Photo Credit: Nancy-
I’ve known I have allergies for years and years. What I didn’t know was how bad they were. As a child I’d had a skin test and gone through a year of allergy shots and then pretty much given up and just taken medication as needed. As an adult I was sick all the time and finally referred to an allergy specialist. He used an allergy skin test to figure out just what all was bothering me.
First, I’ll tell you about the procedure. During an allergy skin test the doctor will stick various allergens into your skin, either on your back (where I had mine) or on your arms. I had been taking an allergy medication for years when I scheduled the appointment and he told me I had to be off it for 48 hours prior to testing. I was ok the first 24 hours, but the second day I was miserable and itchy all over. I went in and he tested me. Apparently I’m really allergic to dust mites because before he could even leave the room for me to wait for my reaction the dust mite site was swollen to something like the size of a quarter. I don’t know how bad it eventually got but I do know he said it was one of the worst reactions he had ever seen. That explained a lot of my problems!
The test itself doesn’t really hurt and if you have the test done on your back you can’t see anything. I’m a firm believer in things being worse if you can see them so I liked this. If I had to see the little needles or my reaction to the allergens I know I would have been more upset. As soon as I was done I took one of my allergy pills and ended up getting a prescription for another. Without the allergy test we wouldn’t have known I needed two medications.
Have you had an allergy test? Did you have your arm or back tested? What did you think of the experience?
Mon, Apr 20, 2009
Allergy Tests