What exactly do they do in an allergy test?
Sarah M asked:
What EXACTLY do they do in an allergy test?
Does it hurt? How much? Can you compare it to someting else? Is having one fun?
Where do they put the needles? Whats a prick? Whats the difference between an allergy test and a prick test? Whats a skin test?
- HELP!
Another question – What part of your arm do you have to break to get a cast all the way to your shoulder?
NOTE LOOK HERE- sorry if its too long but please try to answer all of the questions! Thanks!
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When I had an allergy test done the nurse put these small needles in
my back. Each needle had something I might be allergic to.
It didn’t hurt I just felt itching afterwords.
There are different test they can do to test for allergies. One of them being a skin prick test so I don’t know what you are referring to when you ask what is the difference between an allergy test and a prick test because a prick test is a form of allergy test. But in a prick test they prick you with needles on your back with drops of different solutions containing allergens and then they wait a few minutes and note which ones have rashes and itch. For me one really itched and it was because I was really allergic to that allergen, but another one just had the rash. Because of this they then did a second test on my arm to double check the test with the same procedure. The pricks don’t hurt though, but it is tough to not itch your back if one of them itches as bad as mine did!
I don’t know what you are referring to when you say skin test. And I have no idea about breaking your arm and I hope you are not planning on breaking your arm so you can wear a cast because that is a really stupid idea! Otherwise I hope this helps.
Okay, I’ll answer these in the order you asked them..hehe
- There are a couple different tests they can do, but it sounds like you would be getting the prick test. Depending on how many different allergen components they are testing for, they bring in a little plate things with little jars containing allergens. Then they take this tiny little needle and take samples of the allergens and poke them into your arm.
-The needles don’t go very deep into the skin, just enough to feel uncomfortable. The needles are also very thin, and very pointed, and it depends on your tolerance level of pain, but no, it doesn’t hurt!
- Doesn’t hurt that much! It’s different than a shot. Shots go deeper into the arm. The needles they use just go right underneath the skin.
-I’d compare it to someone poking you lightly with the end of a paperclip. It doesn’t hurt. Just don’t think about it, talk about something else, and you probably won’t even feel it at all.
-I wouldn’t call it fun, but it’s no big deal. =)
-They put the little needles barely into the skin, on the back of your arm or arms .(I read an answer before mine where they were in the spine, but that rarely happens)
- The ‘prick’ they’re referring to is like, well, have you ever bumped into a cactus on accident? It’s like you feel a slight pinch, then nothing. Kind of like a static shock- stuns you if you’re not expecting it, but is gone in less than a second.
-The prick test is one type of allergy test. Another type of test they can do is to put the allergens from the teeny jars directly on top of the skin with a Q-Tip. My allergist called this the ‘scratch test’.
-A skin test just refers to the fact that they would be testing your body’s reaction by what happens on your skin.
Not so sure about the cast, though! Sorry!
So really it’s no big deal!
Hope that helped some!
Oh, and a tip for getting shots (not this, but if you ever get a flu shot or something)- Always leave your arm limp like a noodle! You don’t feel nearly as much pain as you would with a tense arm.