Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- While Theresa Jervais says she’s enjoyed the beautiful weather we’ve had this winter, her allergy-like symptoms have left her congested.
Doctors at Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology Associates have been busier than they're used to at this time of year.
“January, February, March…often times tend to be a lull for what we see, but we’ve had quite a bit of patients, quite a few patients,” Dr. Michael Sheehan told NewsChannel 9.
“It’s been exceptionally bad. I think the weather changing on and off has been bad for me and a lot of people I talk to too,” Jervais said.
Many patients have been seen with all the classic signs of allergies: Sneezing, sniffling and watery eyes. But they aren’t actually having an allergic reaction to pollen, instead they’re experiencing nasal inflammation triggered by something else.
"We're having unseasonably warm days and then some bitter cold nights and we wake up to frost,” Dr. Sheehan said.
If it continues, doctors say even more people like Jervais, will be looking for some relief.
"It responds to the medicines that are used to treat nasal allergies, nasal antihistamines work well for many of these patients, there are several on the market,” Dr. Sheehan said. "If it's bothersome enough that would be a reason to see a doctor, if those things don't work."
Dr. Sheehan says this unusual winter is no indicator of what we’ll see when allergy season actually starts – around April or May – when we start seeing consistent temperatures of 60 degrees and above.
