Your allergies are an annual affair; your allergy care should be, as well. Planning an annual allergy care check-up helps ensure your symptoms stay under control and that your treatment plan remains appropriate for your health and environment. It’s a time to address anything that might not be working and make any needed changes to your plans.
Track Your Symptoms and Triggers
We’ve recommended before that you keep a symptom journal to track any symptoms and triggers. Knowing the allergy symptoms that plague you most often helps determine which medications will be most effective, and watching for triggers can help you avoid them in the future.
More importantly, symptom journals like this can help you catch onto changes much faster. Sometimes a flare-up might seem random, but noting it down helps you remember that one-off and fit it into what may be a larger pattern.
Note Any Environmental Changes
Have you moved, changed soap brands, gotten a new job or taken up a new hobby lately? Did that change happen to coincide with any changes to your allergy symptoms? These are things to write down in that symptom journal and bring up with your allergist.
Review Your Current Medications
Make a list of any and all medications and treatments you’re currently using to treat your allergy symptoms, whether you take them every day or only use them during a flare-up. This might include:
- Over-the-counter medications
- Prescription medications
- Nasal sprays
- Eye drops
- Topical creams
Make a note on how effective you think each treatment is and any potential side effects.
Gather All Your Past Records
Before your appointment, it’s helpful to gather all previous records, test results and other documents related to your allergy treatment. This is especially helpful if any of these records or tests were done with a different provider.
Prepare Questions for Your Allergist
We want to make sure you feel informed about and confident in your allergy management plan, so we encourage you to ask any questions you have. Some topics you might prepare questions for include your symptoms, medications, immunotherapy options and emergency plans.
The end of the year is a great time for an allergy management plan review, as seasonal allergies are ebbing away and we have time to build a strategy that will have you armed and ready for spring when it arrives. Call us today to schedule your appointment.
Learn More
“I have been going to Willamette ENT on and off for most of my life. The staff is always so friendly, and the doctors and nurses show a lot of care and compassion!”