 Asthma & Allergy Patient Information
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Overview
This section is intended to be a source of reliable and interesting information to our patients and the general public. We have tried, in particular, to give a good overview of many of the diseases we treat in our specialty and answer many of the questions we are frequently asked. We have attempted to avoid controversy and present information in a balanced and scientifically-sound manner. However, many areas of allergy, and, indeed, of medicine in general, are constantly evolving with new research ideas and findings. If you have questions about the information presented here, please speak to your physician, who should always be the ultimate source of information for you. Also, allergic and respiratory disease is very complex and can not be safely managed solely with information from the internet or any third party. Please allow your physician to guide you.
What is a Board Certified Allergist?
An Allergist who has been certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, has met the following requirements: graduation from an accredited medical school, passage of national medical board exams, completion of training in either Internal Medicine or Pediatrics, passage of board exams in either Internal Medicine or Pediatrics, completion of at least two years of subspecialty training in allergy and immunology at an accredited program, and finally passage of the exam administered by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, which is a conjoint board exam sponsored by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics and a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. A Board Certified Allergist has met the highest standards of training and testing.
Adults and children can be tested for allergies
The first method of allergy testing is called "scratch" or "prick"  testing. This is the "gold" standard for allergy testing. Common allergy extracts like grass, tree, mold, dust mite, weed and animal dander are gently applied to a patients forearms or back by gently touching the skin with a small disposable "toothpick" like device. Depending on the age of the patient or quantity of tests ordered by the physician the forearms or back are used for skin testing. If you are allergic redness, itching and swelling will develop at the test site. Skin tests are read after 15 minutes. The second method of allergy testing is called intradermals or "under the skin". After the scratch tests have been read any of the items that you are NOT allergic to will be repeated via intradermals at a higher concentration. There are no intradermals for food testing. If you are allergic after 15 minutes redness, itching and swelling will develop at the test site. After the skin testing your physician will sit down with you and discuss your allergies and a treatment plan.
These initial visits allow us to carefully diagnose your problem and recommend a course of treatment.
We ask that you not wear any perfumes or strong scented lotions or after-shave to our office. These sometimes cause asthma symptoms in our asthmatic patients in the reception area.
What should I bring with me?
Please bring appropriate past medical records, a list of your current medications or the actual medications, a list of questions, and, for HMO patients, PLEASE do not forget your referral. Unfortunately, we cannot see HMO patients without appropriate referrals, so if you are not sure of your referral status, please check with your insurance carrier and primary care provider prior to visits.
What medications should I stop using?
If you are coming for a first visit or a visit that involves allergy testing, you will need to be off all antihistamines for 72 hours. Examples of antihistamines include the prescription Clarinex and Astelin, as well as over-the-counter medications such as Benadryl. Also, antihistamine eye drops, such as Patanol and Livostin have the potential to block allergy testing and should be stopped for 72 hours, as well. Please note that nasal sprays (aside from Astelin) and asthma medications do not need to be stopped. If you are unsure about your medications please ask receptionists when you call to make your appointment.
What insurance plans are accepted?
We accept a very wide range of insurance carriers. Please check with your insurance carrier prior to your appointment date for covered services.
Doctors Schedules
We see patients by scheduled appointments. If you are ill, we will
make a sincere effort to see you as soon as possible. Every attempt
will be made to schedule you with the doctor you request. However,
if the physician is out of the office that day or has a very busy
schedule, you may be offered an appointment with one of the
other physicians. Please keep in mind that our physicians work
at four sites, so you may need to travel to a different location
if you are added onto the schedule.
Our doctors make every effort to remain on schedule. However,
emergencies can occur which may cause delays. If the doctor is
running significantly behind schedule, we will make every effort
to inform you and keep you posted on the doctor’s progress.
Please schedule elective appointments 3-4 weeks in advance.
This will allow us the opportunity of offering you the office
appointment time and location most convenient for you.
Cancellation of Appointments
We work hard to accommodate the scheduling needs of our
patients in a timely fashion. Therefore, if you need to cancel
an appointment, we ask that you call us with at least a 24 hour
notice so that we may fill your appointment slot with another
patient who is waiting.
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Telephone Calls
Many diseases have similar signs and symptoms. For this reason, most
requests for treatment require an office appointment for evaluation.
The non emergency nurse message line is the most efficient way to have
your questions and prescription requests addressed. We make every
effort to respond to questions within 24 hours. To ensure accuracy
regarding your questions and requests, we often order your chart for
review. Charts may be located at off-site locations and can take up to
24 hours to retrieve. Once the physician has reviewed your question,
a nurse will call you back with the reply. Please also remember that
the office is closed on Sundays. If there is an urgent issue during or
after office hours, please call 630 469 9200 (main clinic switchboard)
and inform the operator that you have a concern that is urgent.
The physician on call will be paged to address your concerns.
For all recorded messages, please leave the following information:
- Your name spelled correctly
- The patients name you are calling about spelled correctly
- Date of birth
- Contact telephone numbers
- Pharmacy phone numbers
- Current list of medical & dosage
- Medication name being requested
- Any known medication allergies
Prescription Refills
Prescription refills will be addressed within 72 hours. No refills will
be given after hours. Messages from the nurse line are answered 9 am
to 4 pm Monday through Friday and 8 am to 11 am on Saturdays.
Request for prescription refills will NOT be honored if a physician
evaluation has not been completed within the previous 6-12 months.
Urgent Matters
Please call 630 545 7833 in case of an urgent matter.
Allergy, Asthma, and the Internet (Helpful Links)
The internet is a great resource for asthma and allergy sufferers. The biggest pitfall, however, is that information on the internet, especially newsgroups, is entirely unregulated. The following is a list of useful, authoritative web sites and 800 numbers that may be useful to you. Keep in mind that information changes every day and different medical authorities may not agree. Please depend on your allergist as your ultimate source of reliable information.
www.aaaai.org - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: this is one of the two major allergy societies, look in the public resource center for good information. Also, there are lots of good links, such as the National Allergy Bureau 1 800 9POLLEN (seasonal allergies), 1 877 9ACHOO (year-round allergies).
www.aanma.org - Asthma and Allergy Network/Mothers of Asthmatics 1 800 878-4403. This is a good site for patient and family information about a wide range of topics.
www.foodallergy.org - Food allergy network 1 800 929-4040. This is THE organization for patients and families with food allergies. They have a very broad range of resources about food allergies.
www.primaryimmune.org - Immune Deficiency Foundation 1 800 296-4433. This is THE organization for patients and families with primary immunodeficiency diseases, with a broad range of resources.
www.lungusa.org - The American Lung Association. This site has useful information about asthma and other lung diseases.
www.nih.gov/health - The National Institutes of Health. This is a very broad site with a huge amount of information about many diseases, both allergic and non-allergic.
www.njc.org - The National Jewish Medical and Research Center. 1 800 222-LUNG. This site has lots of useful information for patients with asthma and allergies, especially asthma.
www.medicalert.com and www.medicalidtags.com - These are two different companies that offer identification tags that can alert emergency personnel about your medical conditions. We highly recommend identification tags, especially for people who have a history of anaphylaxis to foods or insect bites.
www.epipen.com - Information on how to use your EpiPen.
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