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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffSee your doctor if you suspect that you or your child has wheat allergy or another allergy. You're likely to begin by seeing your family doctor or your child's pediatrician, but you may be referred to a specialist in allergies (allergist) for some diagnostic tests.
What you can do
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to prepare for your appointment. Before your appointment, make a list that includes:
- Symptoms, including any that may seem unrelated to allergy-like symptoms
- Your family's history of allergy and asthma, including specific types of allergies if you know them
- Medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you or your child is taking
- Questions to ask your doctor
Questions related to wheat allergy or other types of allergy may include:
- Are the symptoms most likely due to an allergy?
- Will I need any allergy tests?
- Should I see an allergist?
- Do I need to carry epinephrine?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment if 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:
- How soon after eating do symptoms appear?
- Do symptoms seem to be related to a specific food?
- In the case of an infant, what solid foods have you introduced to your baby?
- Have you recently introduced a new food to your baby's diet?
- Did anyone else get sick from eating the same food?
- How much of a suspected allergy-causing food was eaten?
- What other foods were eaten at or around the same time as the food you suspect as the cause of allergic reactions?
- Inomata N. Wheat allergy. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2009;9:238.
- Nelsen DA, Jr. Gluten-sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease): More common than you think. American Family Physician. 2002;66:2259.
- Berni Canani R, et al. The diagnosis of food allergy in children. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2008;20:584.
- Tips to remember: What is anaphylaxis? American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatisanaphylaxis.stm. Accessed May 15, 2009.
- Kurowski K, et al. Food allergies: Detection and management. American Family Physician. 2008;77:1678.
- Wheat allergy. Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=519. Accessed May 15, 2009.
- Wheat — One of the nine most common food allergens. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/wheblee.shtml. Accessed May 21, 2009.
- Pourpak Z, et al. Which cereal is a suitable substitute for wheat in children with wheat allergy? Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. 2005;16:262.
- Morita E, et al. Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Journal of Dermatological Science. 2007;47:109.
- Brant A. Baker's asthma. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2007;7:152.
- Food allergy: An overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/PDF/foodallergy.htm. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- Tips to remember: Food allergy. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/foodallergy.stm. Accessed May 15, 2009.
