As a lifelong allergy sufferer, I think I understand why your allergies are so bad.

A warm winter means everything began pollinating early, so more pollen in the air for a prolonged period likely equals more allergies.

In your specific case, your county's rainfall is way down, and I believe that when rainfall is down, more pollen stays airborne longer because rain isn't knocking it out of the air. If you often have your windows open, the pollen can come indoors.

Now that some rain finally has fallen, you end up with mold and fungi, to which many people are allergic.

Add up all that together, and that's why your allergies are bad.

They say that climate change is bringing increased 'bad allergy' years, and that over the last 30 years, the number of people with allergies has increased and their allergies for the most part are worsening over the years.

Not a pretty picture, is it? Every year, it seems like at least one city in Oklahoma is on the Top Ten Worst Allergy Cities. For 2012, it is OKC and it is ranked 6th. I imagine most of us who do not reside in the OKC area have about the same pollen counts they do. At least we're not in the number one city for allergies, which I think was Knoxville.

Tim and I are suffering right along with you.

Yes, it was Knoxville, Dawn. Tulsa was down there at 28, I think.

My allergies have been the worst I ever remember this year. Sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, you name it. I tried Claritin, but it didn't work. Anyone got a better suggestion?

Susan

Mine are always bad, but this year they are worse than usual. Tim's are much, much worse than usual.

Claritin doesn't work for me in terms of respiratory allergies, but Benadryl does. I hate taking Benadryl because it makes me so drowsy, but it does work. All the newer antihistamines that they say will not make you drowsy just don't work for me. I also take Tagamet because it is a histamine blocker and it keeps my sun allergy from making my skin itchy, although I can mostly control that by wearing long sleeves out in the garden, like I did today. (Ugh! Long sleeves in June are not pleasant.)

Dawn

I have been using Xlear, a xylitol based nasal spray before bed each night for years. Until this year I would have said it works good. I think perhaps I need to go back to morning and evening. It is supposed to work by flushing out the allergens. Xlear is in health food stores. Vit C is also an antihistamine. Maybe I'll take extra. Benadryl doesn't just make me drowsy; it puts me to sleep, so can only take it at night. I don't like to because it interferes with short term memory.

A friend was telling me tonight that long-term Benadryl usage is associated with dementia in recent studies. Ick! Since moving back to OK in my teens, it turns out I am plagued with all kinds of allergies, year round. I take Flonase (recently changed to morning and night from just once in the morning) and my allergist recommends Zyrtec for me as needed. My allergies are usually congestive rather than drippy, but if I go off meds, the sneezing and nose become just too much.

When I told the doctor my lips and throat get tingly when eating bell peppers, he said a rare reaction to all the tree pollens I am allergic to is for your body to interpret unusual things as allergens. For example, many people allergic to birch pollen manifest as white potato allergy. Strange. I don't want to do allergy shots, so my course of treatment is to not eat as many bell peppers. :)

Neti Pots are great for allergies. Since I have started using one I don't have the allergy problems I used to. Nor do I catch colds like I used to. I swear by them. It is scary to use the first couple of times, but once you are used to it, they are a life saver!

If Benadryl leads to dementia, I'm in serious trouble. On the other hand, I guess I can blame it for my poor short-term memory. My dad never took Benadryl, and he had dementia, but it runs in his family. About half his brothers and sisters suffered from it as well, but half did not. (And I am adopted, so at least I do not have their dementia gene, though I might have one of my own.)

That is odd how an allergy to one kind of pollen makes the body react to another.

One of our son's childhood friends had severe allergies and took allergy shots religiously for years and years and I never could tell that it helped him at all, even after taking them for at least ten years.

I like the idea of Neti pots, but some people use them improperly and make themselves ill.

Dawn

Mia, that's interesting about the bell peppers. My daughter loved bell and banana peppers and would eat them out of the garden when she was a kid. Now she can't eat them at all. Her throat closes up.

+1 for neti pots. I only have occasional sinus problems like after mowing or when there is a certain pollen that is extremely high on the allergy report. It does me a lot of good just to clean it all out. I also use allergy eye drops if my eyes get red, itchy, or burn.

Neti pots are really no big deal. You can pick up a plastic one from Wal-Mart for about $10. It will have some packets of solution or you can make your own with water and about a teaspoon of salt. I believe doctors are now recommending you use distilled water as tap and other bottled waters can still have some live bugs that are not good to squirt up your nose. Pop it in the microwave until it is lukewarm. If it burns like taking a dip in the swimming pool, then you may need to add more salt.

The one I got it the bottle kind, I got for about 9 bucks, and it came with salt packets that you use with distilled water. Never use tap. I nuke it for 30 seconds, test on my wrist like a baby bottle, then use. It has worked wonders for my allergies. It is even better than decongestants the one time in 4 years I caught I cold. I swear by the thing.