Allergies or sickness -- how do you know???

[Janie Grace]

I have a bad tree pollen allergy that starts around this time every year. I've been feeling bad since Wednesday and tree pollen was high, so that made sense. But yesterday it was "moderate" and today it's "low" but I feel AWFUL. Coughing, sneezing, achy. I was up for several hours both Saturday and Sunday nights just feeling terrible. Granted, on Saturday I helped string white lights in TREES (duh) for a party, so maybe my body is still freaking out from that? I don't know though... my legs/hips ached so badly last night, three Advil didn't take it away. 

 

Thanks for A. listening to be thinly veiled whine and B. telling me how you know whether something is allergies or illness. If I'm sick, fine. But if this flu feeling is how my allergies now feel, I don't think I will make it until June.  :crying:

 

If you think it's allergies, I'll take coping suggestions too. I change clothes after being out, shower before bed, use Flonase. Maybe I need to go back to the Neti-pot. I stopped using it a few years ago after some water went into my ear canal and gave me a bad earache. Claritin and Allegra don't work for me.

 

TIA. 

[OnMyOwn]

Achy doesn't sound like an allergy symptom to me.  Are you sure you don't have a fever.  It almost sounds like the flu, which has been going around.

[SparklyUnicorn]

achy and feeling generally ill and rundown isn't a symptom I've had with allergies

 

My main symptoms are itchy watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and sometimes the roof of my mouth itches.  I don't have body aches.

 

It's possible you have allergies AND some sort of virus.  But part of the symptoms don't sound like allergies. 

[Arcadia]

For me, fever spikes, runny nose and tears eyes, rash and aches are normal for allergies. If it rains, I feel great. For flu, fever is constant and I feel yucky even if it is raining.

[regentrude]

I feel awful when I have allergies, so would not discount achy as possible allergy symptom.

 

If I feel better when I take allergy meds, I know it was allergies.

If I continue to feel bad, I know I am sick.

[gardenmom5]

sounds like what I just had.   . . . . and I have allergies.  that wasn't.

[Janie Grace]

Achy doesn't sound like an allergy symptom to me.  Are you sure you don't have a fever.  It almost sounds like the flu, which has been going around.

 

No fever. But the ashiness made me think flu too. 

[Janie Grace]

For me, fever spikes, runny nose and tears eyes, rash and aches are normal for allergies. If it rains, I feel great. For flu, fever is constant and I feel yucky even if it is raining.

 

This is what has me suspicious, too. It's raining today and I feel worse.