Follow this advice to make sure you get the best from your visit:
- Remember to stop your child taking antihistamines (or cough medicines containing antihistamines) for five days before your clinic appointment. This is the most important tip!
- Inhalers should not be stopped nor should any other medication prior to your clinic visit.
- Bring all medication and inhalers that your child is on.
- Write down the history for your child’s condition and a list of questions before you come.
- If your child has reacted to a packaged food, please bring the list of ingredients so that this can be assessed during the visit. Please contact the restaurant or catering establishment to provide the list of ingredients if the allergic reaction occurred in this setting.
- We provide skin prick tests for common food and inhalant allergens. Certain allergens (e.g. fruits and vegetables) are better tested fresh, so please bring these with you, if you are concerned that your child has reacted to these. Please also bring any rare allergens for skin prick testing. Contact our practice team if you have any questions.
- Discuss with your child what the visit will be like before attending. They will see a nurse, have allergy testing and potentially also breathing tests if they are 5 years or older, then will see the doctor where we will talk about their allergies, perform a physical examination and discuss the management plan.
- Bring food and entertainment for your child (toys, books etc.) and for younger children, nappies and if they are having formula, bring extra supplies as the clinic visit takes around an hour.
- If you are attending for a supervised feed the appointment will usually last 2-3 hours. You will need to bring the food being tested and other foods to mix this with that the child is likely to eat.
- You may wish to bring a relative or friend to the appointment to help with your child, especially if bringing several children to the visit.