Huntsville: Allergies? (Decatur, Madison: living, store, moving)

[TootsieWootsie]

Say, I have a cousin relocating to Huntsville. I have read somewhere (I think) that you not only have Cedar Fever there, but the Huntsville area is allergy heaven. Am I wrong on this one?
I'm just trying to warn her in case as she has suffered from allergies for awhile, and would hate to see her get herself in a pickle by taking a job there.

[marysally]

What is Cedar Fever?

[TootsieWootsie]

Cedar Fever is from the pollen on cedar trees, I believe. It is abundant in Austin, Texas, and people have gotten so sick they have died from it (albiet very, very rare).
If you live in Huntsville and have not heard of it, well, that's positive.

[marysally]

Yes, I live in Huntsville and have never heard of Cedar Fever. I moved here 8 years ago from Houston. I have never had a lot of trouble with allergies, but my son did when he lived in Houston. He has never lived in Huntsville so I have no comparison point. I can't imagine that the allergy problem is any worse here than any where else in the south since the pollen levels should be similar. My feeling though is that Houston was much worse for allergies since everyone I knew there was on Claritin D.

[TootsieWootsie]

Ok, no Cedar Fever in Huntsville. I will pass it on.
In Houston, when I came there, people asked me if I had allergies. I did not. They said, "Wellll, it will take you about 7 years and you will have them." Guess what? They were right!!!!!

[AnchorAlumna]

Over here in Decatur, about 15 miles and across the river from Huntsville, allergies are AWFUL! This area is in a huge valley that tends to trap a lot of particulate matter, as well as the insecticides etc. that get sprayed from planes onto the crops. My husband and children all have asthma...whenever we go on vacation, their asthma gets better.

[sunsetcv]

I have lived in Huntsville for almost 3 years. I have NEVER had allergies until I moved to Huntsville. For the past 2 years after the trees start to bloom my eyes are swollen and it takes a doctors visit to get any relief. The allergies continue until the blooming season is over.

[Haze]

Yes, allergies are very bad here. I don't want to scare anyone off, but it's actually affected my life to the point that I plan on moving after finishing my degree.

I have lived in various states and even another continent, and I never had much of a problem with allergies other than the occasional runny nose. Living here for 12 years, I have had numerous sinus infections and am even on anti-convulsants in order to treat the weekly allergy-triggered migraines. I'm also on allergy shots (you'll find that a lot of people here are) and came close to losing the hearing in my right ear from a major ear infection that developed as the result of repeated sinus problems.

Having said that, there ARE people who live here and don't have any problems, and because of this (and the fact that Huntsville is a great city) I wouldn't tell anyone not to move here. I just think that it's something everyone should be aware of.

[emglo]

I just got back from the urgent care center, where I thought I had either the flu or strep throat, but it was determined that I have allergies (severely sore throat and congestion). Having just moved here from the midwest in January, this is my first fall in Madison, and having never suffered from allergies previously, just wanted to see if anyone else is currently suffering with allergies? If so, what is causing it (pollen, grass, etc.)?

[AnotherBravesFan]

Caveat: I moved here in August from SoCal, where I suffered seasonal allergies as well, mostly with the Santa Ana winds in fall. October is typically a bad month for me, and lately here I've had on/off allergy symptoms. Don't know the cause...what grows here is so different than CA. I've found the best relief with capsules of Nettle (aka Stinging Nettle or Nettle leaf); look for it in vitamin aisle. May have to go to natural foods store here to find? (I brought mine from CA.) Quick relief with NO drowsiness! And I take it only when needed, unlike Allegra and Claritin which did not work for me. Benadryl puts me to sleep and leaves me groggy the next day.