Food Allergy Living Blog Tagged Results

Do you have a doctor’s visit coming up and wondering what to expect? Whether it be a well visit, a sick visit, or a visit to a specialist that you’ve been waiting to see, it’s always good to go prepared and know what to expect as best as you can.

Before your visit

The first thing that always comes to my mind when going to see a new doctor is all the paper work that must be filled out before the exam. This usually requires arriving early and taking 15-20 minutes to complete all the forms. If you’re anything like me after having my little one, arriving on time – let alone early – is a challenge within itself. It can also be hard to keep your little one entertained and sitting quietly while you fill out all the paper work. Some pediatric offices are making their required forms available online to download and complete before you get there which is a big help. If your doctor’s office does not have this available, call and ask if they can mail the paper work to you ahead of time.

Another helpful thing to do before your visit is to write down all those questions that you’ve been thinking of to ask the physician. It’s easy to get distracted and conversations can easily go down one particular path, especially when dealing with food allergies. The topic of most visits would probably be just that – food allergies, but what about those other questions that you had, like sleeping issues, or maybe a behavioral issue. If you write down your questions you’ll be sure to leave with all of your answers.

If possible try to bring your significant other, grandparent, or close family friend to the visit with you. It’s always good to have an extra pair of hands if your infant starts crying, or your toddler starts to misbehave. It’s also good just to have a second set of ears to listen so you don’t miss anything.

During your visit

As with most doctor visits, a weight and height check is always to be expected along with listening to heart and lungs, maybe checking ears and asking about what’s been happening since your last visit. Most pediatric doctors are also interested in hearing about your child’s developmental skills, like can your infant sit up, or can your toddler stack blocks.

Now is your opportunity to ask all those questions that you have written down. Don’t be nervous to ask what you think is a dumb question; a good doctor will hear anything and be happy to answer. If not, you may want to think about switching doctors. If it’s something that worries you, ask – no question is too minor. And if you need clarification on a question that has been answered at a previous visit or even at the beginning of this visit, it’s always best to ask again so you are not left guessing. Also, you may want to have the doctor write down what they are recommending so you don’t forget when you get home.

After your visit

If a follow-up visit is necessary, try to schedule it before you leave the office. This can save you time and help get you in with less of a wait.

If you have visited a specialist, follow-up with your pediatrician to make sure your specialist relates all of their findings back.

What other tips/hints have you discovered to help get yourself prepared for doctor visits? Would love to hear about them.

- Sarah

Earlier this week, I ran across this article from UPI, “Physicians lack food allergies knowledge.” The article talks about a study led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Dr. Gupta and her team interviewed 400 pediatricians and family doctors and found that many of them held misconceptions about food allergies. Many even self-reported that they weren’t comfortable with diagnosis and treatment of food allergies.

Here at Nutricia we, of course, greatly value the care that physicians and other healthcare providers provide to so many food allergy families. But we’ve also heard some parents lament how long it took to get their child the right diagnosis ― and therefore, treatment.

What is your experience? Do you feel like your pediatrician “gets” your child’s food allergies? If not, what do you think the food allergy community (families, researchers/experts, support groups, non-profit organizations and companies like Nutricia) can/should do to help improve understanding of food allergies?

- Christine

Talking to you doctor isn’t always easy, but it is an important part of getting good health care - especially when you are trying to figure out what is bothering your little one and get them quickly diagnosed and treated. You want to make sure you arrive for your visit prepared with the right information and ask plenty of questions. I wanted to share a few tips that can help you get ready for your next visit to the pediatrician, GI or allergist.

1. Keep a diary of your little ones symptoms: what they are, when they started, how frequent and if certain foods or medicines make them worse.
2. Make sure they know what different formulas and medicines you have already tried and what affect they had (i.e. did they make some symptoms better and others worse?).
3. If there is a particular type of treatment (formula, medication) that you are interested in, bring information about it in case the doctor hasn’t heard of it. There are so many different options out there, and your doc may or may not be familiar with all of them.
4. Make sure that you completely understand your doctor’s explanations and instructions for new treatments. I get so many questions from parents who don’t understand their doctor’s instructions about mixing formula or transitioning onto Neocate.
5. Call ahead to see if there are any tests scheduled and how you need to prepare. For example, a lot of GI docs like to test stool samples so bringing one in with you can save some time in the waiting room!

Is there anything else that you have found helpful before visiting your doc? I know of some moms who have even taken videos and pictures so that their docs can get a better sense of their children’s symptoms. What worked for you?

-Nita