THE SNEEZY SEASON: ALLERGY SUFFERERS REALLY SUFFERING

Jack Pettet is in a precarious business for an allergy sufferer: He operates Arena Park Golf, a driving range where he often mows acres of grass.

Pettet, who has had allergies all his life, said his run in cycles. "The first two weeks you can't breathe and your head is clogged. The next two weeks you can't talk for blowing your nose."

This is the peak season for allergies. The pollen count is high at 163, and the mold total of 4,351 is just into the high level, though it has been known to go much higher.

High oak counts in April plummeted two weeks ago, allergist Dr. Janna Tuck said, but grass moved in last weekend. "It just exploded."

Wind that precedes storms like the big one May 17 pushes in large clouds of mold spores, Tuck said. Then the barometric pressure rose and everything dried up for a few days.

"Those are perfect conditions for dispersing pollen," the Cape Girardeau allergist said.

The pollen and mold counts published in the Southeast Missourian each day can be used to help fend off the onslaught. The certified count taken daily on the roof of Magill Hall at Southeast Missouri State University is part of a nationwide network of counts sponsored by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

The coast-to-coast network provides people with allergies with information about the level of pollen and mold that exists in places they may be going or intending to move to.

"It can tell how to manipulate environment," Tuck says.

"You probably can't spend all day outside. If you do you're going to know why you're sick."

There are three levels of allergy sufferers: those who take over-the-counter medications, those who are prescribed antihistamines by family doctors, and those whose allergies are severe enough to require an allergist.

Tuck says prevention is the most important step for people with allergies. "If you have had a bad season, you need to see a doctor before you get sick next year to keep it controlled.

"Once allergies get out of control they are very difficult to get under control."

The severe symptoms can include a runny nose, itching, sneezing, swollen eyes and even itching inside the ears. Headaches and sleeplessness can occur as well.

Tuck has allergies herself. "I'm very sympathetic," she said.

Wind-borne grasses and molds are the primary causes of allergies, Tuck says, not the wildflowers often blamed. Similarly, a rose gardener might develop an allergy to roses because of frequent exposure, Tuck said, but they are not a threat to most allergy sufferers.

Most grass allergies occurring in the region are being caused by fescue bluegrass, Tuck said.

The high grass counts probably will continue until mid-June, when allergy season usually ends.

Pettet has never seen a doctor about his own allergies but takes his daughter, Toni, to get an injection every spring. Allergies run in families.

But having allergies has never stopped him from playing golf, he said. "It's more of an annoyance than anything else."