Allow about an hour. Most of it is talking.
In allergy and respiratory medicine the story is more diagnostic than the test. The consultation is the longest part of the visit, and it is deliberately so.
What to expect
- Allow about an hour. Most of it is talking, because the story tells more than the test does.
- Bring every medicine and inhaler you use, and any earlier reports, scans or blood tests.
- If allergy testing is likely, stop antihistamines five days before — including those hidden in cold and cough remedies. Everything else continues.
- Wear sleeves that roll up. Skin prick testing is done on the forearm.
Two things to get right
Stop
Antihistamines, for five days. Cetirizine, levocetirizine, fexofenadine, loratadine and the rest — including the ones hidden inside cold and cough combinations like Sinarest, D-Cold and Cheston Cold, and most cough syrups. The full list is on the allergy testing page.
Do not stop anything else. Inhalers, nasal sprays, montelukast and every medicine for any other condition continue exactly as normal. If you cannot stop antihistamines — severe hives is the usual reason — tell us when booking and we will plan blood testing instead.
Bring
- Your actual medicine strips and boxes — more accurate than a remembered name
- Every inhaler device you use, so technique can be checked on the real thing
- Previous reports — allergy or IgE testing, chest X-rays, CT scans, spirometry, blood counts
- A photograph of any rash or swelling taken when it was at its worst — hives almost never appear on the day of the appointment
- The packaging of any suspected food, if a food reaction is the reason for the visit
- For a child — growth and feeding history, and the immunisation record
- Sleeves that roll up — skin prick testing is done on the forearm
What happens, in order
- 5 min
Registration
Basic details and a short symptom questionnaire while you wait.
- 25–30 min
History — the longest part
Symptoms, timing, triggers, home and workplace, family history, what has been tried and what happened. This is where the diagnosis is usually made.
- 5–10 min
Examination
Nose, throat, chest and skin.
- 20 min
Testing, where indicated
Skin prick testing applied and read while you wait; spirometry where the chest is involved; blood drawn if specific IgE testing is needed.
- 10 min
Results and plan, in the same visit
Results are measured, explained and written down with you in the room. You are not sent a report to interpret alone.
Come prepared
The questions you will be asked
Published here so you can think about them in advance — the answers are genuinely more useful than the test.
- When did it start, and has it changed since?
- Which months are worst? Is it better or worse on holiday, or when you travel?
- Which rooms, and what time of day? Worse on waking, or at night?
- What do you cook on — LPG, or biomass? Is there a chimney or exhaust?
- Do you burn incense, dhoop or mosquito coils indoors, and how often?
- Is there damp, seepage or visible mould, and did it worsen after the monsoon?
- Air conditioner or air cooler in the bedroom? When was the filter last cleaned?
- Carpets, heavy curtains, soft toys, or a mattress more than eight years old?
- Pets — and do they come into the bedroom?
- Construction, traffic or industry near home or work? What is the dust exposure at work?
- Does anyone smoke in the house or the car?
- What have you already taken, at what dose, for how long — and did it help?
Ask us
Questions worth asking
- What is the most likely cause of my symptoms, and what else could it be?
- Do I need allergy testing, and which tests specifically — and why those?
- What will change if the test is positive? What if it is negative?
- Is immunotherapy an option for me, and what would it involve?
- How do I manage this alongside my other conditions and medicines?
- What emergency symptoms should my family know to watch for?
Afterwards
What you leave with
A written diagnosis, your test results with an interpretation rather than just numbers, and a written treatment plan. Where relevant that includes a written asthma action plan, an anaphylaxis emergency plan, an adrenaline auto-injector prescription with a demonstration of how to use it, and inhaler technique checked on your own device.
You also leave with a follow-up date and — with your permission — a letter to your family physician or referring specialist.