austin allergies (congested, complete, today)

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by eastontracks

What are some symptoms you guys have w the allergies? I feel I experienced some when I was there for 5 days for sxsw. I don't remember having it as bad before but my face got very itchy and was red. As soon as I went back home, everything cleared up pretty good.

That can be one of the symptoms.
People with severe allergies can sometimes feel like they have the respiratory flu.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by eastontracks

What are some symptoms you guys have w the allergies? I feel I experienced some when I was there for 5 days for sxsw. I don't remember having it as bad before but my face got very itchy and was red. As soon as I went back home, everything cleared up pretty good.

I have never had the face itchiness from air borne inhaled allergans, but have experienced it from some morphine based pain killers. Airborne allergies usually result in congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sinus and throat irritations.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by lmcf

September is when cedar fever begins---get ready.

You're thinking of something else... possibly ragweed... Cedar Fever in Austin is typically a December - February thing. Then as it begins to fade out, ash and elm come in, followed by oak, which just compounds and extends the misery for many.

Cedar Fever is misnamed, because it is produced by the pollen of the ashe juniper, a shrub or small tree that grows wild all over the area, and which people have long referred to as Mountain Cedar, hence the name.

Here's a fact sheet on it from an allergy clinic:

Cedar Fever Austin, TX | Westlake Allergy | Austin, TX

Here's a handy reference chart of the common airborne allergies that afflict Austin, month by month. You will notice that all 12 months are bad for one reason or another, which is why some call Austin the "live mucous capital of America."

http://www.austinregionalclinic.com/...y_calendar.pdf

[Pulzar]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I have never had the face itchiness from air borne inhaled allergans, but have experienced it from some morphine based pain killers. Airborne allergies usually result in congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sinus and throat irritations.

Itchy, red eyes, too. That's usually the first sign of bad things to come for me.

[Katjianna]

Hawkpacific, I am currently in Temecula and looking to move to Austin as well. In Temecula I suffer badly from asthma and very bad sinus issues (previous to living in Temecula I never had a sinus issue before!) When you say you have allergies, what do you mean, runny nose and eye itch or do you happen to suffer from asthma/sinus as well?

I am very curious if my asthma/sinus issues will be worse in Austin, as this could very much affect my decision to move there. I am just so sick of the numerous doctors visits and so many prescription meds.

Before moving to Temecula I lived in Phoenix and other than my childhood asthma hanging around, I never had an issue with allergies.

Thank you very much for the help!

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Katjianna

Hawkpacific, I am currently in Temecula and looking to move to Austin as well. In Temecula I suffer badly from asthma and very bad sinus issues (previous to living in Temecula I never had a sinus issue before!) When you say you have allergies, what do you mean, runny nose and eye itch or do you happen to suffer from asthma/sinus as well?

I am very curious if my asthma/sinus issues will be worse in Austin, as this could very much affect my decision to move there. I am just so sick of the numerous doctors visits and so many prescription meds.

Before moving to Temecula I lived in Phoenix and other than my childhood asthma hanging around, I never had an issue with allergies.

Thank you very much for the help!

Call my allergy doctor's office, the staff there will probably be glad to answer your questions. They are pretty friendly and easy going.

Central Texas Allergy & Asthma Center - Allergist, Austin, Texas - Welcome

[sloppymeg]

I really think it depends on what triggers your asthma and what allergies you have (and could possibly develop).

We've been here a year and a half. The first year, my hubby was sick, sick, sick wheezing, coughing, rattling, stuffy nose. I initially thought it was just a cold, but then it lingered for weeks. Then months. When I finally started getting very scared he seriously had something wrong, it dawned on me that all these people kept talking about Cedar fever. Interestingly, he cleared up Feb/March. And it started all over this year again in the late fall/winter.

He'd never had anything like that happen before we moved here, but his body does not like the Cedar.

My oldest son was fine last spring, but is absolutely miserable currently from the Live Oak pollen. Antihistamines aren't working so well (except Benedryl), Nasonex is helping somewhat, but he has needed his inhalers the last couple weeks. He's gone months without needing them. He has runny nose, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, bags under his eyes, etc. He looks and feels terrible.

The mold count here never goes away, so if you're sensitive to mold, you will always have issues. I take AT LEAST one antihistamine a day, most days 2 when the level is really up, but my asthma has actually cleared up significantly.

After all of that, the point is, how YOUR body will respond to this environment can not be determined on this message board. The pollens here are different from the pollens in my previous state, so I just traded one set of allergies for some different ones.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by lmcf

I have been here 6yrs and my allergies are always bad, go see an allergist there is also the Austin healthcare center that does natural homeopathic methods but they're not cheap. September is when cedar fever begins---get ready.

Cedar fever does NOT begin in September. It begins most years in December and January when the male cedar trees release their pollen. It is visible - you can see a brown tint to some cedar trees (the males). If you experience allergies in September it is not cedar.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Katjianna

Hawkpacific, I am currently in Temecula and looking to move to Austin as well. In Temecula I suffer badly from asthma and very bad sinus issues (previous to living in Temecula I never had a sinus issue before!) When you say you have allergies, what do you mean, runny nose and eye itch or do you happen to suffer from asthma/sinus as well?

I am very curious if my asthma/sinus issues will be worse in Austin, as this could very much affect my decision to move there. I am just so sick of the numerous doctors visits and so many prescription meds.

Before moving to Temecula I lived in Phoenix and other than my childhood asthma hanging around, I never had an issue with allergies.

Thank you very much for the help!

Allergies are a part of life in Austin. It's possible that you have allergic asthma that is being triggered by something in Temecula. The best thing that people can do here is actually go to an allergist to get tested in order to see what exactly they are allergic to (mold, pollens, etc.) At that point, you'll know what you're dealing with. Allergic reactions here for people often turn into sinus infections if they aren't controlled.

With that said, Temecula is a desert and the Austin area will have different allergens. I don't think anyone can answer your question until you visit an allergist to do an allergy skin test.

I've pasted a quote below from the Allergy & Asthma Center of Austin (which is a great place by the way):

Allergy Information | Allergy & Asthma Center of Austin

"Many places in the United States claim the title of "allergy capital" because people in the area suffer significant symptoms. Austin is usually rated in the top 5 worst places for allergies. Different geographic regions have different predominant pollens and seasons. For instance, in the Midwest, Fall "hayfever" (caused by ragweed pollen) may be especially severe in August and September until the first freeze. In fact, most of the US has Fall (weeds) and Spring (trees and grass) pollen seasons.

Austin is unique in having 3 distinct pollen seasons. In the Fall, ragweed and other weeds release pollen from mid August to early November. This season is much longer than in other parts of the country. In the Spring, Oak and other trees like Ash, Elm and Pecan pollinate from February to early June. Grasses pollinate from March through September. The hot, dry, summer weather often kills off much of the grass, so some years there is very little pollen in July and early August.

In the Winter, Mountain Cedar pollen season extends from December to February, and is unique to Central Texas. Cedar pollen counts in Central Texas are the highest pollen counts of any plant anywhere in the world. Cedar allergy, referred to as "cedar fever," can be intense and debilitating. On days of very high pollen counts many cedar allergic people can't go outdoors without experiencing severe symptoms. Some people must miss work or school, and can't get good control of their symptoms despite taking lots of medication."

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Cedar fever does NOT begin in September. It begins most years in December and January when the male cedar trees release their pollen. It is visible - you can see a brown tint to some cedar trees (the males). If you experience allergies in September it is not cedar.

Here is a good chart that shows what the major allergens are each month of the year.

http://www.centraltexasallergy.com/pollenchart.gif