Winter can bring many incidents that may cause you to miss an immunotherapy appointment. Perhaps you were visiting family for the holidays or New Year’s Eve, and you were unable to make an appointment. Or maybe flu season caught up with you this year, and illness obliged you to stay at home. Staying on top of allergy shots is crucial, so let’s discuss what to do if you miss a dose.
Why Staying on Schedule Is So Important
In the middle of winter, allergy season feels far away, and it’s easy to forget or minimize the severity of your allergies when you’re not in the thick of them. However, falling behind in your immunotherapy regimen can have ripple effects that come back to haunt you once allergy season returns.
This is especially true if you’re in the build-up phase of immunotherapy. At this stage, your dosage is being steadily increased until you reach the maximum dosage needed, at which point the maintenance phase begins. Missing a build-up dose makes it take even longer to reach the maintenance phase.
That’s not to say that consistency is less important during the maintenance phase. This is the phase where most people start feeling the most significant strides in relief from allergy symptoms; don’t backtrack on all the great progress you’ve made.
Keeping Up with Allergy Shots
Consult your calendar when making appointments for immunotherapy. If you know ahead of time that you’ll be away from home, set your appointments up accordingly. It’s much easier to proactively schedule an appointment a few days after your normal routine than it is to reschedule an already-set appointment.
In the event of missing an appointment due to unforeseen circumstances, such as sickness, call your allergist to reschedule the appointment right away. The sooner your allergist is made aware of a potential schedule change, the sooner they can react to the change if necessary, such as adjusting the dosage you need at your next appointment.
If you’re feeling unmotivated during the long, cold winter months, keep your head up! As mentioned above, it’s easy to forget how miserable allergy season can be when it’s months away from you, but remember the reason you’re undergoing immunotherapy and how it’s worth it to continue.
If you have any questions about a missed dosage for your allergy shots, speak to our allergists. We want your immunotherapy regimen to be successful and set you up for long-lasting allergy relief. Call Willamette ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery today to learn more.
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