My four year old has an appointment with and allergist. Has anyone experienced the (skin test)? What was it like for your child?
I had the testing done myself, and it was only a minor discomfort. It felt sort of like someone was scratching me. It does not feel like needles are poking you. But for a 4 year old it will be very difficult for him/her to keep still... anything you can do in that department will be helpful! However the process is very quick- they do the scratching test, then you have to wait something like 20 minutes, then they come and "read" the test.
My four year old son had the skin allergy test about a month ago. It went very well. The doctor explained everything and let him see exactly what she would be doing. She called the little plastic device a catepillar and said it might scratch a little bit but would not hurt. My son had three "catepillars" scratch him on the back but he was totally fine. The doctor put in a DVD and checked on him every few minutes. After 15 minutes, we were finished. The hardest part was getting him to lay still on his belly for the entire 15 minutes! Good luck to you!
I cant tell you what it is like for a child but for an adult they do a scatch test. it swells if you are allergic. they have everything they need to counter a severe attack.its more irrating than anything.
I have not ever had the test done so I can't help there. I do have a CD with information about allergies and how to help them naturally. I would love to send it to you if you are interested. Just shoot me an email with your address and I will send it to you.
M.
Hopefully they have DVD players like my allergist's office does because they do it on your back and while it doesn't really hurt, they use these little vials that poke and then you have to lay still for intervals while the allergens sit on your back. The ones that I was allergic to did start to get itchy but they need to be left alone-so no scratching and it gets hard not to wiggle. The person administering the test will come in and check to make sure there's not a major allergic reaction and they have epi-pens, etc in case there is a major reaction. I'd bring a favorite DVD and a lovey if your child has one to aid in the sitting still part.
My son has done this for two years now. The first time he was so young he had to lay on his stomach. But last year he was older so they just put drops on his shoulders and then he was able run around till they drops were ready to be read. It was pretty painless for him, until the hives started to bust out. The nurses were great with him and gave him meds to stop the itching. Other than the hives, my son didn't seem to mind. He was just shy of 2 years for his last testing. Good luck with it, it will be fine.
It's been a long time, but I've had the "skin prick on the back" test more than once as have both my children beginning at age 2!
The one thing I remember and that I emphasized with my little ones: yes it hurts for a little bit but the stiller you lay the faster the technician can get it done!
As they laid on their tummies, I held their faces, got real close and said over and over to my girls when they were tested "yes, I know it hurts for a little bit but the stiller you lay the faster the technician can get it done! It's OK to cry, whimper, whatever, just lay still!"
And the technician was appreciative for the fact that I didn't tell them it wasn't hurting -- said that many parents do that!
Hi N.,
My 6 year old daughter had this same test done about a year ago. It did not hurt her and she did great however the allergens they put on the skin were very irritating. I did want to mention that this test is not 100% accurate. It said that my daughter was not allergic to peanuts, egg, milk or dogs. I knew this was not correct because everytime we got around a dog her asthma would flare up and she would break out in hives.
I took this to our new pedi Dr. Deborah Bain and she suggested we do IGE and IGG blood tests and that they are more accurate than the skin testing. Come to find out...she is extremely allergic to eggs, milk, peanuts, and dogs! The IGG and IGE test did have some of the same results as the skin test(outdoor allergens, mold, dust, etc.) If we would have only gone with the results of the skin test it could be life threatening!
God Bless You!
Hey - My son was 11 months old when they did him and it didn't bother him at all. As another person said, he had to lay down while they did it (on his back). But, he didn't seem to mind it all.
Good luck!
