SHERMAN, Tex. -- Spring is in full swing in Texoma. That means so are allergies. Medical professionals say they are seeing more allergy-related cases than usual. Emi FitzGerald explains.

In our area, each spring most people can expect three things: taxes, severe thunderstorms, and allergies.

At Texoma Medical Center, emergency room doctors have seen a flurry of patients lately thinking they have a cold, or a bronchial infection. It turns out, most of the time its allergies.

If you suffer from allergies, you know the symptoms: itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, usually made worse when you are out enjoying the nice weather.

"Most of the time I’m just a little stuffy but sometimes you wake up and it feels like there's a brick behind your eyes. That's not so bad, it's the itch, it's the tickle. Everybody knows what I’m talking about, and it just makes you want to... (shakes head.)," allergy sufferer John Deichler says.

"Really, for allergies, probably the best bet is the antihistamines because it blocks your body's response to whatever is triggering the allergies," pharmacist Jana Bennett says.

Doctors say if you suffer from allergies, avoid the outdoors in the morning when the pollen is the heaviest. Other than that, maintain your symptoms regularly to make outbreaks less severe.