How Allergy Shots in Fresno Can Transform Your Spring

The first three months of the year tend to be pretty rainy. Starting in April, things start to dry out and spring’s arrival gets people outside to enjoy the warmer, dry weather. However, spring’s arrival also means tree, grass, and weed pollen become problems for people who deal with seasonal allergies.

Are you dealing with itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, and irritated sinuses? Seasonal allergies are awful, but some people have severe symptoms that can make it hard to function. The chance of asthma attacks is also a risk. Instead of hiding inside, allergy shots in Fresno can change your life.

What Pollens Are Prevalent in the Spring?

When spring arrives, tree pollen is also prevalent. Tree pollen is one of the worst allergens in the spring, and many trees grow in the area. Several different oaks, privets, and sycamore are the worst offenders, but there are others. There are also grass pollens, but mold and ragweed pollen aren’t as high in the spring.

Head inside, and you face allergens like pet dander and dust mites. Plus, the pollen outside clings to your skin, hair, and clothing, so you bring in tree pollen and the other pollen with you.

If you suffer from allergies, it’s recommended that you come in, take off the clothes you wore outside, take a shower, and rinse out your hair. It’s frustrating to have to do all of that to come inside and avoid bringing pollen into the home. 

It’s Not Just Pollen

Pollen is not the only issue for people with spring allergies. If you’re allergic to bees, they’re everywhere as flowers start to bloom. You might have a severe allergic reaction to mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are active in warmer weather, and for some people, a bite can swell up to baseball size, which is both alarming and irritating.

When your spring allergies involve insects, you need to take extra care to avoid a bite or sting. That can make it hard to do things you enjoy like gardening, walking barefoot on a beach, or sitting outside and watching the sunset.

How Do You Deal With Spring Allergies?

When you suffer from spring allergies, what do you currently do to ease the symptoms? Most people take allergy pills like diphenhydramine to ease the inflammation and allergic response to the pollen spores. While allergy pills can help, they’re ineffective for others. Plus, many of the popular over-the-counter options have side effects like drowsiness, which make it risky to drive a car after taking them.

A better option for severe allergies is to start getting allergy shots. They work gradually and help desensitize your body to the allergens that get to you.

How Do Allergy Shots Work?

Allergy shots are a form of immunotherapy treatment where you slowly acclimate your body to the allergens that affect you. You get a series of shots in increasing amounts, which helps build antibodies that prevent allergic reactions for three to five years. 

Are allergy shots right for you? They’re recommended when allergy medications don’t work for you, and you can’t avoid the things that trigger your allergies. It’s hard to avoid pollen from trees, grass, and weeds without staying inside year-round. Even if you do, there are allergens inside the home.

If you can’t take allergy medications because they interact with other medications, allergy shots are a good idea. You might also want to get allergy shots if you can’t stand the side effects from the allergy medications that work for you. Finally, allergy shots are a great idea if you’re allergic to things like bee stings or mosquito bites.

With an allergy shot, you start with a tiny amount and work your way up to larger amounts of the allergen. A typical reaction after a shot is redness and swelling at the injection site. In rare cases, people might experience hives, congestion, and chest tightness. Anaphylaxis is extremely rare, but it has happened in some people. If it does, you’re at the allergist’s office where staff are monitoring your body’s reaction to the shots and can help.

The first round of shots is given up to three times a week for up to six months. Each week, the dose of allergen increases slightly. When you reach the highest dose, you enter the maintenance phase where a monthly booster is given for up to five years. Some people go for monthly shots for longer than that.

After a shot, plan to sit in the office for half an hour to ensure you don’t have a reaction. If you do, the medical team is there to help.

What Are Their Benefits?

It does take time for allergy shots to work. Most people notice improvements by the end of the first year, but the majority feel it’s in the second year that there are drastic improvements to your allergic symptoms. By year three, allergic reactions are generally a thing of the past.

At that point, you can do all of the things you used to want to do but had to hold off due to your allergies. If tree pollen has been your weakness and made it hard to spend time outside, you’ll find it easy to go outside for walks, hikes, and other outdoor activities.

Imagine being able to go outside without having your nose stuff up, your eyes start watering and itching, and sneezing non-stop. You won’t feel so drained that you just want to go home and sleep. With allergy shots, that’s possible.

Tips for Finding an Allergy Specialist

How do you arrange allergy shots? You want to find a board-certified allergist in Fresno and schedule a consultation. Before you go for shots, you need to undergo tests that pinpoint exactly what you’re allergic to. It’s often done by swabbing your skin with a dose of the suspected allergen and watching for any allergic reaction.

Because the tests are done first, you know that the exact allergy is being treated by the allergy shots. You’re not going to go through the injections and learn it was wasted as that’s not what causes your symptoms.

Stop suffering needlessly. With a helpful solution like allergy shots and immunotherapy, you can get outside and have the best spring ever. Schedule a consultation with an allergist and ask about the benefits and risks of allergy shots this year.