Last Friday, I was given the opportunity to experience the fun joy that is rodent control testing. I was tested for grass, mold, trees, cats, dogs, cockroaches and dust mites. I didn’t react to the grass testing – so I’m not allergic to grass. I am allergic to everything else, with allergies that are strongest to trees and molds. Especially Elm and one of the Maple trees. I was stuck with serum a total of 39 times on my left arm and 28 times on my right, for a grand total of 67 pin pricks of serum.
Days later, my left arm still itches. Bad. I want to scratch it all the time. At work yesterday, it took all the energy I had to think about something other than scratching it – even while I was knee deep in a project that took a lot of focus, I still wanted to stop and scratch my arm. I’m using Benadryl ointment constantly and taking Allegra, and it still itches.
The creepy part? The one that is still red and inflammed is the cockroach test! Ewww! Seems that they shed their exoskeleton and people are allergic to it. Good thing my apartment is roach free thanks to my Pest Control Company! There are quite a few wildlife removal companies in Cary, North Carolina. Of them all, the highest rated is Triangle Wildlife Removal Cary NC. They are fully licensed and insured and have been servicing Cary for over 20 years. Services offered are bat removal, raccoon control, flying squirrel trapping and attic restoration.
Now if only I would stop itching.
14 replies on “Scratch, Scratch, Scratch…”
Eww! A cockroach test? That’s just foul! Who knew all that went on in an allergy test?
Allergy testing is the worst. I’ve gone through it twice in my life… and I certainly hope to never have to do it again. I hope you stop itching soon.
Ugh! I hate, hate hate, hate allergy tests.
Last time (everytime I switch ENTs they do a new test) I told them, “I’m very allergic to grass, keep that one away from my joint,” and they didn’t. I couldn’t bend my elbow for four days, it had swollen up so badly.
I feel for you!
After allergy testing, I always have to go wrap the entire area with that non-cling first aid gauze. It feels so gross to touch it prevents me from itching (and the slight pressure makes me feel like my arms are a normal size).
why did you have to go through all that? what made you take an allergy test? did you think were developing other allergies in addition to the ones you already had (?) ???
i’m just asking because i’ve never had one… don’t know why i should have one.
I hope your itchiness goes away soon!! How aggravating!
The cockroach thing sort of heebed me out! Ew!
Have you tested everything or there are other stuffs to be tested on you to increase your allergies list?
😉
There are other allergy tests that they can do – especially for food allergies. We are not doing those at this time though.
I had allergy testing done because every year I have sinus problems – and any time I end up congested from allergies, I then end up with a sinus infection – or this last time I ended up with tonsillitus. I’ve had swollen glands most of the fall & winter too and my doctor suspected it is also due to allergies. Now that we have tested me and found out what my allergies are, they will mix me up a special serum just for me and I will go in once a week for injections. This will help me build up immunities to my allergies – hopefully preventing the sinus infections and tonsillitus of my past.
My General Practitioner doctor just gave me Claritin constantly to fight my allergies, without ever testing to see what they were. I went to an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist for my tonsillitus though, and he is the one that recommended it (I’ve always wondered why no one did it in the past). Now we know what we’re fighting, we can fight it better.
Ugh, those tests are no fun at all – I feel for you! I had one done a few years ago but the specialist doing the tests discovered that my skin is so sensitive it reacts to just the scratch on the skin – I got welts and swelling before they even added any allergens! :p
I just had a blood test earlier this week for allergies, waiting on the results today. I get the same sinus problems as you, sinus demons suck don’t they?!
Hope the desensitization works and you can beat those allergies! 🙂
Ick! I hate allergy testing. I was tested for about 85 things last March. They did my testing on my back because there was so many. I hated it. My mom was with me and I had her take a pic of my back so I could see what it looked like (I’m the curious type *g*) and it was all red and blotchy. Only 5 minutes after getting the scratches, the nurse came back in and told me they could give me some allegra now because I had seriously reacted to EVERYTHING – food, plants, animals, you name it – they tested me for.
I go for shots once a week and I get a total of three shots. Every week since March and I have to admit, I’m feeling 100x better than I was before I started my shots. I was real bad, like getting serious sinus infections several times a year and having allergy-induced asthma. I’ve only had to use my inhaler once since I started so I think it was all worth it!
I also have itchy arms
I want to make a post!!!!!!!!
Dear who ever gets this message,please help me find the web-site that I use to visit, It was Bigpinkcookie, it was about people who had bad itching problems on their forearms, that was quite intense, and could keep you awake for hours……… I had this last year and its went on for months. and then one day. it stopped!!!!!!!!Well this is months later and it is kind of starting to come and go; This is so difficult to live with… If you can help me, please get in touch, you have my e_mail when I mail this, I hope.. God Bless and take care….sleep softly……..JoAnn mrbill1125@aol.com
My arms started itching a few years ago just after completing a swim of the Tennessee river. I thought it was a parasite I picked up in the river. Like everyone else, I tried everything to cure it…I found steroids to make it worse, ICE to make it better. One day in desperation, I went to a tanning bed. (When I was young a neighbor had a skin disorder and had to go to tanning beds everyday) It helped. Two visits and whatever was itching stopped. I started going once every week or two and was itch free for a year. Since I hate the whole concept of tanning beds and preached for ten years to my daughters about the evils of tanning beds, I stopped going. Now the itchy arms are back and even though I’ve been to the tanning bed twice, am still having the itch. I don’t want to go back to the scarred, ugly arms I once had. I too found ice helps and in desperation, am tempted to try dry ice. I have brown hair and brown eyes. The sun may be a trigger but I can’t figure how if the sun is the trigger, why would the tanning bed help? My itch is contained in the elbow area, approx. three inches about and below and can be torturous! mimi