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How to Talk to Your Doctor about Allergies |
 Any time you go to the doctor about an ailment, the more prepared you are, the better things will go. It pays to know what to expect when you go into a private room with a doctor. It also pays to not go into that appointment with an agenda of what you want to see come out of your time with the doctor.
You might go in there expecting him to prescribe allergy shots because then you can get that program on your insurance. But if the doctor prescribes a less involved approach to your allergy problem, you might become disappointed or even argumentative. But you have a doctor to put together the best treatment plan for you. So we must trust those we look to for our medical care.
More importantly, you will probably only have a short time with the doctor. If he or she can only see you for 20 or 30 minutes, the more prepared you are for the appointment, the more you will be able to get the most out of that time with your doctor. It is possible that when you first seek medical care, you may not know for certain that your problem is allergies. The doctor will be examining you to see if your symptoms are an illness or an allergy. So don't impose your home diagnosis on the doctor.
It is possible to go directly to an allergist or an immunologist. These are specialized doctors who focus only on allergy treatments. But most of us start with our family doctor who is a general practitioner. This is smart so you are keeping the person who is responsible for your general care up to date on this development in your medical profile. Your family doctor can then recommend an allergist or immunologist who specializes in the specific allergy you have. In that way, your medical experts will be working as a team.
There are things you can do that will speed up your appointment time with the doctor significantly. Before you show up at the doctor's office, prepare a detailed list of your symptoms. Be complete about this even if there is a symptom that seems unrelated. You may think you have a food allergy but you also are noticing a strange rash. Write it down, it could be related.
The doctor will also ask about your family history and what allergies may be part of your genetic legacy. So make some phone calls and come with a well developed list of allergies that are common in your parents or other relatives. Also, document what over the counter medications you have been taking for your allergies and how well they have been working. Be prepared to give up your over the counter medicines as the doctor may require this before he or she begins allergy tests.
If your allergy symptoms are digestive, a food allergy will be the first focus of your doctor. The key to diagnosing a food allergy is to find out what food may be making you sick. So before you make the appointment with your doctor, start a food diary specifically designed to document the meals you had right before you had an allergic episode. It is quite likely that this one simple preparation will alert you to what foods may be allergens for you and you can go to the doctor with that research already complete.
These first steps are great ways to be prepared to answer the questions your doctor will ask. But also write down any questions you have about your allergy, particularly if the allergic symptoms are new to you, are getting worse or if you have never had allergies before.
Don’t be shy to ask the doctor whether the allergy will pass or if the symptoms could be the result of an illness. If the doctor prescribes medication, its ok to ask him or her if there is a generic that you might try to try to keep your costs down. Also, take any documentation about allergies the doctor might recommend and ask any questions about going to an allergy specialist that you might have if that appointment makes you feel apprehensive.
Even if you think that you know what is causing your allergy, expect the doctor to ask questions that may seem to you to be unrelated. You might think you have hey fever only to find the doctor asking about where in the house the symptoms are worse and about your cleaning habits around the house. Some allergies may disguise themselves as another problem. For example, a dust mite allergy behaves very much like a respiratory allergy like hay fever.
Give your doctor your time and patience to explore your allergy problem thoroughly. He will be able to pinpoint with greater accuracy what is causing the allergy and then come up with a plan for you to find relief from your allergy. But don't go to your family doctor or even an allergy specialist expecting a cure. An allergy is not an illness. For most of us, if the doctor can help with medications and lifestyle recommendations so that we live with our allergy in relative comfort, in the majority of cases, that is the most we can expect.
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