We will book up to 1 1/2 hours for your visit.
Frequent cancellations lead to increasing waiting lists. Please inform us 24 hours before any appointment changes. If we are not contacted by that time a cancellation fee of up to $50 may be charged.
Allergy patients require skin testing. To ensure accurate results, please follow these instructions:
STOP all medications containing antihistamines (pills for hayfever, colds, etc.) 2-3 days prior to your appointment. If you feel that this is too long to go without, please contact my office as we may be able to suggest an alternative.
DO NOT STOP any medications you are taking for asthma, heart conditions or blood pressure. Please bring a list of all current medications (including over the counter and herbal remedies), dosages and which puffers you take.
DO NOT STOP nasal sprays or eye drops.
If you have been on allergy shots, it would be helpful if you could bring your serum and dosage schedule with you.
Please wear short or loose sleeves to make skin testing easier. Avoid placing cream on your arms that day, and please refrain from wearing heavy scents and perfumes.
ALWAYS BRING your ONTARIO HEALTH CARD with you (Government rules MANDATE this).
There have been many advances in skin testing in the past few years, and it is now possible to perform skin testing easily in both children and adults. Skin tests are simple pin pricks on the arm usually causing very little, if any, discomfort and are generally well-tolerated by patients.
To briefly describe the procedure, a drop of allergen is placed on the skin and then lightly pricked. We then wait 10 minutes to see if the spot becomes itchy and measure it. With specialized testing, for example insect or penicillin testing, small injections under the skin are required.
Patch tests are performed by placing a collection of topical allergens against your back. A second appointment is booked 48 hours later to remove the tests. You cannot get them wet in the intervening time frame.
There is a nominal charge for parking. You do need to submit your License Plate number as there is no slip to place on your vehicle's dash.
All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.