Anybody know how I get hold of somebody good who will test for allergies privately?

[MilaMae]

My GP doesn't think it's worth having adults tested but I think it's worth a try. I want somebody good,don't know where to start. It's in the Southwest area.

Thanks

Bumping for you.

contact allergyUK or anaphylaxis campaign, they will have lists of names they can give you.

Many thanks

You can search consultants through Dr Foster website, this is how I found Dr Adam Fox who was really good and is based at St Thomas' in London but sees people privatly at the Portland as does Dr George du Toit (think that is how you spell it) who is brilliant, so nice and patient he is also at St Thomas' but again sees people privatly.

I live in Bath but it was worth the trip to see them, not cheap though.

Bristol has a good reputation for allergy consultants as does Southampton but I don't know any specific names.

www.drfosterhealth.co.uk

How much was it Hannah?Mil lives in London so it's doable.

It was nearly £400 with Dr Fox, which now I look at it is a huge amount but at the time I was willing to spend whatever it cost (within reason of course!) for me it really was worth every penny as we found out exactly what the problems were and I then got refered to Dr du Toit (who is one of his team) through the NHS, I had to fight my corner though as my Dr didn't want to refer outside our local area but our local allergy consultant is rubbish. Hope that helps

Hello MilaMae if you are still there, I would try Dr George Du Toit at the Portland, he is London based but excellent, here is his link

www.londonallergyconsultants.co.uk/

Hannah et al was that £400 for a diagnosis or 1 session?

There is an immunologist at Plymouth who deals with allergies. I have no idea if they see private patients but you could phone and ask? There is also a clinic at Bristol but seems to say paediatric?

www.bsaci.org/index.php?option=com_clinics&Itemid=26

If you have severe allergy symtoms they should refer you for testing.

sorry posted that without asking - why do you think you need tests - because allergy consultants may not be the only way to find what you need? Test are not always conclusive and not much use if your "allergy" symptoms are more likely to be intolerance.

Was £400 for a consultation, skin pricks with allergy nurse then discussion of results for all major food allergens. Did not include any blood tests, which were about £200 for each allergen screened.

I decided to go private because my ds had a severe reaction to cow?s milk, swollen face, breathing probs basically the works and although we were referred to an allergy consultant we had to wait 5 months. He then kept having smaller reactions every week so that is why I wanted to see someone asap. So I knew we had major probs. Would prob have waited for our referral had his symptoms not been so severe.

Can you go back to your Dr and talk to them or try another Dr in the practice?

i can recommend york test (pin prick blood test), order online return by post, very fast and accurate and far less expensive. dp had suffered badly for years with sinus problems and someone suggested perhaps he had an allergy. we were living in tanzania and posted the test and results came very fast, he has dairy allergy and lost all symptoms immediately on cutting out all dairy.
once you have confirmed or eliminated allergies/ intolerances you can follow up with your gp

i'll try a link.. yorktest

Many thanks all.

For the past 8 months I've had an itchy mouth,runny nose,sneezing. It's now all the time. Last week I became covered in a red blotchy rash on my neck,which has spread to my chest,back,now moving down arms and legs.

It wasn't itchy but is now. My GP doesn't seem bothered as I foolishly said I was very healthy. He said It's unlikely somebody of my age would Have a food allergy(I'm just 40). However I had 3 babies in 15 months after years of fertility treatment. I'm wondering if my system has been weakened in some way.

Last night dp binned all feather pillows,duvet and replaced with hollow fibre ones,aired the room etc as we were wondering if it's feathers. I thought I'd wake up with no rash today so a little disappointed,it is slightly less itchy though

We're at a loss,dp and mum are the only ones who understand my determination to get it sorted.I'm also worried as to what might be next.

That York thing looks good might try that 1st.

Many thanks again!

your gp is, like many of them, poorly informed. Allergies can develop at any age and to foods you have eaten with no problem for years. However it may not be food allergy. For a start I'd switch to non-biological washing powder.

Have you tried taking pirton for the rash? If it improves you could tell your gp that. You might also ask for a referral to a dermatologist - they would possibly do allergy tests for you and can at least usually recognise an allergic rash.

Journalists have sent blood samples to the York labs and got back different results when the blood was from the same person.

For a rash there all the time it would have to be a common food, drink or something like soap powder residue in clothing. If you want to try an exclusion diet milk would be the first thing to exclude because of the sneezing. Keep a food diary anyway, see if you notice changes. Much easier to test if they have some idea what to look for.

I'd go back to the gp and ask for a blood test for total IgE levels and a referral. The blood test will give your overall IgE level and if that's high he'll have more problem refusing a referral. You could try going through the NHS direct advice on rashes to see if that mentions allergy www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/help/bodykey/questions/index.aspx?nodes=xNmrC0%2bVYtE%3d

Another possibility, depending on where you are might be the China Fleet Country Club (Plymouth). I stayed there once and noticed they did allergy testing at a reasonable price. No idea if they do skin prick tests or just send off a york test but their number is 01752 854672.

Many thanks Tatt.

I use Ecover non-biological which I've used for years so I'm presuming it's not that but who knows maybe they've changed it in some way.

I used 1 Piriton (makes me drowsy)before bed a couple of nights last week but didn't notice much difference but it probably wore off before I woke up. I might try a different non drowsy one tomorrow(Claritan???)

Will try the non dairy thing too so I'm one step ahead.Going back to see GP this week hopefully he'll refer me,will ask for the blood test.

Many thanks for all your advice it's much appreciated

Hi there,

Holland and Barrett do an allergy testing service £42 - my friend had it carried out at the Glasgow branch.

Hope this is of help :-)

I have never ever recommended anything from the Daily Mail before! but have a read before you do anything. Particularly before you pay oput any money.

www.bsaci.org
List all NHS allergy clinics in the UK. One way to be sure that a clinic is run by a properly qualified specialist is to ask if they require a GP referral. Those that do not request this are often run by unqualified practitioners.

your link bsaci