LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Springtime means pollen time. While the blooming trees and flowers may be pretty, it’s typically the worst time of year for allergy sufferers.
It’s also the time of year people like to take advantage of the warmer weather but it can mean a day or night of suffering.
“Three people can walk through a wheat field, one person is comfortable. The next person could come out with their eyes swollen shut and nose dripping. Another person could be struggling for air because it hits their throat and exacerbates their asthma. It really comes down to an individual basis,” said Terrence Kwiatkowski, Sinus Solutions.
Kwiatkowski is an ear, throat, and nose doctor in Las Vegas who sees a spike in appointments at the start of spring. But he say’s each person is different in how they respond to trees, flowers, or dust.
“Unfortunately mulberry and olive, that’s what they planted here. That is part of the problem. I see a bit of both. I see people coming from the East Coast that do better or those from the East Coast that do worst, and the same thing from California,” he said.
Symptoms like coughing, sneezing, fatigue can confuse people who’ve never experienced allergies before. The symptoms mimic the common cold.
“I suffer from allergies, I get colds just like everyone else,” Kwiatkowski said. “The first day or two you can’t tell the difference, unless you get that body achy feeling from a cold then it’s a telling sign it’s not allergies.
While over the counter drugs and remedies help most people, some may need a stronger medication prescribed by their physician or, in some cases, surgery.
“We try to be as minimally invasive but as maximally effective as possible. If the sinuses shut down, we can open them in the office with literally no down time,” he said.
Kwiatkowski says to combat the dryness, you can keep eye solution on hand to flush the pollen and having a small humidifier by the bed can also ease symptoms.
