Allergy to something in Goose Green play park.

[Mrs TP]

My youngest has developed a rash down her face, arms and a little on her legs. At its worst it consists of hive lumps but when it calms it becomes flatter and lacy.

GP believes it to be an allergy and has given her anti-histamine.

The rash started on Sat eve after playing in Goose Green play park (opposite St John's Church not the school of the same name) and then flared up dramatically after going back there on Weds.

However her face really flares up in the night too.

She is 3.5yrs with no known allergies and we have been using that park forever and have not introduced any new products / foods at home.

I was thinking it could be the plane tree pollen as that is quite nasty but am just thrown by the fact her face does flare up overnight in bed.

Anyone any ideas what it could be?

[bluesuperted]

I went to Health Matters on LL following a few hours in GG park last week about hayfever remedies as was suffering a bit that day - the lady there asked where I'd been and told me what kind of pollen/plant it was in that park and that it aggravates allergy sufferers - really sorry I can't remember name of it now but might be worth calling them as she seemed v knowledgable about it. Must have been very strong/known to be irritating, my hayfever symptom haven't been bad again since and I've not been back to GG park either.

Hope this is helpful...

[Mrs TP]

Thanks this is v. helpful. Will pop in to Health Matters over the weekend. Hope you not suffering too much now avoiding the park.

[sandy_rose]

Did you wash her hair before putting her to bed? Pollen could have been stuck in her hair and got onto her pillow and aggravated it that way. My husband gets bad hayfever and suffers at night if he hasn't showered off before going to bed.

[Saffron]

You don't need to introduce new foods or materials in order to manifest allergic symtoms. Indeed you don't produce an allergic response until 2nd (or later) exposure to the offending substance. So the substance can easily be something in the common environment at home or elsewhere.

I think the reason "new" foods/materials are frequently associated with allergies are twofold.

(1) Common causes of allergy are obvious and so are quickly eliminated from our environments when we discover them! However, they can crop back up in "disguise" in other products.

(2) You can be exposed to an allergen as one ingredient in a list, for example a preservative in soap. You might never use that type of soap again. However, when you buy a "new" shampoo, if it contains the same preservative, you are then re-exposed to the allergen. So, you appear to produce an allergy to a "new" product, when in fact you have been previously exposed.

I have heard that pollens and molds are high and widespread this year. We've certainly been battling itchy noses around here, which we never normally do. Good luck getting some symptomatic relief. I hope you can discover what's causing the allergy. If you give antihistamines before going to the park or putting your LO to bed, does it help to prevent the allergic response?

[Pickle]

Hay fever has gone mad in our house over the last week or so (me and two oldest children), coinciding with the privet hedges being in flower, hard to escape!

[esme]

Health Matters are great, very helpful and knowledgeable. Hope it eases

[Mrs TP]

Thanks all.

Sandy_Rose - Genius! Just couldn't understand the bed thing.

This is the sort of thing the forum is for - hooray.