Cedar season

KVUE's Jessica Vess reports

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What you love about Central Texas, the green, rugged land, could also be what you hate about it.

"My husband gets headaches, he's always stuffed up," said Leah Smith, resident.

Historically by mid December the lush green cedar trees that fill the Hill Country could knock you off your feet. It's called ‘Cedar Fever’ and it hits as sure as your holiday bills.

“That's what I have to watch out for and then put up with it...there's no easy way out,” said Joe Nick Patoski, allergy sufferer.

"People get sneezy, runny, stuffy nosy, itchy watery red eyes and many people just feel terrible. They can't concentrate, they can't sleep well. They can't think well,” said Dr. Bill Howland, Allergy and Asthma Center of Austin.

The only symptom you won't feel is the exact one the name implies: a fever. The allergen will never actually give you a fever; though it will feel like it at times.

“I normally feel like I have the flu. It happens in the middle of January I start feeling bone ache, sneezing, coughing,” said Alessandro Piovaccari, allergy sufferer.

Small brown cones at the tips of the branches of cedar trees are the culprits. The cones only grow on male cedar trees, which are actually Juniper Ashe trees. In mid-December those cones 'pop' open, releasing the dreaded pollen.

When that happens it appears as if the trees are on fire; with clouds of pollen billowing from the branches.

"The entire neighborhood looked like there was a forest fire," said Andy Heatwole, resident.

Heatwole lives in San Marcos. He captured the cedar clouds bursting into the sky on home video last season.

"It really looked like the trees were on fire. Every time the wind would blow just a huge cloud of pollen, white; just looked like smoke would come off. You could throw a rock into the tree and just this huge plume of what looked like smoke would come off,” said Heatwole.

From December through February the pollen clouds spread everywhere, sometimes miles at a time.

"Probably 90 percent of people who have allergies in Austin are going to suffer with cedar pollen," said Dr. Howland.

After 17 years as an allergist in Austin there's not much Dr. Howland's clinic hasn't seen when it comes to Cedar Fever.

"Patients can sometimes have asthma attacks and then get secondary problems like sinus infections and ear infections," said Dr. Howland.

There are traditional medicines: the nasal sprays, the eye drops, and the pills. Then there are allergy shots for sufferers who want to alleviate symptoms permanently.

“On a single day a person might take a nasal spray, plus a antihistamine spray, plus an eye drop, plus an antihistamine pill...all that in one day just to control allergies,” said Dr. Howland.

Some sufferers battle the 'fever' with home remedies.

"My wife likes to eat the berries. She thinks that immunizes her and I don't believe it," said Patoski.

"[You take] honey, an aspirin, lemon and tea. Boil the water put the tea bag in take it out put a little lemon in, put the honey in it and a little shot of booze. That does it! Gets you good! Gives you a little sleep (snore sound) and everything sweats out of you!" said Stanley Dowling, allergy sufferer.

In a KVUE News special assignment four years ago, we took our pollen test equipment across Central Texas. We wanted to know the worst areas for cedar fever. To little surprise, Cedar Park, topped the list, followed by Lake Travis, Oak Hill, Round Rock, and Zilker Park.

At that time, then Cedar Park Mayor Pro Tem Phillip Duprey wasn't surprised his city topped the list.

“We all, that have pollen problems and I'm one of 'em, at the worst of it you have to wear these sometimes,” said Duprey in 2004.

Central Texas is suffering through an extreme drought. If that continues during the next 3 months, it could make this ‘Cedar Fever’ season even worse. Rain can wash the pollen out of the air. If there's no rain, the pollen will only spread.

"I'm trying to get rid of it," said Patoski.

You could try to take matters into your own hands like Patoski of Wimberely. Every year he cuts down small cedar trees before they grow into bigger problems.

"That's why this time of year, I've always got my shears with me," said Patoski from his back yard.

If you don’t have shears, Dr. Howland advises these three steps to ease your pain: take a nasal steroid, followed by an antihistamine eye drop, followed by an antihistamine pill. He says you should use all three every day of the cedar fever season.

In the worst cases, he advises steroid pills or injections.

He suggests you to begin taking your allergy medication now - so that the rugged landscape you love so much, won't knock you down this cedar season.