Sends shivers down my spine every time I hear the word "Hay fever" !!

Basically, I suffered from Hay fever back in Scotland from approx. 13-28y/o, having eventually built enough immunities against it. My first spring in Canada, I thought I was coming down with a cold (mainly congestion issues) .. so I toddled along to the doctor. He confirmed it wasn't a cold, but an Allergy reaction. I explained having a history of Hay fever in the UK, but grew out of it many years back. He summed it up quite nicely, saying I've come into an area, surrounded by trees, orchards & dryness, where they are a lot of airborne substances which my body never came in contact with in the UK, even if some of the reactions were similar, expressing that my immune system "went off the page" on this side of the pond.

Over the last 4+ years, I have had a couple of serious skin reactions, as well as significant levels of nasal congestion & coughing, so I have to build up my system early in the year with antihistamines. The only positive thing being, I seem to be dealing with it more so in the last year or two, so hopefully things are improving!!!