What to expect with an allergy test??

Question

I'm taking my 7 yr old daughter to have an allergy test done tommorrow. I'm not quite sure what to expect. She has this deep cough (when she has a cold) and it sounds like croup, but we know that's not what it is. She gets this even when she DOESN'T have a cold, every now and again.
The doc thought it was asthma and gave her a puffer but she doesn't need it unless she's coughing. She's never out of breath when running or playing.
The doc thinks it may be allergies so we're off tommorrow for testing.
What can I expect?? Any other ideas OTHER than allergies or asthma?

Answer 1

no other ideas but when my husband had his allergy test done, the doc made a grid on him and poked him with all kinds of allergens and the ones that puffed up, he had a problem with. now, with my dog, he had a blood test done when he was at the height of his allergies and we could see exactly what numbers of antibodies that were in his system trying to "fight" the allergies. interesting how humans and animals are different...

Answer 2

Hi. I recently got allergy testing done myself. If she is running a fever she will not be tested tomorrow. But if she is not there are two ways to do it. One way is a scratch test they simply give your daughter a little scratch on the arm with the allergens on the scratch thing. It does not hurt at all. The second way is they would give your daughter a couple of needles in her arm and that does hurt a tiny bit. With both of them, if the spot of her arm (where the scratch test or the needle was done) swells up or gets a welt that means she is allergic to what the allergy test was. It is really nothing to be worried about. Make sure she has not taken and anti-histamines for 48 hrs. before the test or the results will not be sufficiant. Good Luck and I hope I helped.

Answer 3

I would imagine they'll do an allergy skin test. The nurse or technician injects various allergens (grass, dust mites, pollen, dander) into the arm. It's just a tiny pin prick and really doesn't hurt. I wish there were another way to test small children, but I don't know of any. After about 30 minutes, they check the skin on the arm to see if there's any reaction. It doesn't hurt, but it can itch if there's a slight reaction.

They might also do a test similar to a breathalyzer to check her air flow.

Whenever I've been tested, my allergist's office advised not to take any antihistamines for 48-72 hours before testing.

Hope your little one feels better!

Answer 4

when i was 15 i had an allergy test done and it was not painful at all....your daughter should be fine....what they do is inject(with a teeny tiny needle)different kind of potential allergens that your daughter might be allergic too....(when i went it was about 15 different things) they usually do it on the upper part of your arm just underneath the skin(like a tb test)....they let you wait in the office for awhile and come back to check to see if there is any reaction such as a bump or redness and if so they rate it on a scale to see how allergic you are ....when i went i was allergic to potatoes, strawberries, shellfish and oranges....not seriously ....so they told me not to consume but once a week....I hope this helps

Answer 5

If they do the grid on her back, I heard it was about 30% effective. I had the whooping cough when small, asthma and coughing all the time cause my throat tickled. I suppose I grew out of it. I still get post nasal drip that make me cough. Sinusitis?