Pollen Q's

Hi everyone,
Every time I go for a ride with my spouse, I get pollen into my nasal passages big time and get sick with sinus infections within a week and for 2-3 days. My pollen masks that I bought off the shelves don't do the trick; they are too light. We have a really nice tandem, and I want to ride with my spouse. Any suggestions for better masks or not get sick from spring/dust pollens?

i use an OTC product called NasalCrom ... it's a nasal spray (but different from the kind that clears a stuffy nose) ...

the large bottle costs around $15 and lasts about a month or 6 weeks depending on usage frequency ... the literature says it works by blocking the reaction of "mast" cells to the pollen ... fwiw, NasalCrom used to be a prescription drug ...

if you decide to give it a try, you need to take it for a week or two before the drug starts helping ... i guess it has to build up in your bloodstream ... i usually take it for most of June and part of July ...

i haven't had any side effects at all from NasalCrom ... anti-histaminess put me right to sleep and those non-drowsy things make me kind of jumpy ... i think NasalCrom's worth trying ... lots of pharmacies carry it ...

Tree and grass pollens are at their peak in the early morning hours. This is not a good time to be out bike riding during "the pollen season" ... and avoid windy days too ...

I used to not treat my allergies aggressively enough and ended up with sinus infections four or five times a year. The trick is not to let the fluid build up in your sinuses. When it sits there for days is when the bacteria start multiplying. They thrive in a moist, warm environment.

If you have insurance, see your doctor and get a scrip for Nasonex or Flonase. They are corticosteriod sprays that reduce the congestion, swelling, and inflammation of sinusitis and work quite well.

If I start feeling my sinuses filling up (I'm sure you're familiar with that feeling), I take an antihistamine like Claritin for a couple of days, and usually continuously for weeks in the spring and fall. If all else fails, stay in a steamy hot shower and massage your nasal passages until you feel them draining.

I think the trick is to listen to you body. You can treat it with meds without overmedicating. And, I would rather treat the symptoms than end up on antibiotics, which I think are even harder on your system. Since I'm allergic to penicillin and myocins, I have to take higher spectrum ones that really seem to add to my woes before I feel better.

Now that I've developed asthma as well, I take Singulair every day as well, which seems to have also helped with my allergies.

Hope you find a way to enjoy your rides soon.

I have had great success with Flonase. You have to use it consistently, and it won't begin working immediately. You have to use it regularly for a week or two to see the full benefit. Same basic rules apply to Nasonex. Great stuff, if you can handle a nasal spray. I will often combine it with an over-the-counter antihistamine during the really bad months. Living in Central Texas, that's most of the year.

I bet they'd work like a dream and comfortable too. Might look goofy but you'd be out on the road.