Weeks of rain, weeks of allergies: What can you do? - Austin American-Statesman

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Our recent rains might have caused some allergy sufferers to feel their irritants. Grasses and molds, in particular, have grown with the wet weather. Dust mites also can be worse when it's humid.

When it's actually raining, allergies tend to be better, but when the sun comes out and the wind blows, the allergens that were fueled by the rain get blown around. 

Humidity, heat, wind and other weather conditions also can cause allergy flare-ups, said Dr. Juan Rodriguez Ramos, an allergist with Austin Regional Clinic. 

Most days, molds and grasses have been in the medium level, said Dr. Kelly Simpson, an allergist with Austin Regional Clinic, but sometimes it's just the change in weather that triggers some people's allergies.

"The fact that it keeps going back and forth could be bothering some people," she said.

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June and July can be better for people with allergies in Austin because they can be drier months, which means less pollens and mold. Austin hasn't seen that break, yet.

As long as it's raining, we're going to have mold, says Dr. Alison Humphrey, an allergist with Texas Children's Specialty Care Austin. The grass pollen should go down as it gets hotter and we get into the dog days of summer, she says. 

We should soon get a break until the end of July or beginning of August when weed pollens will emerge.

If you're feeling your allergies, Rodriguez Ramos, Humphrey and Simpson recommend doing these things to lessen them:

• Stay indoors. 
• Keep windows in cars and in your home closed.
• Leave your shoes at the door to not bring in allergens. Change clothes once you come inside.
• Wear a mask, hat and sunglasses outside to create a physical barrier for allergens. 
• Shower at night to wash off the pollen.
• Towel off pets who go outside before they come inside to not allow them to bring in allergens into the house.
• Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter, especially in bedrooms.
• Use a saline rinse such as a spray or a neti pot. 
• Treat the symptoms. If your eyes are itchy, use antihistamine eye drops. If you're having a lot of nasal congestion, use a spray anti-inflammatory such as Flonase. If you're having a lot of itchy throat or nose, you can use an antihistamine such as Claritin, Zyrtec of Allegra. You can combine a Flonase with one of the antihistamines to get relief if you're having different symptoms. 

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Rodriguez Ramos recommends seeing an allergist "if you are really having a lot of problems, if it's interfering with quality of life." If allergies cause other health concerns, such sinus infections, that also would be a reason to see a doctor.

If you've used both an antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory for a week and nothing has changed, that also would be a reason to see a doctor. 

Seeing an allergist can help you identify what you're allergic to so you can prepare for that season. You also can start immunotherapy such as shots, drops or tablets that can make your body better at withstanding those allergens. That therapy usually takes six to 12 months to start working. 

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Some of what people might be feeling might not be allergies at all. Respiratory viruses also have been circulating as people have gotten together again and have taken off their masks. People often confuse allergies and viruses.

Some of the symptoms are similar, but allergies are marked by itchy eyes, nose and throat. People also don't have fever with allergies. If you have a fever, feel achy and have a dry cough, suspect a virus instead. If other people in your family have been sick or if it's lasting only five to 10 days, that also points to a virus.

"So often people blame things on allergies," Simpsons said. "We are still not out of the pandemic."