Allergy season is here, unseasonably early.
Dr. Bradley Jones at Baylor Irving said his string of spring allergy patients are beginning to pay him a visit.
"I definitely see almost a double of what I saw in the winter," Jones said, "You can almost set your watch by it. Here, people allergic to trees are coming in the March and February time frame."
Coppell resident Janice Baldwin said her family is always a victim to allergy season.
"I have congestion and watery eyes. My daughters, it goes a step farther where they start getting eczema patches and they have trouble sleeping, can’t breathe through their nose," Baldwin said.
Christina Gates of Arlington said she also deals with the same symptoms every year.
"Oh man, I’ve had some serious headaches, eyes are just running. I could be laying down and they’re just running and my head just always pounds," Gates said.
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Jones recommended over-the-counter remedies to fix most of the less serious problems. Nasal sprays and saltwater rinses for the nose are a couple of his top recommendations.
But if his patients have severe symptoms, he said weekly allergy shots or even a one-time steroid shot can help -- a treatment he tailors for each patient due to potential allergic reactions.
"It’s very important that you get tested for the specific allergens. Allergists will do things like skin tests where on your back they’ll put a whole bunch of different things and see which ones you react to," he said.
Jones said spring and fall are typically the busiest in terms of seeing the most number of allergy patients in his office.
