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Allergy Sufferers, Start Your Antihistamines

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- No one looks forward to getting a shot, but Fred Slaughter says his allergy shots are well worth it.

"I can barely breathe half the time. A lot of the times, I walk around like I always have a cold and I'm always sniffling and blowing my nose," Slaughter said.

He began getting two shots in both arms each week, starting last month, to keep those symptoms at bay ahead of the spring and summer allergy season.

So far this year, Dr. John Sweet has already seen multiple patients suffering from mold allergies at Hennepin Healthcare. It's supposed to get worse over the coming days as tree pollens start to kick up.

"If you know you have a mold or a tree pollen allergy, now is the time to start your steroid nasal sprays and your antihistamines," Sweet said.

Pollen Map
(credit: Pollen.com)

Pollen.com shows most of Minnesota is green right now, which means counts are low. Southern portions of the state are yellow, which means allergy levels are growing.

"It might be tempting to open the windows, but you want to keep them closed," Sweet said.

After a long winter, people are going to want to get outside with the sunshine and all of the allergens. Dr. Sweet suggests wearing a hat so the pollen doesn't get in your hair and on your bedroom pillow at night.

There are three different allergy seasons in Minnesota:

  • Tree (Spring)
  • Grass (Mid-Summer)
  • Weeds (Summer-Fall)
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