S/O Allergy Testing

[Deleted]

What does allergy testing consist of? Do they really scracth you with needles over and over? I think I should be tested but that sounds a lot like hell to me.

[mrs.spunky]

DH did have the skin pricks once, but also had a blood test.

[KaraOrNot]

Mine also involved the plastic block thing, but they did it by lightly pressing it into my back. And ditto pp that the itching is the worst part. They measure your reaction to each allergin and that determines what you are allergic to and the severity.

[y4m]

I had two rounds of skin testing--one environmental and one food. Each consisted of 72 scratches, but it's just on plates--the comparison to getting scratched with velcro is apt.

You also usually get a shot of histamine and a shot of saline in your arm as controls, to make sure you're reacting appropriately to the histamine, and not reacting just to the shot itself (saline).

I also had a specific test to my own dog's saliva and hair, which I provided.

You wait 15 minutes or so after the scratches to see what swells up and how much.

[y4m]

There's also a blood test. The advantage is they can use it even without you stopping allergy meds (you have to be off meds for several days for the skin test). The disadvantage is you can get false negatives, which you pretty much can't with a skin test.

[y4m]

Jul 6, 2012 11:06:08 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

I never even got to the food allergy test. I had so many reactions to the environmental one and that required 2 shots every week. I didn't know what would happen with the food one.

I swore up and down that I was not allergic to any foods. Then when they walked in to read my food test, they joked they'd have to wire my jaw shut. I test allergic to a ton of stuff-eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, fish, vanilla, a bunch of fruits, etc. Unfortunately skin tests can give a lot of false positives--so when I gave all those things up for 2 months, it really didn't make much difference (or else I was still reacting to something else not included in the test).

[Deleted]

Thanks for the info. I have been saying I am going to schedule testing forever. I need to just do it.

[y4m]

Jul 6, 2012 11:17:16 GMT -5 @little said:

Oh, but make sure to have something long sleeved to wear if you're going anywhere after, lol. That's assuming they do it on your arms, some places do it on your back.

Wear two pieces too--mine was on my back, and if I'd been in a dress I would have had to strip down to underwear.

[brit1017]

Jul 6, 2012 10:56:19 GMT -5 pennypenny said:

Its a prick test. The one I took had 15-20? allergens per plate. Mine were done on my arms. They prick you once with each plate, wait 10 minutes and see what reacts. The itching and waiting 10 minutes is worse than the pricks. I think I had 4 plates per arm. It was a couple of years ago. Based on what I was allergic to (everything) I needed 2 shots per week. My insurance at the time only covered one shot, so I had to pay for the other. After several months of going and getting shots every week I gave up.

This was my experience with the testing (though I didn't go for the recommended shots b/c I couldn't afford the copay every week).

[stumpy]

Ugh. Allergies.
I did testing years ago and was allergic to just about everything. (This was before they did blood testing and before most people had food allergies or tested for them)
I ended up having to have two shots in each arm b/c I was allergic to so many things.

I ended up stopping the shots b/c I just couldn't handle driving up several times a week. It was exhausting. That being said, my allergies did get better.

Years later, I still have allergies but now I have dermagraphism. (skin writing disease) Every time something touches me, my skin can freak out and break out into a rash or hives. seriously. I can't even have the allergy test b/c my skin would react to everything now . . . and trying to figure out what is causing my dermagraphism is next to impossible to solve. Go figure.
I keep trying to take Allegra (Claratin stopped working) and it helps a tad but I can't even lightly scratch or rub my skin without getting red. It sucks.
I just have learned to deal with it. This has been going on for almost two years.

[y4m]

I feel your pain stumpy! I also get 2 shots per arm, and everytime I get a new nurse at the allergist he or she is amazed at all the stuff included in my serums!

I had dermagraphism as a kid, but it cleared up in my teens. But then a little over a year ago I starting having cholinergic urticaria (reactions to heat, including showers, exercise, and friction). I think allergists treat both with Hydroxizine, and for me it has at least helped ease the symptoms.

Both those conditions can have a tendency to come for a few years and then go away mysteriously.

[definitelyO]

DS just had an updated skin test on Monday and it was the prick/scratches on his back. They were retesting him for peanuts and peanut butter and I was so shocked that they actually took JIF and spread a little on his back and pricked that! it's the itchy waiting period that is the worst. DS got zyrtec after the waiting (and reacting) and it helped almost immediately.

I had skin tests as a kid with follow up shots in my arms.

[midnightrae]

Not trying to thread jack, but is it expensive to get allergy testing done?

[y4m]

Jul 6, 2012 15:01:27 GMT -5 midnightrae said:

Not trying to thread jack, but is it expensive to get allergy testing done?

My insurance covered it with just the specialist visit copay.

[ILikeSloths]

My food allergy test was a skin prick test of 85 different ingredients on my back. It took about 5 minutes to do my whole back, then we waited 15 minutes for results. It wasn't bad and I barely felt anything other than slight itching as a reaction to the ones I'm allergic but it went away pretty quickly.

[ILikeSloths]

Jul 6, 2012 15:01:27 GMT -5 midnightrae said:

Not trying to thread jack, but is it expensive to get allergy testing done?

My insurance covered it, but if it hadn't then my doctor would've charge about $3-5 per ingredient... I was tested for 85 total, so it would have been very expensive.

[mrs.spunky]

Jul 6, 2012 15:01:27 GMT -5 midnightrae said:

Not trying to thread jack, but is it expensive to get allergy testing done?

With our insurance, the skin pricks were a specialist copay for the whole deal. The blood testing was done before we met our deductible for the year (which is $350, so not high) and cost ~$160 OOP.

[definitelyO]

Jul 6, 2012 15:01:27 GMT -5 midnightrae said:

Not trying to thread jack, but is it expensive to get allergy testing done?

depends on your plan. do you have a co-pay option - then probably not expensive. We are on a HDHP, BUT met our OOP max in January. So we didn't pay $1. and the epi-pens (at $300 a pop) were covered at $0 as well.

[stumpy]

My derm told me not to worry and that it will go away . . . likely story! I have had it for years now and I am hoping it will just disappear! She told me to take Claratin for a few months and then it didn't do anything. Then I swicthed to Allegra. I am better on Allegra but I will get major outbreaks for no reason. And I also can't go too hot or exercise b/c it gets really bad.

I am so glad I am not the only freaky skin girl out there. I swear, I can't even use a scrubby soft poofball in the shower and goodness knows I want a facial but my skin freaks out at them. (not to mention bikini waxing . . . oh lord my skin gets RED!)