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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by seeing your family doctor, a general practitioner or your child's pediatrician. However, you may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in allergic disorders (allergist-immunologist).
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance. For example, if you're going to have allergy testing done, your doctor will want you to stop taking antihistamine medications for a certain time period before the test.
- Write down any symptoms you or your child has experienced, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Make a list of any medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements that you or your child is taking, if applicable.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of it. For an egg allergy, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What kinds of tests do I or my child need? Do these tests require any special preparation?
- Can my child outgrow this allergy?
- Are there any treatments available, or will my child need to avoid eggs?
- Which foods are most likely to contain eggs?
- What do I need to tell my child's school about this allergy?
- I have other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
- Do I need to have an epinephrine pen available at all times?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you or your child first experience a reaction to eggs?
- Can you describe the reaction?
- Does this happen every time you consume eggs or something made with eggs?
- How soon after you consume eggs or products containing eggs do your symptoms begin?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Does anything seem to improve your symptoms, such as allergy medication or egg avoidance?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Is anyone in your family allergic to eggs?
- Is there a family history of any allergic responses, such as eczema, hay fever or asthma?
What you can do in the meantime
If you or your child has eaten something containing eggs and is experiencing mild allergy symptoms, taking an antihistamine medication may lessen the discomfort. But, be on the lookout for more-severe symptoms that might require medical attention. If you or your child has any signs or symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction, seek emergency medical care immediately.
- Food allergy: An overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/PDF/foodallergy.pdf. Accessed July 12, 2009.
- Kurowski K, et al. Food allergies: Detection and management. American Family Physician. 2008;77:1678.
- Lack G. Food allergy. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;359:1252.
- Anaphylaxis. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. http://www.aafa.org/print.cfm?id=9&sub=23&cont=324. Accessed July 16, 2009.
- Chapman JA, et al. Food allergy: A practice parameter. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2006;96:S1.
- Sicherer SH. Food allergen avoidance. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 22, 2009.
- Egg allergy. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. http://www.aafa.org/print.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=523. Accessed July 16, 2009.
- Flu vaccine and egg allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/public/advice/Fluvaccine_eggallergy.htm. Accessed July 16, 2009.
