I have so many allergies, and I finally decided some time ago that it was time to see an allergist. My doctor referred me to Dr. Lee. I told him that I wanted to know what I was allergic to, so he agreed to do some skin tests on me.
He put a whole bunch of drops of different concentrated liquids all up my arm. Then he pricked my skin on each drop. It was apparent right away what I was allergic to. Cats, certain trees, and certain nuts. He also told me that I had Oral Allergy Syndrome, which explained why raw fruits like apples and plums made my mouth so itchy. My tree allergy pricks turned into huge, itchy hives. He said they would go away in a couple hours, but it actually took a couple of days! After the skin tests, he had me sit for a little while and checked my nose and throat to make sure I wasn't having any severe reactions. He also gave me a free sample of Nasonex, which was nice.
He gave me a sheet with all my allergies and the degree of each one. I think he did a good job, and it didn't cost very much to get the tests done--I'm not sure why that's not covered by health care though. I definitely need to have more allergy tests done, and I would go back to see him again. read more