BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - If you've seen someone with watery eyes the last few days, it's likely not because they're crying about the sudden sunshine.
Just when we thought Mother Nature had at last waved a flag of surrender, you might not want to open those windows after all.
“For allergy sufferers, especially as it relates to trees, you don't want to be doing that right now,” said Gwen Verchota, Ph.D., APRN-NC, care delivery manager at Virtuwell. “Right now we're at high pollen levels, and it definitely affects quality of life.”
The website pollen.com shows exactly why. On a scale of 0 to 12, our pollen count is at more than 10, and will stay at that high level at least through the weekend. Trees, plants and grass dormant through our cool April are now flowering seemingly overnight, and clinics across the state say the sudden, drastic change in weather has meant a flood of calls from patients with runny noses, coughs and itchy throats—and not from a common cold.
“With a cold mucus is typically cloudy in color,” said Verchota. “When you have allergies, it is clear and watery. It's the like the faucets are open and you're draining just a huge amount.”
But Verchota says medication can help it all, often with a combination of over-the-counter drugs, prescriptions and nasal sprays. She tells patients to medicate at the first sign of symptoms or if they know high pollen count days are coming, saying after a long, tough winter, even those with allergies should be happy it's finally spring.
“This is a condition that we can really help people manage well,” Verchota said.
Besides thoroughly cleaning your house, another suggestion from allergy experts is to be aware of outdoor pets, since they can carry pollen on their coats and bring it inside.
They say as hard as it is for many people to keep dogs and cats out of the bedroom, it can make a big difference in improving symptoms.