A bit nervous, but eager to get it over with!
Yesterday afternoon, I had to get the kids in the car and go to Cassie's allergy test. The little ones had to come along, but they were very good, had some coloring books and toys with them, to keep them busy. The nurse was a bit stressed when we got there, a few minutes late, but the traffic was crazy and in addition to that, Cassie's school bus was later than normal, so we had a late start anyway. Still, after getting everything set up, she was wonderful, and it didn't take long until she got started!
It wasn't bleeding, but to keep them covered, helped against the itching, plus it would soak up some from the liquid so it wouldn't spread on her skin. She wasn't allowed to scratch during the test, but I was allowed to "pat" her back on the bandages, which helped to take the worst itch off.
Testing was made on 44 different things, the chart showing how it could look on the skin.
It didn't take long to see reactions on her back....
...and both her arms.
It's itching....
Yes, no wonder it was itching! This is how her back looked after 30 minutes. Of all the things that they tested for, it was very clear on what she was reacting to.
Section C: Lower right - Cat
Section F: Lower right - Bahia Grass
Section A: Her left arm: Bermuda Grass Pollen, Olive Tree Pollen (the smallest of the three, bottom left), Mix of 7 Std. Grasses ( Kentucky Bluegrass, Meadow Fescue Grass, Orchard Grass, Perennia Rye Grass, Redtop Grass, Sweet Vernal Grass, Timothy Grass)
Section B: Her right arm: Top left: Lamb's Quarters, Top right: Johnson Grass Pollen
I was surprised that she reacted so much to cat! Dog and horse was also tested, and no reactions at all. We wanted to test for rabbit, as we have a pet rabbit, but they didn't have that in this test, but they will add that to the
additional blood test that she will take on Monday, where they also will add a few things that we have suspected in her diet, bananas and oats. She has also reacted to the Christmas tree once, or so we thought, with hives, and that will be tested for as well with the blood test.
It is good to have an idea, and that we can't really do anything to the grass and tree pollen that are flying around year around. The nurse said that it's especially hard with the grass reactions, as there is nothing you can do. It's also year around here, as there is so many golf courses here, and every time they mow them, the grass flies around in small particles in the air. This is also only a test done after the South West standards, as there are different trees and grasses here than for instance in North Carolina, where she also reacted to what they thought was "seasonal allergies". Of course, they have a total different test here, and if we move, she will have to have others made to make sure that she gets the right medicine and treatment.
Her final treatment we are not totally sure what it will be, but
normally what they do is that they give the patients a shot once/week for a longer period of time. That helps the body accept what it has been reacting to, with the hope that it won't have to be treated for ever. Rather have the body fight it off on it's own, than to keep taking "normal allergy" medicines for years and years to come.
Well, at least we know, and I'm eager to find out what else she might be allergic to when we do the blood test on Monday. Those test normally take longer, so we have to wait for those answers. To decide what will be done, we have a follow up appointment with the Dr. in the beginning of February, and then we'll see if she will be starting to get shots.
Luckily, with Benadryl creme applied, this is how she looked when we were at home again, after about 45 minutes, so it went back faster than we had hoped for. It was a bit itchy, but not at all as much and we didn't even apply on more creme.
My brave girl, she was a bit nervous before starting the test, but she did excellent, and the nurse was great, explaining everything very well, and took her time to answer thousand questions. I will have to take a few notes, to have more questions answered when we go back to the follow up appointment!
