What to expect at allergy clinic?

[GColdtimer]

Dd2 had an allergic reaction to nuts before Christmas. We have an app with the allergy clinic tomorrow. She is worried bless her (dd1 told her, I was going up tell her in the morning). What should I expect? Will we be there long and will the tests be painful?

TIA

When my dd was diagnosed we had a skin prick test. They rubbed her skin with various allergens, all different things like nuts, soy, and then they irritated it with something. Like scratched it. Then they look at it to see w hat the reaction was and measure any bumps thst have come up. Then you wait and then they look at it again and then we saw the doctor.

They can't have anything to eat during the whole thing.

It wasn't a barrel of laughs I have to say. Take books and toys for comfort. Dh and I both went so that one of us could hold her during the scratching part and then hand her to the other one afterwards.

Dd has the rash tests. She started at 2/3 and just had the second lot at 5. She is fine with it, the staff were brilliant and I was very impressed with the whole thing.

IIRC this is the routine when we go...

Check in at desk
Waiting room....
Nurse weighs and measures DS
Waiting room...
Called through to see consultant
Nice chat with consultant who asks a few questions and chats to DS.
Waiting room....
Called through to see nurse for skin prick tests.
DS sits on my lap. Nurse draws a grid on his arm with biro. She has a box of various liquids and uses a pippet (sp?) to squeeze one drop of each liquid in a square. She then uses a small needle to prick each drop into the skin. DS always flinches but even when he was little (3yrs) he didn't start freaking out.
Sent back to waiting room to distract DS from any irritation on his arm.
Nurse calls us back to see if any are itchy and how big the hives (welts?) are. Piriton given if DS is very itchy and hives are measured.
Back to waiting room.
Called back to see consultant to chat about the test results. On our last visit they said they wanted to do a blood test to check a couple of nut allergies. So we had to wait an hour for the numbing cream to take effect. The blood test was ok, DS didn't like it but the nurse conjured up an ipad so he played angry birds while they did it, it took his mind off the needle.
Then finally back to see the nurse for a demo of how to use an epi-pen and a dummies guide to allergies.

And I think that's it. It's a lot of coming and going, we're usually around 3hrs in the dept. Staff are always lovely.

Really helpful thank you. Will take books, iPad and toys. And chocolate buttons for after. And it's good to know there will be lots of hanging around.

She is nearly 4 so still so little. :(

Thank you, she was so brave. No tears. Just a wince. Has a Brazil nut allergy and we are the proud owners of an epipen. Feel alarmed and reassured in equal measure. We were there 3 hours so glad I asked here first so I would be prepared for the waiting.

Brazil nuts should be reasonably easy to avoid. DD has peanut and hazelnut allergy and though these are more common, they are fairly easily avoided these days. Glad it went ok.

My experience with DS3 is very similar to what Meg,et describes. He had his first skin prick tests at 21mo. The most recent ones in December he was a big more irritable with, because he knew what was coming with the 'prick' part of it! He calmed down when the nurse changed her grid squares into a rocket, as he was adamant it was a house. our allergy nurse is great with the little ones, but art isn't her strong suit!