Allergy sufferers seeking quick relief as pollen-related symptoms soar

For allergy sufferers, this may be one of the worst years ever. The blooms started earlier and will likely last longer than usual -- putting a lot of pollen into the air.

High concentrations of spring allergens can cause unexpected symptoms like a sore throat, laryngitis and itchy skin.

Allergies caused Hanifa Farooq's eyes to swell out of control. "Every year has been increasingly worse," she said.

Allergy testing zeroed in on the cause of all her misery.

"Twelve types of grass, " she said. "My lungs are in worse shape than they've ever been before."

"A lot more cases of people with hay fever type of symptoms, nasal congestion, runny nose, post nasal drip," said Dr. Krikor Manoukian at AllergyDox. He said thanks to the unusual weather, we're seeing pollen appear 20 days earlier and last 10 days longer than it did a decade ago.

"As a result more people are going to be affected. So finding out what you're allergic to, starting a management plan with medications and considering doing allergy immunotherapy, allergy shots, or even allergy drops can be quite effective," Manoukian said.

Expect a spring allergy season like none other, but there are things you can do to save yourself from an onslaught of symptoms.

Instead of getting allergy shots over the course of a year, Farooq gets them all within two months coming in for 4-hour sessions involving a cluster of shots.

"I'm hoping that with next year's seasonal allergies, I will really start to see that difference," Farooq said.

In the meantime, she takes antihistamines and her nasal sprays every morning and follows her doctor's advice.

"Sleep with the windows closed because pollination tends to occur at night time," Manoukian said. "Air purifiers may be effective. Knowing the pollen count will guide you in what you potentially do that day."

Farooq even wears a mask to protect against the pollen buildup on her car. She said finding a specialist who understands her symptoms was key to finally getting relief.

"Don't suffer," she said. "I think there's so many options out there and if you can see an allergist, I highly recommend doing so."