• It is very important that the patient not use antihistamines for the 5 days prior to allergy testing.
• Medications that contain antihistmanies are usually used for hay fever, itching, hives and/or eczema.  Many cough medicines and sleep aids contain antihistmaine.  Please call us or your pharmacy if you question whether  a medication contains antihistamines. 
• If you feel that you cannot discontinue your antihistamine medications, please tell us when you make your appointment.
• The only nasal sprays we found that conflict with the allergy testing are Astelin, AstePro and Patanase.
• All asthma medications can be continued up to the first visit.

 Allergy skin testing

• The medical history may indicate that allergy skin testing is necessary.  Skin tests help determine if an individual is allergic and, more importantly, what those specific allergies are.
• There are two types of skin testing performed in our office. 
• Prick puncture skin testing:
  The testing consists of topical prick puncture skin testing and intradermal skin testing.  The first type of testing, prick puncture skin testing is done by putting the allergen on the ends of the prongs then the 8 prong grid is pressed on to the patient's back.  Depending on how many items need to be tested to, a patient may need multiple grids.  The approximate amount of tests that could be done is 72, but again, that is dependent on each individual patient and their needs and symptoms.  After the grids have been applied it takes approximately 15 minutes.  The nursing staff comes in and "reads" those results by measuring the sites.
  
• Intradermal skin testing:
  Depending on the information that they give to the provider, a patient may need to have the secondary testing done, which is the intradermal skin testing.  This is performed on the upper arm area by introducing a small amount of material under the skin using a very small needle.  After it is applied, it is approximately 15 minutes and the nursing staff comes in and "reads" the testing in the same manner.
• The visit for a new patient is approximately 2 hours.  This is the consultation time, testing and summary.  If a patient needs “special testing” = medications or bee venom testing the visit could be approximately 4 hours and must be scheduled as such.  If you are coming in for “special testing” please make sure the receptionist is made aware, so we may allot the appropriate amount of time for your visit.

Antibiotic or insect venom testing

• If the patient is being evaluated due to an abnormal reaction to an antibiotic (e.g. penicillin) or an insect sting (e.g. bee), please make sure the receptionist knows this when scheduling the appointment.  It is important that you come to the office with accurate details of the reaction. For possible antibiotic allergy, we need the name of the antibiotic, duration of use before the reaction, type and extent of the reaction and names of other medications being used simultaneously.  For insect sting allergy, we need details about the type of insect, duration of time after sting before reaction onset and the severity of the reaction (local swelling, hives, throat closure, wheezing).
• The testing is similar to the standard allergy testing (see above) but usually requires a greater amount of time in the office (i.e., 2-4 hours).

Testing children Although skin testing entails little discomfort, it is normal for children to be apprehensive about testing.  Our nurses will explain the testing to the parent and child.  On the day of a child's skin testing, we will be glad to administer a sample skin test to the parent so that they may better understand the child's experience.

Other possible tests

• A microscopic examination of the nasal mucus to evaluate upper respiratory symptoms.
• An ear or nasal exam, pulmonary function, X-rays and blood tests may be ordered.

• Some patients may need to be treated with an allergy desensitization program (other names are hyposensitization, and immunotherapy). 
• Allergy extract for a given individual is specially prepared in our office for that individual.  Bottles of extract can last from 6-12 months depending on the frequency of injections.
• The patient may receive allergy injections in our office or the extracts and instructions may be sent to another physician who agrees to administer the injections under his/her supervision.
• Allergy injections should always be administered in a physician's office so that treatment is available for any adverse reaction.
• For your safety, it is necessary for you to remain in the office for 30 minutes after each injection. 
• Mild discomfort and redness may be expected.  If a quarter-sized lump and/or significant redness persists longer than one or two hours after the injection, inform the nurse before the next injection.
• A specific appointment is not necessary for an allergy injection.  Injection room hours can be seen on our contact us page.