You were lucky, AZ! Hope your friends are OK. Sometimes these types of things make me wonder about "fate."
My allergies have been horrible, too. I barely am over bronchitis after 6 weeks and now am back to taking Claritin daily and I started using Nasalchrom. It seems to get worse after I do outdoor exercise, which is not boding well for the riding season. There's still at least 6 inches of snow on the ground, so nothing is blooming yet. I don't even have any known pollen allergies, but I am definitely reacting to something.