Taking the misery out of fall allergies

FLOURTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- As fall approaches, allergy sufferers are bracing for some miserable days.

However, getting an early jump on them and having a plan can make all the difference.

Jessica Duffy of Flourtown, Pa., loves being outdoors with her kids - except for her seasonal allergies.

"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.

And the cough lasted more than a month.

"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.

Jessica also didn't like needing steroids and antibiotics for those episodes.

When her primary care doctor suggested a pulmonologist, she went to Dr. Kartik Shenoy of the Temple Lung Center.

Dr. Shenoy says the first step is testing to find out what you're allergic to.

"They're often allergic to multiple things, which could involve both fall, spring, summer, et cetera," he explains.

"I was basically allergic to every tree and grass in our area that came out in the fall and spring," she says, smiling.

Next, Dr. Shenoy says, develop a plan for allergy season and beyond.

He says following pollen counts helps target when to ramp up or down on medications.

"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."

The goal is to avoid risks from drugs like steroids.

"Whether that be development of chronic kidney disease, whether it be development of diabetes, whether it's osteopenia, osteoporosis," Dr. Shenoy says.

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.

He has Jessica using daily over-the-counter pills, plus an inhaler during high-pollen seasons.

"Since then, I have not had any bouts of bronchitis," Jessica says happily.

And she can truly look forward to fall.