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I have had an allergy to dust, pollen, and pet dander for the 21 years I've been alive. At the very least, my nose gets really blocked up and stuffy, but sometimes my asthma gets triggered by it and I'm stuck with those feelings for a day or two. I feel like a blocked-up nose makes it near impossible to play tuba. I find that allergy pills don't do as much as they need to in order to relieve my symptoms.

How do you deal with allergies so you can get back to playing regularly again?

I've dealt with allergies and asthma for my whole life as well, but I've never found nasal congestion to affect my playing, since most of the air should be coming through your mouth anyway.

I just make sure to take my rescue inhaler before playing and I'm usually good.

The Brute Squad wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:18 am I've dealt with allergies and asthma for my whole life as well, but I've never found nasal congestion to affect my playing, since most of the air should be coming through your mouth anyway.

I just make sure to take my rescue inhaler before playing and I'm usually good.

I've always incorporated a mix of the nose and the mouth when using air, especially in cases of "sniff breathing". But besides that, the congestion just really throws off my playing, the sound can't resonate within my skull nearly as well as it could when I'm free of allergies. Luckily the Asthma isn't as bad of an issue, I resolve it the same way you do.

My allergies got stupid-bad and I eventually went to the doc for advice. He asked what I was taking for them. I rattled off a list of about five or six over-the-counter medicines. He stopped me and said, "Dude, you're taking way too much. This and this and that, they're all antihistamines, and instead of creating a stronger effect, you're actually overdosing, which makes them have the opposite effect."

He suggested I take just two separate drugs (still over the counter) -- Sudafed and Zyrtec. Sudafed acts as the decongestant -- it dries out your sinuses. Zyrtec is the histamine blocker -- it prevents me from having the reaction begin in the first place.

Benadryl? Nope, not needed for hay fever/seasonal allergies (and it makes me fall asleep). Multiple antihistamines at once? Nope, see above.

So try that: one decongestant (Sudafed PE is usually enough) and one antihistamine (Zyrtec or Claritin, take your pick). No more than that. If you also need to jump on an existing runny nose, a spray like Flonase helps. I also respond well to mint candies like Altoids, believe it or not.

It might also be worth trying a nasal rinse, like

https://www.amazon.com/Neilmed-Sinus-Ri ... 1637&psc=1

They're available at the local drugstore. I thought they were a bit too much of a quack remedy but my doctor recommended them since I had a bad reaction to Claritin, and they do seem to help.

One more response for the pile, from a guy who's been dealing with allergies for 30+ years -
Thankfully no pet issues, but household dust will swell my eyes so bad that I can't drive. My allergy doc suggested just sticking with Flonase, so that's my daily. I don't regularly take a pill, though I will grab a pill when pollen gets bad (usually May/June each year).

The nasal saline rinse is good for quick congestion relief - I use this one: https://www.cvs.com/shop/arm-hammer-sim ... id-2910017

I also use a vicks vapo-inhaler for short-term help that doesn't make my nose wet: https://www.cvs.com/shop/vicks-vapoinha ... id-1760328. They're the size of a chap-stick tube. I keep one of these with me during the pollen season, and can use it without drawing too much attention or needing a box of tissues.

My biggest tips -
Don't go to bed with hair covered in dust, pollen, etc, or be ready to wash your pillow case the next morning when you do. A shower before bed, and clean sheets weekly during allergy season will help you get through the nights.
A wet towel (or even paper towel) to clean your face if you feel things getting stuffy can work wonders.
Remember that your body is reacting to the irritant (dust, pollen, or dander, etc). If you wash away the irritant, your body will stop reacting on its own, without needing pills or other remedies.

I tried (separately) various pills and nasal sprays. I wasn't successful until I started pairing the two. What has worked wonders for me is the combination of Allegra and Rhinocort.