My Trip to the Allergist

I went to the Allergist in hopes that she could help me. I was having trouble breathing through my lungs and sinuses and needed help to get better because nothing else seemed to work.

I had already gone to two different doctors (both were doctors at walk-in clinics). I had already been on 2 rounds of antibiotics, but I was still having trouble. I couldn't get through a conversation without coughing up my lungs.

My appointment was about 2 1/2 hours long. She started off with getting a list of my symptoms and medications that I am taking for my allergies and sinus infection.

Then she listened to my lungs with a stethoscope and suggested a breathing treatment in the office.

They put an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose that emitted abluteral steam for 15 minutes.

After the breathing treatment, they had me do a breathing test. I had to blow into a tube for a few seconds and then breath in for a second.

The breathing tube was connected to the computer to measure my breathing capacity. I had to try to blow all three houses over on the computer screen with a long, deep breath.

They had me try it a few different times to get my best breath measurements.

I didn't do so well on the test, so they had me do another breathing treatment. We repeated this 3 times until my lungs sounded a little clearer.

Then the allergist did the prick test for allergies. They had about 20 or 30 needles that they dipped into different allergens and then pricked me with each one on my inner forearms.

I had to wait 15 minutes to see which ones had a reaction.

The allergens that I was allergic to caused my skin to bubble up right where the pin prick was. They measured each bubble to see how large it was. The larger the bubble, the more intense the allergy is.

When they looked at my arm afterward, they found that I was allergic to trees, mold, mildew, dust mites, dogs and tree nuts. Since I was allergic to a food allergen, they gave me a prescription for an epi-pen in case I had an allergic reaction to it.

They also gave me another abluteral inhaler for emergencies, a steroid inhaler to use every day, a new allergy medicine prescription (Xyzal) and a stronger dose of antibiotics. Since I had a food allergy, they sent me to get bloodwork to see how severe that allergy is and which tree nut I was allergic to.

They also sent me for an x-ray of my lungs and sinuses. My lung x-ray came back with good results, but not my sinuses. They were completely swollen. They said that I had moderate Sinusitis.

The Allergist referred me to an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor (or ENT for short) for my sinuses, which I still have to make an appointment for.

The third round of antibiotics and the inhalers and nasonex (steroid nasal spray) are all helping. Each round of antibiotics was stronger than the last, so the third round of antibiotics were very strong.

The Allergist also recommended allergy shots which I begin this week and have to get every week for the next year until they can lengthen the time between visits.

When I go for allergy shots, I will be getting a shot in each arm. Each shot will contain two of my most predominant allergens. Then I will need to sit in the office for 20 minutes so they can watch me for an adverse reaction.

Hopefully the allergy shots will be worth it. The shots are supposed to build my immunity to the things I am allergic to so that I can be near them without any repercussions.

I have moved from the East Coast to the Midwest. My allergies are not as bad here as they were in Virginia.

I am still on Allergy and Asthma medicine and I see my Allergist, ENT and Pulmonologist regularly. I had Sinus Surgery last year to remove polyps and a mucocele.

I have also added a probiotic to my pill regimen to help build the good bacteria up in my gut after all the antibiotics I was on in previous years. I feel a lot better!