Why won't the Doctor test my son for allergies?

Question

I have a 21 month old son who will be 2 in March. His whole life, off and on, he has had some kind of runny nose/cough. This worries me quite a bit. Therefore, I have been asking the Doctors for the last 4 visits if we should do some allergy testing. They keep blowing me off and telling me to try this and that first, sometimes giving me medicine samples or even a prescription. Should I switch to another family practice or is there some kind of strict rule on testing children for allergies? Also, could this have something to do with the fact that he has been on Medicaid all his life?

Answer 1

Your family doctor isn't the one who would test for allergies. You need to go to an allergist. I don't know if you need a referral for this with your Medicaid. You definitely should see an allergist.

My son, now 7 years old, has always had a runny nose, ear infections, dark cirles under his eyes, and when he would sleep I could hear him having difficulties breathing due to his runny nose. I did get a referral to an allergist and they did the "scratch" test. We found out he is allergic to trees, outdoor mold, and grass. He is now on Nasonex once a day and this has really helped.

My son has always had allergies but it wasn't until he was 6 that they I finally found a doctor that was observant enough to notice something was wrong.

If you need to get a referral and your doctor won't give you one I would suggest switching doctors. Go with your instincts, they are usually right!

Answer 2

It shouldn't have anything to do with Medicaid. SHOULDN'T is the operative word there. I've found that at some doctor's offices, my son and i are treated differently than patients with other types of insurance. Pull out your Medicaid provider book and start calling around for a different doc. I had to switch docs three times (my son is now 2) before i could get someone to listen to my about my son's allergies. The general consensus is that even if a child is found to be allergic to something, the only thing you can do is avoid that substance or get allergy shots (which are not reccommended for such young kids.) Definitely push the issue. Call the medicaid helpline onthe back of your son's card and explain the situation to a case worker. They may have some suggestions.

Answer 3

JB and cooker have excellent suggestions.

May I add an additional bit of information? My health insurance is through an HMO in Boston. I had allergy testing done and the "pricks" were on a small board. The board had about 2 dozen little "pins" that were identified with the allergen on each one. The board was "popped" against my arm and the punctures were instantaneous and almost painless. Then each pinprick was marked for identification with the board should there be a reaction. The same thing was done with another board on the other arm.

My then 15-year-old granddaughter, who was living in Houston at the time, was taken to an allergist who made Individual punctures with hypodermic syringes - and quite painfully, she said. To me that way of proceeding seems barbaric when the "board" option is available, is fast (multiple punctures simultaneously) and virtually painless.

Whoever you see, ask what method of testing they plan to use - and ask for the board option if they indicate they will be doing individual injections!

Answer 4

My son has never stopped having a runny nose and comes from a family with a mom who has lots of allergies. His doctor's a great guy, but pretty cynical from dealing with lots of different types of people, so if he prescribes things, it's usually just benadryl. Well this year, he had a new student practicing with him who immediately saw my runny nosed son who is shorter than his younger brother, and he was like, How long has he been sick like that? and a bunch of other stuff. His regular doctor was eventually like fine, if you want, give him this nasal spray and if it all magically disappears, then voila. I think he thinks we don't keep a neat enough environment and he prolly envisions us living in a cockroach infested, asbestos loaded slum or something. But that day, coz that other doctor was there, my son DID get an appointment with an allergist. So it will help if you go in when yours is pretty sick, and let someone else see him too.

Answer 5

First, in the doctor's defense, he probably doesn't want to put your child through the trauma of all those needle pricks. When these tests are done, you are talking about approximately 60 pricks. Your child will be screaming, everyone will have to be holding him down to get the test done and he will be upset shortly after he finds out what they are going to continue to do to him. It is not worth it at this age to traumatize him like this . Also, young children have a tendency to grow out of these symptoms as they get older or the symptoms lessen but are not completely gone. Your doctor is probably weighing these options. In the meantime, there are a lot of things you can be doing to alleviate his symptoms. First, is give the medication prescribed every single day without fail. If you were to find your child is allergic to dust, mold, environmental things after being tested, you would be instructed to vacuum all carpets daily, dust frequently, change his bedding weekly, get some allergen free pillow covers and mattress cover and put on his bed; no smoking anywhere that this child lives; brush pets daily; buy a hepa filter air purifier and run it either in his bedroom where he sleeps of if a large one, in the living room to filter the whole house.Observe foods he eats and whether the symptoms get worse after certain foods and then remove these foods from his diet. This is exactly what an allergist would tell you to do and you can do all of these without seeing one and without paying one. I do not believe it is related to his being on Medicaid but, Medicaid has to keep their costs down because they are out of control so referrals may be necessary when he gets older.

Answer 6

I like what JB said but natural is best. Try giving him a teaspoon of LOCAL honey to help his body develop immunities to all the air born irritants in your area. This includes dust, mold pollen and pet dander. If its in the air, its in the honey so he can get better naturally. As with all herbal remedies, it takes a while to work but you will also see that he gets less cold and flu symptoms as well. Also, most kids grow out of allergies so maybe your doctor feels that the child would be better off without any medication (most people are).

Answer 7

You are not supposed to test for allergies until the child is 4 or 5 years old. He's too young.

Answer 8

The problem could be Medicaid,sad to say. Here are a few things you should try while waiting to get you child tested.
1.no smoking in home or around child
2 no animals.cats, dogs,birds,hamsters
3no stuffed animals
4 no feather pillows
5 try soy milk instead of cows milk
6 no cheese
7 carefully/slowly add new foods to diet [ no combination foods]
8 keep windows closed at night
9.keep home as dust free as possible

Answer 9

Keep going to different doctors until one of them listens to you.

Answer 10

just ask for a referral to an allergist....your child's primary probably doesn't do allergy testing.......