Contents:
- Medical Video: Pinpointing Proteins Advances In Allergy Testing HD
- When to visit a doctor
- Keep a daily journal of your symptoms
- Make an appointment with a doctor
- During a visit to your doctor
- After your visit
Medical Video: Pinpointing Proteins Advances In Allergy Testing HD
When you have been suffering from allergies for a long time, it's time to see a specialist about your allergic problem. Before determining your appointment, prepare a list of questions to discuss with your doctor. The guide below can help you.
When to visit a doctor
Patients often suffer from allergies for years without seeking treatment. Many symptoms are treated with antihistamines and decongestants, especially for those who suffer from seasonal symptoms. However, in some cases, symptoms can be severe enough or long enough to interfere with normal life. In such cases, patients should consider seeking treatment.
You should especially seek medical attention if the market drug fails to provide assistance or if you have to use this medicine for more than a few weeks. These drugs are intended for short-term use because, over time, the drug begins to lose its effectiveness.
If you or your child starts showing symptoms of asthma, it is important to seek guidance from a doctor immediately. Asthma symptoms are excessive coughing that may or may not include wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness in your chest. Asthma can be life threatening if not examined, and allergies can worsen this problem.
Keep a daily journal of your symptoms
Part of diagnosing your allergy is to determine the year of occurrence and how the situation causes you to experience symptoms. If, for example, your allergies are worse in the rainy season, this is important information for doctors to know. It might help to track your symptoms on a calendar or in a journal for a while. If your allergies are related to food, make a daily journal of your food, note the symptoms in relation to what you eat.
Make an appointment with a doctor
In some cases, general practitioners can treat and diagnose allergies. However, if your case is moderate to severe or your doctor does not feel he can treat your case, you may be referred to a specialist.
When you make your appointment, ask if there are special instructions for preparing your appointment. Your doctor may have a special document request and if testing may occur during your first meeting, you may be asked to refrain from eating or drinking for a certain period of time before your visit.
During a visit to your doctor
Your doctor may compile a complete family medical history, so it's important to have as much information as possible about your family history of allergies, especially if your allergies are food-related allergies.
You will be given a series of questions about your own medical history too, including your childhood allergies that you might have. Bring any medical records you have or if your family doctor refers you to a specialist, ask for notes that will be needed by a specialist before your visit. This will help allergists get directions from any lifetime problems that may occur due to your current problem.
When you meet your doctor, be prepared to ask your own questions. It might help to make a compilation of a list of questions that you have for your doctor in the days before your appointment. This will help you if you forget when the doctor asks if you have questions.
Some examples of questions include:
- Is there anything I can change in my environment or lifestyle to prevent these symptoms?
- What treatment can I take?
- Are there side effects for prescription drugs?
- What tests are available to determine what causes my allergic reaction?
After your visit
Your initial examination is usually less than half an hour, during this examination your doctor may examine your nose and throat. If you are diagnosed with food allergies or air allergies, the next step is to treat your symptoms and / or tests to determine the exact cause of the symptoms.
During your initial visit, you and your specialist can decide to do testing for allergies. If this happens, your skin will likely be tested for reactions to various substances. Based on the results, the doctor will recommend treatment in the form of allergic injections or prescription drugs. He may recommend various lifestyle changes to reduce symptoms, especially if what happens is a food allergy.
If you have questions after your visit, don't hesitate to contact your doctor. He may recommend follow-up meetings, especially if the medication has been prescribed.
