the pills.

 

[BearPear]

I'm impressed. I suffer from regular grass pollen allergy so I have a few more weeks to wait, but my dad seems to get the sniffles almost all year long - he must be allergic to all tree & plant life!

My hayfever originally peaked from about 9-16, then faded to nothing too troubling until my mid to late thirties. Now in early 40's I have it as bad as I did as a kid!