No, We Can’t Have Pet Mice
Here’s the latest on Rob’s allergy issues…
He had a scan of his head done a little while back and forgot to take his copy of the photos with him to his ENT appointment. Therefore, all the ENT doctor had to look at was the write-up from the person who did the scan. From the write-up, the ENT doc decided Rob probably didn’t need surgery. However, Rob later dropped his photos by and the doc was able to examine them for a better analysis. He received a phone call from the ENT office saying he will most likely need surgery after all. Dang!
But the next step was allergy testing.
Probably many of you know what that involves but for those of you who don’t, here’s an idea…
Last night I had to shave 3 sections of Rob’s arms. Both of his under forearms from his wrists to his elbows and one upper arm on the outside from shoulder to elbow. Classy!
Then, Rob had to hang out at the allergy testing place for about 2 hours while they did several series of tests, waited for results, and repeated, and repeated.
Here are the testing instruments…
And here is where the tests were performed…
Lots of pricks and lots of whelps! Apparently they do about 8 pricks at a time and each needle has an allergen on it. If the pricked area whelps, they measure the size of the whelp after a certain amount of time, and that determines your sensitivity to that specific allergen. So notice all of Rob’s whelps?! That’s because he proved to have lots of allergies. In fact, he had an allergy to EVERY SINGLE test…except for mice. 
And here’s what Rob’s arms still looked like after he got home. How about that snazzy sleeveless shirt, eh? Hehe…he only wore it due to testing purposes.
Poor guy said he had to wait for the reactions to occur and the itch and burn factor was pretty intense. Thankfully, they hooked him up with some kind of itch cream before he went home that offered good relief.
Way to be a champion, Rob!
And for those of you who care to see proof…
While he was there, he asked if it was normal for people to test positive for basically everything. Yes, it happens…but no, it’s definitely not common. He also asked about why he sometimes seems to be more allergic to animals than other times. They confirmed his theory that if he is around more than one allergen about the same time, his symptoms can be heightened. For example, if he’s been mowing the lawn outside and then spends time in a home with a pet, he is more likely to be bothered by the pet’s dander than if he were to just spend time around the pet. But then again sometimes, he is just plain bothered by the dander anyway.
And no, Rob, that doesn’t mean we can have pet mice
Oh yeah, and so what’s the next step for Rob and his many allergies? He goes back to his ENT on Monday to discuss that. Before, he told him he could either have nasal drops or allergy shots. However, because the drops are not yet approved by the FDA, our insurance won’t cover it. So it sounds like allergy shots are in his future. I’ll keep you posted.
July 7, 2010
2 Comments
2 Responses
SHARON SHELTON - July 9, 2010
DAD SAYS, MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT ALERGIC TO OU FOOTBALL OR PIZZA AND YOU WILL BE OK.
sarah - July 9, 2010
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