Spring allergy symptoms can lead to a pain flare if I’m not careful

This spring, my allergies have been terrible. I’ve had seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember, but the past few weeks have been some of the worst I’ve experienced in years. I was hoping that the long cold snap we had this past winter would’ve led to fewer allergies this spring, but unfortunately it seems like that was wishful thinking. I heard that a local meteorologist said we’re having our worst allergy season in years!

And while my allergies themselves have nothing to do with my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), some of the reactions I have when they flare up certainly are.

I get a runny nose, sneezing, and other usual allergy symptoms, but I also tend to get significant sinus pressure under my eyes and in the back of my head. That can cause a headache, and while I tend to have a pretty high pain tolerance for most things, headaches aren’t one of them. A brief headache isn’t a problem, but repetitive sinus headaches because of high pollen counts can create an issue.

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Where sinus headaches lead

When I have a headache, that pain can cause stress. In turn, that stress can cause tightness, and lastly, the tightness often causes pain, so a vicious cycle can develop pretty quickly. Like most people, I tend to carry stress in my neck and shoulders, so when I have a headache that spirals into stress, tightness, and pain, it often winds up involving my shoulders pretty quickly.

Once my damaged right shoulder is in on the game, I’m in trouble. If my shoulder is tight and inflamed, it pulls on muscles in my back that can cause a vertebra to get tweaked out of alignment. When that happens, other muscles in my back get tight, which then affects my hips, which can in turn aggravate muscles in my side. It can feel like the song “The Skeleton Dance” playing out in real life. You know the one: “The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone. The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone …”

The body is so interconnected that an issue beginning in one small area can quickly become bodywide, especially with my EDS. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a simple seasonal allergy response can become shoulder, back, and hip pain within a few days, all because a reaction to pollen gave me a headache.

While I’m good at taking my everyday medications, I’m terrible at taking meds for acute issues, such as pain medication or additional allergy meds. I think I’m so used to just plowing ahead through discomfort that I just don’t think of it. But I’ve found that when I have a sinus headache, if I can remember to take either Tylenol for the pain or a short-acting Sudafed to reduce my allergies (both approved by my doctor for occasional use when necessary), I can sometimes prevent it from spiraling into a full-body reaction.

The past few weeks I’ve definitely been trying to be better about staying on top of my allergies. I have enough trouble with chronic pain without making it worse for myself by forgetting to take medicine that could be helpful! Every season comes with its own hiccups to handle — cold winter weather, spring allergies, extreme heat in the summer, and the extra-busy start to the school year each fall — so handling what I can helps to minimize the impact of things that I can’t!

Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.