My 3 1/2 year old daughter is having allergy testing done on Tuesday. I have heard that this is not a pleasant test to have done. I am wondering if there is anything I can to do to make this a not to bad for her. I am also looking for ideas on how to keep my occupied & calm (she is very active & does not like to sit still)while they do allergy testing on her. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I would like to thank everyone for all their help. We went for her test & she did really well. We took books, one of her babies coloring books & crayons I even bought her a new toy & she could have cared less about that stuff. I also brought her a snack & that kept her occupied. It is great to have an online support group like this where us mom's can get help from other mom's who have been there done that. Thanks again & now I am home to clean my house because one of her allergens is dust mites so I guess I will be cleaning alot more than once a week :-(
My son was tested at 18 months and the Dr brought in a baby einstein dvd for him to watch which really helped. Bring a new toy (or toys), coloring books, stickers or any type of activities she can do like reading books.
My daughter had allergy testing done young too. They told her they were doing catepillars on her back, and while she squirmed some, she did REALLY well. I blew on her back the whole time they were letting the testing go on, and that helped her a lot. I also made sure to have her favorite lollipop on hand for when she was done. She was a champ - I'm sure your daughter will do well!! Good luck!
R.,
My 6 year old just had this done and he colored and did some drawing during the procedure. He was sitting up during the time. He was facing me so I could talk to him and distract him. His procedure was not painful at all. He said it did not hurt and they pricked me first so I would know what it was going to feel like for him and it did not hurt. It just depends on the doctor and his/her procedure. Wishing a pain-free procedure for you and best of results as well. Remember, it will not show intolerances on the results. My son had Celiac and milk intolerances before the procedure and they only showed grass. We found out he also has corn intolerance after the procedure and that came w/ only watching his diet. Best to you, A.
I did this last Monday with my son who will be 4 May 27th. First of all, while they are getting the scratches done (if you don't know how it works, they scratch their back with a little needle in 3 columns, each usually containing ~10 scratches) hold them like your hugging them, so sit in a chair and have her face you, put her arms around your neck and lay her head on your shoulder. Then after it's done, I brought his favorite treat, OJ, pickles and a lollipop, these helped get his mind off of the scratches, because you have to wait 10 min while the allergic reaction develops and it itches. Then I brought a relatively new toy he really liked and let him do something I never allow, he got to lay his belly on the doctors stool and turn himself around, he loved it and he did it for almost the whole 10' without ever thinking of itching his back. The best thing is a snack/treat, plus they just got scratched like 30 times, a lollipop is necessary. Good luck and remember try to stay calm because if you react they'll react.
having had the test done myself and had my two older boys put through it there is nothing you can do to ease the discomfort of the "prick" test but it is simply a discomfort. they typically do it on their back and they have to lay on their tummies - it will start to itch if she is reacting to anything - blowing on it or fanning it will help; as for keeping her calm and occupied, bring books, coloring or any activity that she can do while laying on the table -- good luck
Hi,
I have 4 boys. Three of them have undergone the prick tests several times and one of my boys who is 8 has undergone them annually since he was 6mths. I had one allergist who provided numming gel to put on 1/2 hour prior to testing to help with the pricks sice their pricks usually are 4 to 5 rows across and 6 down. It depends how many allergens they plan on testing for so the numming gel does help in that case. Keeping them face forward giving you a bear hug is helpful while performing the test. Sometimes they have them lie belly down on the table then I stand in front of them keeping them focused on me while holding their hands talking calm and about things we can do after the doctor's appointment.They can color on their bellies too. You can bring a bag full of surprise little toys from the dollar store and they can keep occupied while pulling out new little toys. They have to not scratch or touch their back so they don't interfere with the testing. Once pricked you have to wait 25 to 30 min. for the full result. If allergic they will get itchy at the prick site like a misquito bite. So you can probably imagine what 30 or so misquito bites feel like. Some pricks may welt up depending on the severity so get ready for a really itchy back. While we are waiting I hold their hands while they are lying on their belly with a favorite soft blanket and/ or stuffed animal. Anything that will help take their minds off their back. A trip to Toys R Us afterward is always an incentive for being brave and keeping still. Our one allergist has a TV and DVD player in the room so the TV is a distraction. You can always bring a new or favorite DVD. You being their while talking and staying calm is the most helpful while just holding them and loving them with something soft and warm from home I find helps. When it is all done they normally put Benedryl cream all over their back and sometimes even have given them it orally depeding on the severity of the prick tests. So good luck to you and your little one!
Sincerely,
C.
I hate to say it, but video games are the best distraction available for this situation.
Borrow one or buy one.
You won't be sorry.
They have all kinds of age appropriate games out there.
YMMV
LBC
My daughter had this done at approx. the same age. The doctor had an "Easy" button from Staples--you know, you hit it and a voice says "That Was Easy." She got to push it each time she got the arm shots. It really did distract her. She liked it so much Santa brought one for Christmas that year. (don't let her see it before you're appointment or the fun may wear off).
There were 3 or 4 sets, 6 pricks in each set. I think it stung her arm but she was very brave and the button was definitely a reward/distraction. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Good luck!
If you have an iPod that plays movies, you can buy a couple of cartoons off of iTunes. We use that to keep our almost-2-yr-old occupied if we have to wait somewhere for a while, or if we want to eat out & actually enjoy it!
You can pick up a set of small portable speakers for fairly inexpensive (we got a set for $10 at Target in Dec.) so that you don't have to use the headphones.
If you don't have either, it's a bit of an investment, but VERY worth it in the long run!
Do you have or could you borrow a portable DVD player? I found this to be a great distraction when traveling with my kids (in the airport and on the plane). Also, call the Dr.'s office and ask what distractions or techniques they suggest.
Relaxation Response or Hypnosis session can help.
I am a Reiki master and Master Hypnotherapist. I have seen it works great pre and after surgery, dental visits etc.
If it is anything like what we just had done...it goes fairly quickly. My 6 year old had allergy testing done in January, but she was miserable. They do all the pricking on the back, then she has to stay laying there for 20 minutes, after that the reading is super quick, and they clean her back up and put stuff on it to ease the itching. BUT...during those 20 minutes, my daughter was crying so much saying she had never been so itchy before in her life. She bought a stuffed animal, which didn't help too much. But after the fact, I really don't know what all you could bring to make it more comfortable. It looked awkward, uncomfy, and miserable. However, the only thing I can recommend, is that my daughter was eating a candycane while she was having it done...and that was helpful, stopped her crying so intensely, got her mind off it. Bring some lollypops or candycanes or something. Good luck!
K.
As an after thought, I don't think the pricking is the hurting part...it is if you are allergic to what they are testing you for is when it becomes painful. My daughter ended up having a few severe allergies, and needs an epi-pen as well. So In instances like that, I am sure having those things that bother you that much poked into your skin can be very itchy/burny feeling and hurt...more so to a child.
Video games are a good idea but if you can't do that, do be sure to have something like a new game, toy, etc. that she has never seen before -- this is an OK time to spoil and surprise her. Whatever is her favorite character etc., get something that involves that. And if she has a favorite "lovey" toy, the one toy she just must have if she's ever upset etc., be sure to bring that for her to cuddle; that helps my daughter immensely in any stressful situation. If your allergists deal with children a lot they should be able to help out better than if they mostly do adults.
Ask ahead of time what the test will be and ask if the doctor or intake nurse has suggestions.
