Do you know what your triggers are? Are you growing things that are triggers? Do you use chemicals that are triggers?

Fireraven9
"Don't go to a doctor whose office plants have died." - Erma Bombeck

Here in Michigan, we usually have cool nights and dew on the ground in the morning. I encounter a lot less dust and pollen if I go out very early before everything has dried. Early mornings also usually are not windy here, so I like to go out before we get a breeze to blow things around.

Hello,
I have asthma too, but it is fairly well controlled. I garden outside either early in the morning, or in the evening. On days when I feel bad, I just don't garden! I have several different gardens... an herb garden, a shade garden, a veggie garden, roses, and a butterfly garden. The butterfly garden, well, it gets ignored :p I also keep African Violets and hoyas indoors. Clarinex helps... if I can say that. Hope this helps!

Maybe wearing a good charcoal-impregnated mask would help. 3M makes one that sells for about 4-5 dollars; it lasts about twenty hours I think. I buy these in quantity from E. L. Foust.

Here is a link that might be useful: E. L. Foust.

My Dr. put me on "Nasalchrome", two squirts in nose-two times a day. Before that I could not go outside at all from February until August. My eyes would swell shut and even the pollen would come inside from Honeysuckles and other extreme sweet smelling plants. Now, I stay outside year round with no problems. I use the nasalchrome year round. It does not interfere with blood pressure medicines. Nasalchrome blocks the histamines.

I and my daughter both have asthma and allergies. I'm sure you are in the care of a doctor, however let me emphasize how much better a fine allergist is. Mine recently introduced me to a new combined inhaler which cut my inhalations from 8 to 2, and my daughter got a steroidal nose spay which made it posssible for her to have a normal life.(she had tried all the antihistimine, and two other nose sprays before she found one that didn't taste terrible.

All this, which is too much, is by way of saying garden when the dew is holding down the pollen and the wind is still and find an up to date doc.

Good luck and health

idabean

I have the same problem. This has been a difficult year because of a very wet spring and now drought, pollen and mold counts have been very high. I have two inhalers I use 2x a day but like the others, I could not garden (NOR BREATH!) without Rhinocort nasal spray. I used to refuse medications but finally realized I must use whatever works and sometimes that takes some trial and error. Currently I have asthmatic brnchonitis, an ear infection and possible pneumonia. I sit inside enjoying my garden, the birds and butterflies from afar reminding myself that "this too shall pass."