Allergy Testing

After living in Florida for almost 9 months I decided it was time to get set up with an allergist near my house. Yes Mom I know I should have done it right after I moved. I was still a bit unsure about how to handle all these new and changing allergies so I figured it would be smart to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about. 

After meeting with the doctor and going over my allergy history he decided it would be best to have a full allergy panel skin test done. I hadn't been tested for environmental allergies (pollen, trees, grasses, weeds, etc.) since high school so it seemed like a good idea. For those of you who have had the prick test done before, you know what this entails. But for everyone else, the process is as follows:

• the nurse marks up your back with a pen
• the nurse then pricks you with small needles (today I was lucky enough to have about 60 of those pricks)
• You lay on your stomach for 20 minutes while everything "settles in"
• The doctor then comes in to read your test

While this seems like an easy test (and I'm sure it is compared to some medical tests) it is not comfortable. I knew I was allergic to a lot of nature so I expected to itch a bit. But you know you have bad allergies when the nurse comes into the room after you festering for 20 minutes and says "Oh hunny...Let me go get the doctor now". She then proceeded to get a camera (and the doctor of course) and ask to document the results. These are my results :-)

So this seems really bad but there is really good news in here. See the right side of the picture where there isn't much red....that was some food allergies!!!! I have been told that I can try eating corn and oats again!

I may still have a reaction to either but the doctor isn't worried about me going into Anaphylactic Shock. I was also told that I can have dairy in small amounts. These 3 foods can change the way I eat by not being afraid to eat out. So over the next few weeks I'm going to be trying these in moderation and we'll see where I can get. There is still a lot to get figure out with my allergies but the doctor also wants me to start on allergy shots to try and reduce my reactions. He said it could reduce my food allergies over time so here's hoping!

Till next time....