Allergist Appointment

[spacecanada]

I now have an allergist appointment this Thursday!  This is my first appointment with a 'good' allergist.  All I was told was to avoid antihistamines and bring my health care card and SPT testing fee. 

What else should I bring?  I have my reaction history and FARE action plan.  Anything else?  Questions I should ask?  I don't want to remember something important to ask after I leave the office.  Ugh, I feel so unsettled right now -- yet excited because I'll (hopefully) have some answers/advice before we go to Norway in two weeks. 

I am seeing a new allergist due to anaphylaxis twice in one month due to what appears to be potatoes.  (History of bothersome GI reactions originally thought to be intolerance to tomato or potato for well over a year but couldn't pinpoint it because it was intermittent.  Have eaten raw and cooked tomato just fine since.)  Plus, it's nice to have a good allergist on the books, instead of Dr. Quack that I saw before, ages ago.

Food challenge to tree nuts and peanuts won't happen due to PTSD.  Potato I might be willing to do.

We should have a thread about this locked to the top: Preparing for your (first) allergist visit or something like that.  Just an idea.  (If there is one, I couldn't find it.  Feel free to point me in that direction.)

[PurpleCat]

Copies of all current prescriptions

If you are doing Skin Prick Testing do they have allergen solutions for everything you are being tested for or do you need to bring food?  Who is providing the food?  When we did DD's for fruits, I had to safely (no cross contamination) prepare small containers of each kind of fruit and they used those for her SPT.  They used their solutions for the nuts, peanuts and environmentals.

Be prepared to be very itchy!  They have a cream to put on your arms after they are done measuring the reactions.

There is waiting....something to do to distract you from scratching!

Good Luck!  Allergies are not fun but they are better to deal with when you have solid information to work from.

[Macabre]

Yes--we take unscented baby wipes and Benadryl cream and something to do with hands!  (I make sure my phone is fully charged so I can play a game--but my allergist is 2hrs away by car, so it's fully charged when I get there at least.

Write all your questions down. 

[spacecanada]

I have had SPT before but completely forgot to add Benadryl cream and an iPad to the list. These things didn't exist last time I had this done. I doubt they will have potato for the SPT but I can call and ask if I need to bring some and whether they want it raw or cooked.

My husband is coming too, since he often remembers things I forget and can help distract me from the itching. It helps that he works three blocks from the allergist office too.

[Macabre]

They do have potato for ImmunoCAP. DS had false positives to it earlier in life.