Author Topic: Why has early pollen been so bad this year in the Carolinas? (Read 192 times)

Masked Man · « **on:** March 14, 2026, 08:50:04 pm »

Why has early pollen been so bad this year in the Carolinas?
A cold end to winter, combined with a surge of March warmth, has allowed for many trees to pollinate at the same time.

LINK:

Why has early pollen been so bad this year in the Carolinas?

A cold end to winter, combined with a surge of March warmth, has allowed for many trees to pollinate at the same time.

wcnc.com

COMMENT:
Bam! I just got hit with some allergies overnight! For me it was just a runny nose and little headache all night! Could be worse.. just took a antihistamine and decongestant... I wear a mask all the time outside but that certainly didn't keep allergies from getting me through my clothes or seeping into home somehow!

Factors for me:
Spent the whole day outside yesterday even though I masked
Didn't have air purifiers ready (So I cleaned filters for air purifiers and air conditioners and turned them on so that seems better)
Maybe I didn't wash some of the clothes I had worn all day outside yesterday (now I'm washing them)
Maybe my diet of cheese and whole milk yesterday didn't help

Ive had this happen a few times to me and usually if I limit my time outside when pollen count is up and throw my clothes in the washer and shower right away, then my allergies go away in about 24 hours..

...we shall see if I'm not better in a day! For me, just in my particular case usually these allergies almost always happen to when I mow the grass then do a bunch of other outside activities in a row. I wear a mask all the time outside so it always freaks me out a little and shocks me as to how powerful allergens can be and get inside your clothes and home I guess.

In 6 years of masking I can say Ive never been sick but maybe 3 times/days/occasions Ive gotten a runny nose from allergens. Once was when I was working on plumbing in a dark damp area.. I got a runny nose that evening of plumbing without my mask on.. so I quit plumbing and a day later I was fine so then when I started plumbing again, I wore a mask and avoided wearing the same clothes while plumbing and so I had no problem after that.. then the other two times would happen the evening after mowing the grass (even though I mask while mowing)... I never got allergies after mowing if I came inside and washed my clothes right away and showered right away ...usually the allergy would always happen if I did something like stayed outside for a super long time after mowing the grass and didn't change my clothes or shower right away after mowing. Even though I masked outside the whole time I'd still get allergies later that evening...

...It must have something to do with allergens getting on clothes and in hair and seeping into home somehow because my mask is always on outside. I guess I'm bringing it indoors or it just gets inside the house naturally from nature. Any way that's about three times in 6 years of masking that I've ever gotten any kind of runny nose. So far far Ive managed it so when allergies strike they have have only lasted a day for me tops. A runny nose is an extremely rare event for me. We shall see if using air purifier and washing clothes and not spending prolonged period outside during high pollen count does the trick again for me! Ive have never had allergens or allergy symptoms for more than a day in six years so we shall see how I feel tomorrow after having cleaned the air filters on the air purifiers and the air conditioners and after having washed yesterday's clothes better and perhaps I'll limit my time outside.

lol.. Just the fact my nose started running feels totally crazy and freaky for me because I am such a die hard masker and never get sick! I feel perfectly fine but like I said its just a weird sensation having a runny nose whatsoever ..so far it has never lasted long longer than a day lol.. So when I get a runny nose its like a total shock to the system..lol

The Masked Man

P.S. It sounds kind of crazy but now its like I have to mask the home. I have to go the extra mile and cock the windows better..make seals airtight.. keep filters clean vacuum etc. Ive neglected some of that and its time for me to put some elbow grease into it. Ive got to to a better job of "masking" the home from certain elements and the weather!

UPDATE:March 15th 2026
I guess the antihistamine and the decongestant medicine did the trick and all the other little things I did worked pretty fast. I seem to be fine again.. nose stopped running ... now I just need to sleep.. the allergy medicine must have kept me up all night.

Data Report · « **Reply #1 on:** **Today** at 08:29:00 am »

Tree pollen up here in southeast PA is at least 10 days ahead of schedule, if not more. Going to be a long and rough allergy season.

Masked Man · « **Reply #2 on:** **Today** at 02:34:35 pm »

I am veteran of childhood allergies/asthma: mold, pollen, grass, dust, etc.
I almost died and had a hospital stay where they put an IV in me and even stayed in a sort of tent to ensure people like visitors around me didn't make me sicker... had weekly allergy shots .. the whole works... I am hoping to stay a veteran and hope those days of chronic allergies are over .. so far so good.. all that happened throughout childhood although I dare say some people redevelop allergies later in life.

Nowadays, to me its as if one little thing/exposure often triggers it all.. Hope allergy sufferers find a regiment of things that help them.. I am no stranger to the suffering allergies bring! This childhood experience for me has probably led to a certain wisdom, respect, appreciation, and interest in viruses as well as microscopic entities.

I'd like to think when someone almost dies like me they try to get something out of it and learn something from it... Ive become a happy masker in an age me and a handful of scientists and scholars believe is befitting of the mask. I have a healthy respect for life, what lies under the microscope lenses, life's challenges, and what others go through. There is indeed a microscopic world of entities at play that I take heed to.

The Masked Man

P.S.my loved one is 78 just had successful Gall Bladder surgery not quite three weeks ago and we just got back from a beautiful sunny walk together in our masks.. we are lucky but we are skillful and reduce risks including her allergies by masking! What a beautiful walk! Grateful to be alive! Gotta play your cards right, and mask brothers and sisters to keep those beautiful precious times going as long as possible in life. We've ruled out some major problems by masking. I puff my chest out, hold her hand, and she happily talks to me the whole time.. to me, the tone of her voice is like that of a beautiful bird and we walk our masked walk nobody messes with us and the pollen isn't as bad with our masks on! It was a pretty walk today!

Masked Man · « **Reply #3 on:** **Today** at 08:44:25 pm »

Here's just one of many articles that may help those of us fighting allergies who still want to or have to go outside and brave the elements...

Can Wearing a Mask Reduce My Allergy Symptoms?

Research shows that wearing masks outdoors can protect against more than Covid-19 for people who suffer from seasonal allergies.

LINK:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/well/live/mask-allergy-symptoms.html

P.S. To me masking is but a way of life that van be an all encompassing means of preventions when it comes to preventing airborne illnesses, airborne diseases, hazardous particles and yes even allergens!

I had a neighbor that always masked when she mowed the grass... I have no idea why on earth she didn't take advantage of that skill and mask when covid came along? Jeesh! Take advantage of the mask and all the wonderful things it can do!

Its a great skill and privilege to be able to wear a mask! I am now spoiled by wearing the mask. I never get sick.. I can do all sorts of tasks in which masks should actually be worn... plumbing in moldy areas, mowing grass... I prevent breathing in the sheer dust and chemicals from most all household projects and products which adds up to be a colossal amount.. and allergies all prevented with masking.. then we all get old and immunity declines so masking is just an amazing skill and art to have. It improves life and enhances health and safety.

We weren't meant to breathe in all this stuff we are trying to cohabitate with.. people are so full of themselves they think they can just breathe in every single thing on earth...sure its not all bad but c'mon not everything is good for us ...so many people act like the world rotates around them and microscopic entities and things they can't see can't affect them.
In this day and age so much is going on around every corner from climate change to viruses to heavy construction, you never know what you are gonna get hit with.. so I recommend having a mask on to be the safe side... don't take it for granted.. not all is pink and roses and designed for your membranes alone...be your own master and try to choose what you breathe in and what you don't. Don't let it chose you..don't be a victom... you choose it and what to breathe

I can only speak for myself and all information is not intended to be for medical advice but is for educational and informational purpose...I'll give it to ya straight and blunt: There's all sorts of crap going down where I live and although I lead a good life and have a good attitude I'll be realistic and say you never know what what or who is going to get in my face so I'm always ready in my mask! And that's just the truth.. I don't have time to catch a cold or the flu.. I don't have the time or money to play around with the risks involved with masklessness nowadays.. its only in my interest to mask and personally speaking for myself for me having worn a safety mask publicly and outdoors for over six years has only proven its value to me, made me safer.. I'm actually illness & disease free from contagion, and it has enriched my life greatly .

The general public need not be concerned because I got my mask on and I am safe... the maskless general public should be concerned for their own health & safety, I haven't had a single airborne illness or airborne disease in over six years because of my mask .. that's all I really know.

More people should mask as they might be pleasantly surprised at all they get from masking. You get a lot more from masking and there's a ton of advantages you get from masking than most people new to it would ever have imagined..

The Masked Man

P.S. How many sheet rockers, painters, guys in heavy construction, people who fill your tanks up with gas live on to lead healthy older lives?.. very few in my book. Ive known and done some sheet rocking and painting and a lot of those guys aren't very healthy later in life... the sheetrock dust and the fumes and hazardous material wreak havoc on their health.. that's the benefit of using a mask when you work with hazardous household materials or are around allergens. That's why I say take advantage of the n95 safety mask!

Anyway masking is simply part of one of the things you can do to help prevent allergies when you are outside your home or on the go amidst this season's pollen. There are many things to prevent and relieve allergies which I am sure can be added that the reader can research and add to this thread.

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