Elizabeth had her scoliosis appointment with the big-city-hospital doctor. It took us over three-and-a-half hours to get there, with traffic and delays. We then waited TWO HOURS in the waiting room past her appointment time. We then waited forty minutes in the exam room. The doctor came in for FIVE MINUTES: he said yes, she needs a Boston brace, but she will only have to wear it twelve hours a day, so she can avoid wearing it to school if she prefers. He sent us over to the department that measures for braces, but they did not have time to see her. So we went home. The entire trip took eleven hours from leaving our house to coming back in the door.
If I were you, I would be suspecting all those numbers of being exaggerations. Like, probably Swistle is just venting frustration and it wasn’t literally a full two hours in the waiting room, and it was probably more like twenty minutes with the doctor. BUT NO. I assure you I am faithfully reporting. Then we had to wait almost ten minutes at the check-out desk, because the one task the doctor was supposed to have done in those five minutes we had with him (write a prescription for the brace) was something he had not done, so the receptionist had to go find him, wait for him to finish with a patient, and get him to write it.
Well. At least we got that one task done in the end.
I also brought Henry in for an appointment with an ENT doctor to see about his relentless sniffing. She said it looked like allergies to her, and now we have an appointment for him to get allergy testing. I’d thought it COULDN’T be allergies, because we’d tried Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, Flonase, and nothing helped. She said sometimes allergies manifest more in congestion than in itchiness/sneezing, and that Zyrtec/Claritin/Allegra don’t really help with that; there are decongestant versions of those medications, but she doesn’t generally recommend them (I don’t know if she meant for anyone, or just for kids).
Instead she recommends allergy testing, followed by allergy shots if the testing is as expected. So! Henry is about as pleased as you’d expect. He’s in the Bargaining stage: “If between now and the allergy testing I SUDDENLY stopped sniffing—would I STILL have to get the shots?” He is also nervous about the allergy testing itself. I had that done as a child, and what I remember about it is that the part where they put small amounts of substances under your skin was not so terrible, but the itching afterward was pretty maddening. Still, it’s temporary and endurable—and if the problem is NOT allergies, we’ve ruled out a whole big possibility.
I can tell the doctor is almost certain it IS allergies, though, and that furthermore she’s narrowed down what she thinks is the primary source. She said, “Do you have pets?” and I said we had three cats. She said, “…Do you like them?” It reminded me of one of my favorite family stories about my mom. My brother and I were both diagnosed as children with cat allergies, and my brother also with asthma. The allergy/asthma doctor said to my mother, “You will need to rehome the cats.” She did not argue with him, and she nodded, wide-eyed and compliant. Nevertheless catching something subtle in her manner, he repeated even more firmly, one finger held out warningly: “The cats MUST go.” Again she nodded. He said some third emphatic thing about the cats; she nodded again; he sighed. We did not get rid of the cats.
It seems odd to me that we’ve had cats for Henry’s entire life but he’s only started having trouble the last year or so. Apparently that can happen—but, for example, Elizabeth had allergy testing awhile back, and it showed she was quite allergic to cats, but she doesn’t have any trouble with them. The allergist said that by being around cats since birth, she got the equivalent of allergy shots: her immune system got trained to deal with them. But I guess that is not the way it happened with Henry, if indeed he turns out to be allergic to cats.
Well. The immune system is a neverending mystery.
The hardest part of allergy testing was that they said to stop using any allergy medication for something like 3 days ahead of the appointment. We were more reliant on Benadryl at night than we had realized! The actual test was loading some little things in a tray with irritants, then placing it on her back and a quick scratch to release it. She was maybe 9 and so freaked out by it; I took a photo of her back as she lay there waiting for the response so she could have the info and maybe calm down. It worked, and she not only thought it wasn’t as bad as she imagined, but she thought it was kind of cool. YMMV. I’ve since learned that they may not even do skin testing anymore. I would love to know more about that. I really thought we’d just hear she had outdoor allergies, but I wanted her tested for coconut based on some food reactions she’d had. Her strongest responses were: coconut, which shocked the doc; dogs, which shocked me but made perfect sense in retrospect, and indoor/outdoor allergies. Basically, say hello to my little friend Zyrtec for the rest of your life, and augment with Benadryl for pollen. I asked about shots but they thought that unless we were going to get a dog rather than just visit one several times a year, it wasn’t worth it. I wonder now if a consult with a different doctor would get a different result regarding the seasonal offenders. But hey, if I don’t have to figure out how to get The Busiest Teen Ever to appointments for shots, fine by me.
They offered us the scratch test or a blood test, but the doctor said neither of those was useful for formulating the allergy shots, which she thinks he’ll need, so we’re going straight for the tiny-injections-under-the-skin one. Elizabeth had the scratch test for general allergens, but I don’t remember what they did for the tree-nut allergies. It was a blood test first, and then some sort of skin test but I can’t remember which kind.
Back when I had my allergy tests (which allow me to be weirdly specific about what I’m allergic to — not just pollen, but oak pollen), I had some scratch tests and some tiny-injections-under-the-skin tests, and I found the scratch tests much more uncomfortable.
I am guessing that is not the sort of information that would put Henry’s mind at ease.
Did your mother look sad as she nodded? Perhaps the doctor could see she was not imagining a life without her cats.
If it’s OK with you, I’m going to be annoyed that there was no way for them to measure Elizabeth for a brace, considering how far you had traveled and how long you had to wait. Or that they didn’t build that into scheduling, like “We can give you an early appointment, and then if she needs to be measured for a brace, they’ll be able to fit her in the same day, although it might be much later in the day.”
I was SO ANNOYED. Especially since the decision about the brace was clearly made before we even arrived! Just…let the bracing department know! I wondered if maybe what happened was that the bracing department WAS prepared for us, but then we were TWO HOURS LATE. And wouldn’t it have been nice if, during the wait for the doctor, they had sent us down to be measured? UG SO MANY THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER
So infuriating! It really upsets me when someone’s personal time (or, well, mine) gets needlessly squandered by simple carelessness of others, when it could have been avoided extremely easily. Gah!
I cannot even imagine. Actually, I can imagine it quite vividly. “Annoyed” wouldn’t be the word for me after that much waiting. Did it make it a little better having Elizabeth with you? I find I’m able to be more patient and less RAGEFUL if I have a kid to keep happy and try to set a good example for (be clear, I fail miserably but I do try). Or sometimes we can make each other laugh about the ridiculousness. I still want to trap that doctor in some hellish customer service nightmare in revenge, though.
On the sniffing…I raced over here to see if you had solved! sniffing! forever! so I could use your method. Rats. Sorry about the allergies.
I’m allergic to coconut too!
I am also allergic to coconut.
Were you FUMING about the time you had to wait?! Did you tell anyone?! That is insanely rude. What the heck did you do while you waited?
I have a love/hate relationship with the allergist with my kids. My youngest had a throw up reaction to peanuts…once when he was 18 mo. and again at 2.5 years, so we are attached to the allergist for life for epi pen craziness. Both of my kids have had the scratch test numerous times with results that are puzzling…like, it said my youngest was super allergic to almonds – but he eats a cereal daily with almonds in it. Bottom line- this appt WILL result in Henry being allergic to SOMETHING.
Anyway, my oldest has been doing shots for nearly 5 years for animals, seasonal allergens, and random stuff like dust mites. It’s a commitment to say the least. You have to ramp up in the beginning by going twice a week for a few months…and then once a week for awhile, every other week and so on. Now he’s once a month, and it really did work for him. The shot itself doesn’t take much time, but you have to wait in the office for 30 min afterward to make sure they don’t have a reaction.
My younger son did shots for a little over a year, and did fine…then all of a sudden became like a gremlin who got wet and would shriek with pain before and during the shots. Finally, it was clear I was torturing him AND the nurses, so we tried to shift to the sublingual drops (daily under the tongue). That gave him terrible stomach pain, so we had to stop. If you stop the treatments before 4-5 years, all the benefit goes away and it’s like you never did anything. Ended up being an frustrating waste of time/money. He told me the other day he wanted to try shots again, and I gave him a death glare.
I was pretty unhappy about waiting, but I knew they already knew: they told us at check-in that there would be a wait, and everyone else was in the same boat. Fortunately we’d brought phones, books, back-up batteries for the phones. We also walked around a bit.
Our experience was almost the opposite. “Well, her blood work shows she was definitely having a high allergic reaction to something when we did the test, but she came back negative or very low on every single one of this long list of common allergens. She’s really allergic to something uncommon. We suggest you just keep her on Claritin and cingulair and hope she outgrows it.” (Our pediatrician doesn’t recommend allergy shots for non-life threatening respiratory allergies, and I had a horrible reaction to allergy shots as a child and would have vetoed them for her allergies anyway.) So, we keep the drug companies and Kleenex flush, but my fear that I was going to have to consider taking her dog from her was relieved.
My 9 year old son has had a runny nose since he was 1, and did the scratch test for allergies twice. Both times it said he had a mild reaction to something, but they were different somethings both times. The allergist and ENT agreed he’s probably allergic to something uncommon as well. It’s very frustrating because all that extra mucus means he’s very susceptible to sinus infections and he has to do several weeks of antibiotics when that happens. But, I find that nasal spray antihistamines work nicely for us since his symptoms are all nasal.
Good news for Elizabeth, despite the horrible hospital waits! Yay!
My oldest has been doing shots for years–first for fire ants, to which he had a life-threatening reaction when being bit, and now for pollen because of his asthma. He started when he was 3 and only cried the first few times. It’s a TINY TINY little needle an those people do hundreds a day and are really good at making it not hurt. Plus he gets a lollipop after, so it’s worth it apparently. (Probably not worth it to a teen though.)
I probably need to get my 14-yo to an ENT. We know he has seasonal and pet allergies but so far we’ve been able to get by with our pediatrician and either Claritin/Allegra/Zyrtec/Xyzal (this year). Each year we’ve had to try a different allergy med, which has been weird. I’ll be going along, confidently telling him to be sure to use [last year’s meds], then wham, sinus infection, so we get an antibiotic and a new med suggested by the doc. This year I finally figured it out and the minute his spring allergies started I bought the newest one I could find. I think it has helped…? Maybe. So, yeah. ENT in his future.
Sorry Henry’s nervous about the testing. :(
I hope you get a clear answer soon and that it doesn’t involve getting rid of your cats.
And about that scoliosis appointment… wow. That sounds like an ordeal.
My 4yo had an allergic reaction last year and we went down the allergist path. She had the blood testing and the ONLY thing that came back was a slight allergy to cats. Which seemed laughable, because we lived in our house for 12 years with cats before she was born, and she’s had the same 2 cats since birth. HOWEVER! Her babysitter had gotten a cat about a month or 6 weeks before she broke out in hives. So she’s … actually allergic to somebody else’s cat. Not ours. She takes Zyrtec daily, and the allergist also gave us scrips for Singulair and Zantac, in case all 3 became necessary to control the hives. Something about the different types of medicines working on different types of receptors? I don’t know. We started with Zyrtec and Singulair, but Singulair apparently can negatively affect behavior, so we stopped it and went to the Zantac. It has worked for several months now and we are considering weaning her off.
Also! It occurs to me that the year before all this happened, we were in San Antonio (which apparently is the 3rd circle of hell for allergies) and she got so congested and had so much drainage that she vomited several times. So that was fun on vacation. That time she got Benadryl and a steroid and I think one other thing and was fine in no time.
Offering hope, Natalie: My daughter had terrible hives (inconclusive blood allergy test) for about 8 months, and did Zyrtec (AM) and Zantac (PM). They worked really well and both have meltaways which she loved. And now the hives have nearly subsided, and an occasional Zyrtec squashes them instantly. They really can outgrow things!
Thank you! She takes both meds 2x per day so we may look into reducing and see how it goes.
I’m super allergic to cats (among other things), but had my first allergic reaction to them at my then-boyfriend’s home at age 17. We were sitting in the tv room with a bunch of friends and his two cats and my face swelled up and I couldn’t breathe. My sister is allergic to shellfish, so we had an epi-pen at home (a block away) and my mom injected me with it.
I had a cat at the time. Never had a reaction to him.
Went to college. Came home for Thanksgiving. Allergic reaction to my cat.
It was devastating. But I used inhalers daily when I visited until his death.
Recent allergy testing showed CATS in bold-faced type, 4 out of 4, boy howdy, and to a lesser extent dogs and tree mold.
For the allergy testing, I recommend putting a super interesting game on an iPad to distract him.
My middle kiddo was the same way with the, “Well it CAN’T be allergies, because the Zyrtec has ZERO effect on her!” and yet she had a cough for multiple months that turned into a sinus infection and apparently started with untreated allergies :( (And then, just to give me the mom of the year award, it happened AGAIN a year or so later!) Dimetapp Cold And Allergy worked like a charm, but the doctors weren’t keen to have her on it long term :\ We did the allergy blood test and nothing came back positive, but we live in SoCal where things bloom year round and I’m PRETTY SURE that everyone in the family has issues every time the bushes behind our house start kicking off tons of pollen. Singulair has been AMAZING for her! She’s had some kind of little cough (mostly at night) her ENTIRE LIFE, and that’s totally gone now. Allergies can manifest in some sneaky and surprising ways!
I did not become allergic to cats until my early 20s. I had cats growing up, no issues. They were outside cats though, because my mother ALSO became allergic to cats in her early 20s.
Go figure. For why it’s worth I personally do fine as long as I don’t touch the cat and then touch my face.
I had allergy shots from the time I was 3 1/2 until I was 14. My very wise parents chose to take me out for a special treat immediately after each shot appointment. (It was soda fountain cokes and pretzel sticks.) We never went to that drug store except after those appointments.
All these years later, I can no longer visualize that doctor’s office, but the soda fountain is clear in my memory. I recommend a treat that is ONLY for after shots!
Couple things that helped at our house. Daughter keeps bedroom door closed to cats when she is not in there. They can not lounge all day (as cats will) amoungst her bed and dirty laundry that is strewn about. We also invested in a smallish air purifier that runs all the time in her bedroom. Cats are welcome when she is in the room, but door closed when she is out in the world. We also are doing shots and she is responding well…but the door closed/air purifier idea was from allergist that could tell I wasn’t giving up my cats.
This is what I dìd when my test showed I was allergic to cats. At that point we had the cat for 12 years and there was no way to get rid of her! But we did declared my room a cat free zone and bought an air purifier. It’s worth a try.
Geez, so sorry about the long wait and having to RETURN for the brace. That whole time management is puzzling to me. I get it that it’s a medical office and there are going to be unforeseen emergencies, but for some physicians, appointment chaos is a style, not an aberration. On the other hand, some medical offices are run amazingly efficiently. In my PCP’s office, you never wait over 5 minutes, and you are nearly always out of the examining room within 15 (although he will spend longer if you need it). In other offices, “appointments” are more like a number at the butcher shop–if yours if 8:30, you’ll come after the 8:15, even if it is actually 12:45 when you’re called back. I’ll spare you my allergy testing story, as it has already been mostly covered by the woes of other commenters. Hang in!
I went to a podiatrist today for the first time and they told me when I checked in that he was running about 40 minutes behind. Fine. But when they took me back, they took Xrays right away, then he looked at them during the appointment. He apologized 3 times for being so behind, and was very gracious and pleasant and it was really very nice. I had no idea what to expect since it was my first time.
Swistle, you are a breath of fresh air and I usually lurk but I’m here to advocate for, should the need arise, allergy drops as opposed to shots! One of my daughters and I were allergic to nearly every grass and tree around, and in the only two years that we’ve been taking drops we’ve been able to come off of all of our other allergy medications.
The idea of going in weekly for shots was over-the-top oppressive to me, but the drops are so easy and have been working so well for us.
But how was the food at the new hospital?
WE DID NOT EVEN GET TO TRY IT. We were too nervous to leave the waiting room for long, in case we were called next! Fortunately this time we brought a packed lunch just in case of this very possibility.
Re: the wait times. I would wait until Monday for my rage to drop from the nuclear level and then send an email to the practice manager. Explain the delay and also reminding that your time is every bit as valuable as the physicians. It might not change anything, but venting a little might make you feel better.
I am allergic to cats. Had them all of my life, including 5 lazy, ungrateful, demanding, and spoiled beasties. For a few years I even worked at a veterinary hospital! After the first few weeks my symptoms pretty much went away. But now, years later, they’re back! My own cats don’t set me off unless I’m brushing them and bringing up fur and danger and saliva in mass quantities. But other people’s cats, and going to our current vet make me sneeze non stop. I also want to claw my eyes out to stop the itching!
My son is 5 and has an unspecified allergy. The husband also has varied allergies, including cats, and asthma. But I’m a package deal – the cats aren’t going anywhere!
What I do at least once a month is to squeegee the carpeted areas of the house. We vacuum frequently, like 2-3 times a week. But the squeegee is amazing and disgusting in its efficiency. I keep the cheapest vodka I can buy in a spray bottle. After vacuuming, I mist the carpet in sections and use the rubber squeegee to scrape the carpet. Horrifying amounts of cat hair come up! Like, I could knit sweaters and blankets out of it!!! 3/5 of ours have long hair, and I swear that cat hair dust bunnies are capable of reproducing on their own! The vodka dries quickly and is odorless. Sometimes I add some vanilla oil or another scent I like to the vodka. It’s also effective at removing odors. We generally have a happy litter box situation, but I am obsessed about not ever smelling like a crazy cat lady! You can squeegee dry, but slightly misted works better for me – the cat hair clumps up and doesn’t drift away when the AC kicks on. This also seems to help with the dander and saliva.
That 11 hour trip to the doctor is making MY blood pressure go up. Gahhhh *lots of eye rolling* I’m sooo sorry you had to endure that. I hope you got ice cream or something!
My brother is allergic to 17 different things and had to get weekly shots growing up. I don’t know how or why or if it should have even been allowed, but my Grammy (not a medical professional) gave him his shots at home. There was no going to the doctor once a week for them. He was insanely busy with school and sports and our doctor was a bit of a drive, so it worked out well for everyone.
So, I’m not sure if that’s an option…reading these comments and not seeing anyone else say they’ve done it makes me think maybe you’re not supposed to, lol. But if it is, it’s a huge time saver.
Reading that allergy shots need to be done for 4-5 years is making me very unhappy. I had shots when I was maybe 2nd and 3rd grade and then for reasons unknown to me they stopped. They did not work. Thanks Mom for all the shots for nothing!
I hate doctors and I would totally complain about the wait time. That’s ridiculous. I have a similar, but not quite as bad, situation when I have to take my daughter to her scoliosis doc. It’s downtown at the children’s hospital and parking is confusing (I’ve totally gotten lost in the parking garage). We have to go to two separate buildings: one to get the x-ray, then to the other building to meet with the doc. A 30-minute appointment actually ends up being an entire half-day off of work.
For allergy testing: they can spontaneously occur at any time. I lived with cats from age 14-36? And it wasn’t until I got allergy tested when I was 34 that I discovered I was allergic to cats. I didn’t get rid of him though. Sadly, he ended up passing at the age of 14? (second cat) of bladder cancer. Anyway, I cannot even BEGIN to tell you what a life-saver my allergy shots have been, and I totally think it’s worth it to go through the process of getting tested. I used to get SIX sinus infections a year – about every other month. Once I started allergy shots though, I get like maybe TWO a year. HUGE improvement. I got allergy shots weekly from 2011-2017, and now I only need them every other week.