Allergies or strep?

It’s sum­mer time here in San Anto­nio, and while that means soar­ing tem­per­a­tures and kids out of school, it’s also allergy sea­son. We’ve writ­ten before about what causes aller­gies and some ways to com­bat them, so I won’t go into too much detail about that here. What’s con­cern­ing is that we’re start­ing to see some cases of strep throat mixed in among peo­ple com­ing in for their allergies.

You can mud­dle through allergies on your own (or we can help you if you’re really mis­er­able), but strep needs extra attention.

How can you tell if you have strep or just bad allergies?

Strep

• Sud­den sore throat
• Sore throat and tonsils
• Painful swal­low­ing
• Ten­der, enlarged cer­vi­cal nodes
• White exu­dates on tonsils
• Fever
• Headache
• Occa­sion­ally nausea/loss of appetite or abdom­i­nal pain
• Occa­sion­ally a rash 12–48 hours after onset of symptoms
• Usu­ally no res­pi­ra­tory or nasal symptoms

 Allergies

• Usu­ally pro­longed dura­tion of illness
• Runny nose
• Sneez­ing
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Nasal dis­charge
• Recurs at a par­tic­u­lar sea­son or with expo­sure to allergen
• Occa­sion­ally cough, hoarse­ness, sore throat (from drainage)

Here at Impact Urgent Care, we have rapid strep tests avail­able that can con­firm our doctor’s find­ings if we believe you have strep. Then, we can pre­scribe antibi­otics and other med­ica­tions if they’re needed. Untreated strep can leave you sus­cep­ti­ble to nas­tier dis­eases, and it’s not a good idea to see if it’ll clear up on its own.

Even if it’s just a sum­mer cold or bad aller­gies, we can help you feel better.

Try out our new online check in sys­tem to beat the crowds. Just look for this

 in the upper right cor­ner of our web­site, and you’ll be auto­mat­i­cally placed in our queue. You can wait at home or any­where you please once you’re checked in online, and our new sys­tem will txt you when it’s your turn!

Seven tips to beat spring allergies

Spring has sprung! And with it comes allergies galore. How do you know it’s allergies and not a cold? The most noticeable difference is that, while a cold will commonly last less than two weeks, allergies will drag on as long as you’re exposed to whatever it is you’re allergic to.

Here are some tips and tricks to make your allergy season a little more bearable. And if you’re still not feeling well, you can always come see us at IUC.

1. To avoid allergens, simply keep your windows closed while you’re inside.
2. Take a shower when you come in from the great outdoors to wash off any potential pollen that’s made you its home.
3. Wash your clothes and bedding as often as possible. Allergens tend to stick to fabrics, and you can easily track them inside.
4. Drive with the windows up to avoid pollen-laden air.
5. If your pet spends time outside, keep it out of your bedroom to avoid any pollen it may bring in on its fur.
6. Pollen is at its peak in the morning, between 5AM and 10AM, so avoid the outdoors during those hours.
7. Treat any potential symptoms before you go outside. Speak with your doctor to determine which over-the-counter or even prescription medications could help you.

Do you have any tips of your own to share? We’d love to hear from you!

Photo credits: OakleyOriginals / Foter.com / CC BY; James Gathany / Foter.com / Public Domain Mark 1.0