196

For me I currently have state healthcare in the U.S. Under my plan, I can only see a specialist when referred to one by my primary health care physician. I made an appointment with them, gave them my story and asked to be referred to an allergist. They issued the referral (takes about two weeks to show up in system) and I called into the allergy office a couple times until they confirmed they received my referral and could then schedule an appointment that my insurance would cover.

My allergist went over questions first (e.g. what brought you in today, do you seem to have more symptoms during different seasons, do you have constant runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, etc.). The second part is the prick test. I lied on my stomach and the nurse marked different spots on my back and numbered each spot. Then they have a bunch of little needles, each one with a small amount of a different potential allergen. They then prick one in each spot and measure the size of the bump that happens to determine how allergic I was to each allergen, if at all. This test also took place in two parts: the first time was for food allergens (dairy, crustaceans, mollusks, etc.) and the second time was for seasonal/household allergens (pollen, ragweed, mugwort, dog hair, etc.).

It's definitely worth getting tested since a lot of the symptoms and discomfort can be treated, as well as the benefit of having the knowledge of what to generally avoid if possible so that substitutions can be made. The shots are for the seasonal/household type allergens, but since there is some crossover (for example, celery is a food allergy, but the reason it can produce a reaction is because the body can mistake it for mugwort, which is a treatable seasonal allergy), and in my case is thought to help my body be more at ease instead of constantly being agitated by the allergens, which could reduce overall discomfort and sensitivity when eating spicy foods eventually.

They'll go over treatment options and if the shots are recommended based on your results and discussion. It's also good to know if you have a food allergy or a food intolerance, since apparently they are different. Really I learned a lot and feel a lot better than I did a year ago. Check with your health insurance (and/or managed care plan within your insurance) and see what you need to do to ensure that a visit to the allergist is covered. If it requires a referral from your PCP, they will likely make sure to refer you to a specialist that is in-network, but do confirm with them or the specialist before you take the appointment.