My children have severe food allergies to peanuts, although I am not allergic. Allergy testing is vital for keeping kids healthy and working with your doctor to have a game plan. Other parents should have their children tested for food allergies and other serious allergies. Hopefully someday, a cure for all allergies will be found! I hope!

In the meantime, check out this article about undiagnosed allergies: http://www.diagnosingallergies.com/articles/undiagnosed-allergies/index.php

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/macinate/2105923713/

Photo Credit: Goldmund100

Looking back at my life, and medical history, it is easy to see that I’ve always had really bad allergies. Unfortunately, I was misdiagnosed for most of my childhood. Occasionally the doctor would say I had allergic rhinitis and would prescribe something for temporary relief. For the most part, however, it was brushed over and other explanations were given.

Fortunately, there are allergy tests that can help people like me. There are two types, a skin test and a blood test. I’ve had the skin test and it worked quite well. However, if I’d known there was a blood test option I think I would have given it a try. Why? Because the skin test is time consuming and can be a little uncomfortable. I would definitely go the blood test route for my child. If it showed considerable allergies I’d move on to the skin test if it was needed.

An allergy blood test is a useful alterative to an allergy skin test. The skin test requires patients to refrain from taking allergy medications for 48-72 hours, which can be absolutely miserable for someone with severe allergies. The blood test allows the patient to remain on the medications. It is also a good choice for a person with skin allergies that might make the skin test uncomfortable or difficult to read.

After the blood is drawn and specific antigens are looked for. Unfortunately, the blood test isn’t quite as effective as the allergy skin test. The skin test can also test for a wider variety of allergens, which is helpful if the patient has no idea what all he or she may be allergic to.

Have you had the allergy blood test? What was it like? Have you also had the allergy skin test? How did the two compare in your personal experience?

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?