Pollen

[harllee]

It is pollen season where I live and it seems to be the worst ever. The reports say it is mainly pine pollen (we have many trees of all kinds in our area). The pollen is coating everything--my car looks green. I have been exercising outside, mainly walking and biking but the pollen is making it almost impossible. Yesterday I biked and wore a mask (the mask does help some) and by the end of the bike ride I was wheezing and sneezing and had a sinus headache. We tried to eat at a restaurant outside this week and it was awful because of the pollen everywhere (I am not ready to eat inside a restaurant yet).

What I do--I take loratadine (have upped it to twice a day), use Flonase nose spray, use allergy eye drops, take a shower and wash hair after being outside, wash clothes after being outside, keep windows closed and AC on. I hate not being able to go outside. Any suggestions?

 

[Jerry1]

One good thing about the current situation is that you won’t look out of place with a mask on. I would get better masks, like those KN95’s. Allergens are best handled by avoidance. You could even get away with some goggles. Unfortunately, being sensitive to something so prevalent is tough. Have you ever considered allergy shots? I’ve been on them for many years now and, for me, it’s been a huge improvement.

 

[street]

I know many people that pollen seasons are terrific for them. I have been lucky in life, pollen has never been an issue for me. I do feel for the people, that have problems.

 

[HF63]

You might consider adding a Nasal rinse solution pretty much made up of a water and some salts. I used this during my bike rides or after getting inside the house, it works great. I buy the spray can but you can also buy the salt packets and make your own solution.

 

[MRG]

Oh yes. I take zyrtec, add in some benadryl and suffer. The nasal rinses help too.

I'm not sure what I'm allergic to. I'm suspicious of the magnesium calcium slurry they put on our road for dust control. During winter months it's coating the garage floor for a few months when we don't power wash the garage. Ten minutes there and my nose gushes.

 

[old medic]

Good thing your down that way... Up here yesterday.... HOLY CRAP....
Was in the garage and looked out seeing a misting rain starting...
walk out to put the truck windows up.... but feel no rain....
It was POLLEN FALLING....

 

[Bamaman]

Pollen is a product of living anywhere they have lush forests.

We lived in Atlanta and it's a place where they have yellow clouds of pine pollen in the Spring. That city's about the worst there is.

Itchy eyes come with it. Not much you can do other than take Benadryl. And go to the car wash 2x per week.

 

[frayne]

Same issues here in Chattanooga this time of year, everything coated with yellowish green pollen. No avoiding it if you do anything outside. Fortunately, it doesn't last more than a few weeks.

 

[JoeWras]

My neighbor's car today:

Yesterday, we had "pollen fog." I'm not kidding, it was so dense, visibility was reduced. I think yesterday will be peak.

This year is bad for an unfortunate series of events in the Southeast:

1. Cool second half of March kept trees slumbering a bit
2. April went warm, with a vengeance. Trees woke up.
3. Massive high pressure system holding off all traces of rain

So when the trees decided it was time for sex, they got right to it!


BTW, I found that last week was worse. There was more oak and maple which you can't see as much. The pine looks bad, but doesn't bother me as much.

 

[Venturer]

We just got back from Port St Joe Fla. on Easter sunday. After staying down there for 9 days with the ocean breezes and no hacking & sniffles , we woke up monday and the rest of this week to the yellow fog. We went to Ft. Oglethorpe Costco yesterday and looking west towards Lookout Mt. it was so hazy you could barely see the mt. My truck is black under the yellow pollen coating and it was washed on Wed. and lives in the garage. We need the rain that is supposed to be here later today to wash the air at least for a day or so.

 

[audreyh1]

DH found that even simple masks help so much with pollen that he wore one outdoors on the farm.

 

[Midpack]

It’s that time of year and it’s high lots of places. Nothing new really.

https://www.pollen.com/map

 

[MichaelB]

DH found that even simple masks help so much with pollen that he wore one outdoors on the farm.

When I’m out running errands I feel far less seasonal allergy effect then when I’m home, maskless, but I hadn’t thought about this until reading your post.

 

[Markola]

I wasn’t sniffling yet today until I read this post.

 

[pacergal]

I have dust, weed and pollen allergies all year long, so I share your suffering.
I love to garden, but DH has to do the weeding! I can handle it for about 15 minutes.

I use Flonase, Netti pot for sinus flushing, have albuterol inhaler for wheezing.
I have been on daily oral antihistamines in the past, but found the Flonase worked the best.
I use Benadryl occasionally or loratadine.
I have noticed improvement this year with air purifiers in every room and wearing masks outside.

 

[JoeWras]

There's one other thing going on in the Southeast, and that's lack of drought. We haven't had a good drought year in a decade or so. The trees are stacked with energy and ready to go.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Pollen is a product of living anywhere they have lush forests.

We lived in Atlanta and it's a place where they have yellow clouds of pine pollen in the Spring. That city's about the worst there is.

Itchy eyes come with it. Not much you can do other than take Benadryl. And go to the car wash 2x per week.

Atlanta's pollen is pretty epic but it doesn't bother me nearly as bad as the cedar pollen of TX and OK....that stuff is murder on my eyes!

We just got back from ATL and while pollen was "extreme" there wasn't too much evidence of the pine pollen so I don't think it has started in earnest.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

It’s that time of year and it’s high lots of places. Nothing new really.

Yep. The "worst ever!" kinda reminds me of travel forecasts (pre-COVID) every holiday: "IT'S GOING TO BE THE WORST EVER!!!"

 

[Car-Guy]

I just started cutting some of the fields near the house earlier then week... I only mow for a few hours each day since the tree and grass pollen is pretty heavy at this time of the year... I found wearing my covid face masks helps a lot... Inside the house we just run our air purifiers/filters and that does the trick for us.

 

[JoeWras]

Right, and then "worst ever" morphs into a topic that attracts Porky.

Instead of that, it would be nice if they could come up with a story about Paynology. Scientists are drilling cores or looking at pond sediments and examining pollen layers from hundreds or thousands of years ago. Pollen has always varied through the years.

One more thing about today that may actually support "worst ever" is the recovery of the southeast forest. Near the turn of the century, so much of the forest was cut down for building or farming. Quite a bit of it has recovered, so it is true there is more pollen than a few decades ago since there are more mature trees. See growth in tree caliber from this chart:

 

[harllee]

One good thing about the current situation is that you won’t look out of place with a mask on. I would get better masks, like those KN95’s. Allergens are best handled by avoidance. You could even get away with some goggles. Unfortunately, being sensitive to something so prevalent is tough. Have you ever considered allergy shots? I’ve been on them for many years now and, for me, it’s been a huge improvement.

Thanks, I did use a KN95 mask (it is now so pollenated I have to toss it) but only wore sunglasses --I might have to get goggles. If this continues for a while I will have to go to my allergy doctor for shots, it has been a while since I had the shots

 

[harllee]

You might consider adding a Nasal rinse solution pretty much made up of a water and some salts. I used this during my bike rides or after getting inside the house, it works great. I buy the spray can but you can also buy the salt packets and make your own solution.

Yes I use the Netttie nasal rinse every time I come back in from being outside, at least once a day. It doe help but the pollen is so bad right now I am fighting a losing battle.

 

[harllee]

Good thing your down that way... Up here yesterday.... HOLY CRAP....
Was in the garage and looked out seeing a misting rain starting...
walk out to put the truck windows up.... but feel no rain....
It was POLLEN FALLING....

Yesterday the pollen was so bad here in NC that the sky was yellow, it looked like there were yellow clouds blowing everywhere.

 

[ivinsfan]

This reminds why it's better to watch the pretty flowers at the Masters on TV...

 

[Amethyst]

I used to use Flonase during maple pollen and ragweed pollen seasons. These aren't an issue in Florida, thank heaven.

The last time I lived in Florida, the invasive tree melaleuca was an issue for me. Horrid things, smell like potatoes with rancid butter when they're blooming. Since I haven't seen (or smelled) any since I've been here, they must have gotten them under control.