Allergy Tests

[The Dark Knight]

Next Wednesday, the 18th I'm going in for Allergy tests at Allergy SA in Beulah Park. Because my family doesn't have private health cover it's costing me $397 (even with the Medicare rebate) which is almost a weeks pay for me!

I have no idea what to expect. Could anyone give me any info on how long the test takes and what kinds of tests they will do (e.g Blood test, Skin test)?

And, is there anything I should do before I go in for the test and what will happen after the tests are done when they find out what I'm allergic to?

[fisho mcspaz]

I had 34 allergy tests done to me in a single day when I was eleven. I used to get hives and no one could work out why. It was pretty simple from what I remember. They sat me down and nicked my arm 34 times and put a different substance in each one. Then they put histamine in the last one as a control. Anyway, the histamine one swelled up but none of the others did - and from that day I never got hives again. It was really strange.

[A Mum]

That's exactly what they did to me too Fisho - scrapes to the arm X amount of times - and put drops of 'stuff' into the scratches.
I was 19 years old when I had mine done.

They found out my biggest alergy was 'grasses' and then came cats.

I can't believe it costs that much.

[Alaska]

I had the same tests 10 years ago except on both arms 72 I think (they seemed concerned because of the reactions I was having, that I was going to expire with the next turn). I badly reacted to a lot of them in particular preservatives used in food. They can go down to a very fine detail on what it is.
For example at the time I could walk through a Barley testing weighbridge cabin and nothing but do that with the Wheat one down the road and I looked like the Incredible Hulk! (not good when you worked in the industry)
However, when we worked through it we thought it was as a result of my immune system being battered by a little critter called a hopper ant rather than a particular allergy.
{I live with these critters so we have a constant war]
I am fine now with all those substances except a couple, that I will keep a secret as one is integral to one of my hobbies.
Unfortunately as I reacted to most I was very uncomfortable for the rest of the day even after they applied the standard histamine/fix to each one when it is finished.

[Iron Fist]

I had the same thing when i was younger, think 14 or 15

My worst ones were cats, dust and dust mites and then I think horses.
but i had small reactions to the majority of things.
Some things you would rarely come acrross so its not a big problem.

Problem is my mum has 2 cats so need to be careful about that.

at least once you know what ya allergic to yuo can monitor and you also know what to look out for!

[The Dark Knight]

Thanks guys so far for your input.

I started to come up with a list of what I could be Allergic to,

Soda Water- There is a preservative in it found in other food and drink that some people are allergic too.
Seafood- Not ruling it out, haven't eaten any seafood since it happened.
Beer- The yeast maybe. I have hand any Alcohol for 8 weeks now because I my reaction.
Dustmites- At home or work.

My doctor said it might be a season thing aswell and that it could be grass or the weather and/or a combination of the two.

Last night ironically, our bistro at the footy club was closed due to to illness, which turned out to be food poisoning. Someone actually said to me my reaction could of been a result of some kind of cross contamination.

I've reacted 3 times now. One 8 weeks ago, 5 weeks before that and about 3 before that. It always happened on a saturday night where I've played footy on the day, eaten a meal from the club and have been drinking beer that night. During the night people have noticed that my face was going really red and have asked me if I was sunburnt.

The next morning I would get a massive shock as my face is swelled up like a ballon, making me look like a cat and also having a rash on my face, aswell as on my neck and arms, although not as bad.

[FattyLumpkin]

Allergy Skin Test or Skin Prick Test. Think its item 12000 on the Medicare schedule & I think the 85% medicare schedule is way below $100. I think this is limited to a certain number of allergens with a different item no & medicare payment for the larger battery of tests. You can also go for a blood test - a RAST - which looks at IgE mediated allergies.

Many Hospital based respiratory labs can do an allergy skin test (I got mine there). And they bulk bill if you are private. Getting the referral may be tough, but I reckon you should be able to use your referral to the Allergy SA mob. House Dust & mite are normally tested, as is seafood, particularly shellfish. Other allergens in the standard battery are cat, dog fur (read saliva), grasses, pollens, moulds etc (plus a positive & negative control). Just make certain you don't take an anti histamine within 48 hours of test (even longer if you can). Give TQEH or RAH Resp and or Allergy Units a call to save some $$$

[Farmy]

I had 34 allergy tests done to me in a single day when I was eleven. I used to get hives and no one could work out why. It was pretty simple from what I remember. They sat me down and nicked my arm 34 times and put a different substance in each one. Then they put histamine in the last one as a control. Anyway, the histamine one swelled up but none of the others did - and from that day I never got hives again. It was really strange.

That isn't 34 tests, that is one test.

[fisho mcspaz]

I had 34 allergy tests done to me in a single day when I was eleven. I used to get hives and no one could work out why. It was pretty simple from what I remember. They sat me down and nicked my arm 34 times and put a different substance in each one. Then they put histamine in the last one as a control. Anyway, the histamine one swelled up but none of the others did - and from that day I never got hives again. It was really strange.

That isn't 34 tests, that is one test.

Fair enough.