This past winter, my little guy started having a lot of nasal issues… runny nose, sniffles…I thought it was just a cold at first. Then, his eyes started itching him, just about every night- he’d start rubbing his eyes. I even noticed him rubbing his eyes in his sleep, that’s when I realized we weren’t dealing with a cold at all. I started to suspect it might be allergies. I made an appointment with his Pediatrician & took him in for a check-up. She referred him to an Allergist. The Allergist said he wanted to run an allergy test on him. He even showed us a little medical instrument that would be used for the test. He let us touch it, no needles-nothing. He wanted to show us it wouldn’t be a painful test. He lied! My little guy had his allergy test a few days ago.
The MA began by marking on my son’s back in black marker. Every mark stood for something he would be tested for. There were 21 marks on his back when she got done. (twenty-one!) Next, came the bad part. He was face down on the exam table, and one by one she pricked his back with a needle that delivered the substance being tested. 21 different needles! He was crying… scared and panicked. He started squirming around and kicking. I was trying to calm him and help keep him still. His cries were now borderline screams. He was red in the face. I felt so bad for him. I could tell he was in a lot of pain and the test wasn’t even halfway done yet. When the final needle pierced his skin, I told him the worst was over. I don’t know if I was telling him the truth or not. I don’t think I was.
For the next 20 minutes, he was not allowed to touch his back. No scratching, nothing. He cried the entire time. I took this photo as soon as the MA was done poking him, you can already see a reaction starting. 
It got worse from there:
We weren’t done yet.
After 20 minutes were up, the MA measured the red, raised spots on his back. Then she wiped off all the marker & put some hydrocortisone on his back. That was followed with some oral liquid antihistamine medication. 
She then told us what he was allergic to and by how much. There is a scale they use to determine this. 0-2 on the scale, no worries. At 3, they begin to worry. 4 & 4+ are bad. She created a whole new level for one of my child’s reactions. Bermuda Grass scored a 4++ !! My little over-achiever. Here’s what the form looks like that they fill out and give you to take home. 
Also found out he’s allergic to cats! This can’t be my child, I LOVE cats! Guess I will have to love them from afar, don’t think my little guy could handle being around them, he scored a 4 for cats. He turned out being allergic to 5 different things, you can read them on the form. If your child needs to be tested for allergies, please be prepared. They are going to cry, and they will be miserable for the entire 20 minutes afterwards. I am glad I had him tested, now we know what to avoid and when to avoid it. I just wish there was a kinder, more gentle way to do the testing. He’s fine now, the redness & swelling subsided within a couple of hours. Yay!
Did I mention I need to be tested too… I haven’t made my appointment yet.
