FLOURTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) — As fall approaches, allergy sufferers are bracing for some miserable days.<\/p>\n
However, getting an early jump on them and having a plan can make all the difference.<\/p>\n
Jessica Duffy of Flourtown, Pa., loves being outdoors with her kids – except for her seasonal allergies.<\/p>\n
“I was getting bronchitis pretty much twice a year, like clockwork, once in the late fall and then again in the springtime,” Jessica remembers vividly.<\/p>\n
And the cough lasted more than a month.<\/p>\n
“It was keeping me up at night. I was losing sleep. I was missing my kids’ school events and sporting events, missing work,” she adds.<\/p>\n
Jessica also didn’t like needing steroids and antibiotics for those episodes.<\/p>\n
When her primary care doctor suggested a pulmonologist, she went to Dr. Kartik Shenoy of the Temple Lung Center.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shenoy says the first step is testing to find out what you’re allergic to.<\/p>\n
“They’re often allergic to multiple things, which could involve both fall, spring, summer, et cetera,” he explains.<\/p>\n
“I was basically allergic to every tree and grass in our area that came out in the fall and spring,” she says, smiling.<\/p>\n
Next, Dr. Shenoy says, develop a plan for allergy season and beyond.<\/p>\n
He says following pollen counts helps target when to ramp up or down on medications.<\/p>\n
“Starting things early is more about preventing symptoms from developing,” he notes, adding, “To prevent it from progressing into something worse that would require more escalated treatment.”<\/p>\n
The goal is to avoid risks from drugs like steroids.<\/p>\n
“Whether that be development of chronic kidney disease, whether it be development of diabetes, whether it’s osteopenia, osteoporosis,” Dr. Shenoy says.<\/p>\n
He also recommends low-tech tactics such as N95 masks for outdoor chores, or showering and washing your clothes after being outdoors to reduce allergen exposure.<\/p>\n
He has Jessica using daily over-the-counter pills, plus an inhaler during high-pollen seasons.<\/p>\n
“Since then, I have not had any bouts of bronchitis,” Jessica says happily.<\/p>\n
And she can truly look forward to fall.<\/p>\n
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