Anybody else get to age 40 before suffering springtime allergies?

[Bossy Monkey]

42 and ten months to be exact. Of course, maybe I had them all along and just wasn't alert enough to notice, or the senile dementia's cropping up again. Anyway, I feel like a Claritin ad: runny nose, scratchy throat, can't breathe, can't sleep. About to go on a juice/ Sudafed run. Don't need any sympathy; I'm sure at least half of you have it worse. Just curious whether anybody else was a late bloomer in this regard.

[BikeWriter]

1. Hmm, I was oblivious to every ailment until then!

[Skittles]

2. they seemed to have gotten worse

yes indeed

[enlightenment]

3. Oh, yeah.

And who's the bright bulb who decided women should get to revisit acne when they hit menopause . . .???
(sorry -- that's my other pet "post-40" peeve).

[mike_c]

4. just about that....

Actually, probably a few years earlier, but that's when they were diagnosed. Now I'm a Zyrtec junkie.

[IcyPeas]

5. Yes! Yes! Yes...

and I was always under the mistaken impression that one OUTGREW allergies -- not grow into them at our age. Where does all the mucous come from -- it's a neverending flow. Claritin doesn't seem to even work - I still have constant sniffles.

(sorry for the yukkieness)

Has anyone tried Bee pollen? I understand you have to start taking it BEFORE the allergie start...... worth a try?

[Floogeldy]

6. Yes

And they are KILLING me today.

:(

[hfojvt]

7. I noticed fall allergies at about age 19

Spring allergies around the age of 40, but until my eyes start burning, I can mistake my allergies for a cold. So far I am not feeling them. Maybe tomorrow.

[xxqqqzme]

8. me! (raising hand)

I NEVER had allergies or reactions to spring/fall blooming plants. Started having serial sneezing fits (3,4,5 in succesion) in my late 30s w/ all the runny nose, scratchy throat stuff U describe. I remember one particularly congestive fall that I started looking forward 2 a hard frost that would KILL everything so I could breathe again.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. They say that every seven years your entire body has been regenerated.

Therefore you can get allergies that you never had before or lose allergies that you did have before. 42 is a multiple of 7...so maybe that is what it is.

[Bossy Monkey]

10. You mean I don't have herpes any more? (KIDDING! KIDDING!) n/t

[Bossy Monkey]

11. Update: Benadryl eventually helped, though it took 2 hours

I got the generic (well, private label) equivalent; hopefully that didn't make any difference.