Upon allergy diagnosis, you will have a plethora of questions for your doctor. It’s hard to remember them all when you are at the office, or even to know what to ask. Below is a list of important questions to have answered in order to know more about your allergy so as to keep it under control.

• Can the severity of your allergy be determined?

• What kind of test do you need and will this be repeated and when?

• What is the correct dosage of your medication?

• When exactly will you need to medicate? (This will differ on your allergy, i.e. you may need daily medication with hay fever, or need to know the symptoms of anaphylaxis for treatment of a severe food allergy.)

• When should you seek immediate help or call the doctor?

• What are the treatments options, i.e. shots, medication, avoidance, etc?

• What do you need to avoid and what is the best way to do so?

• With food, do you need to stay away from “traces” and “shared equipment/facility” products (the answer is usually yes)?

• Should you medicate before outdoor activity if you have insect allergies or hay fever?

• When do you need to follow up with your doctor?

• Will any of your allergy medication interfere with any of your current medication?

• What are the side effects of your allergy medication?

• What are the risks of not taking medication?

• What is the long term diagnosis? Is it likely you will grow out of this allergy? Will other health risks develop (asthma, etc.)?

The more informed you become, the easier your allergy will be to handle, the less scary it will be, and the more comfortable you will become. Do not feel like you are wasting the doctor’s time because you are the patient, it is the doctor’s job to keep you healthy. We, as patients, don’t go in knowing everything, that’s why we have to ask and we do have the right to know. For more information on being a well informed patient, see Communicating with Your Doctor Regarding Allergies.

- Heather Legg