The change of the seasons may be beautiful to look at, but for people who suffer from seasonal allergies it can be difficult to appreciate the beauty of it all. The symptoms of allergies vary and can be very mild as in the sudden appearance of a rash which may require a doctor to prescribe prescription medication to treat all the way to life threateningly severe such as anaphylaxis which requires immediate attention in a hospital emergency room.
Allergies are triggered when the immune system has an over-reaction to a foreign substance, the substance may be harmless to others but for those who are allergic the immune system identifies it as harmful and sets in motion an inflammatory response. In most cases a doctor can diagnose allergies based on a careful examination of a patient’s history. However, it may be necessary to have blood tests or skin testing to confirm that the reaction is caused by an allergy.
When you have an allergic reaction treatment is typically going to be in the form of avoidance of the allergen and prescription medication. You could try and get a doctor’s office appointment, but why would you sit in a doctor’s waiting room for an hour or more when you could simply have a telemedicine video chat doctor consultation from the comfort of your own home?
It’s easy to get started, online registration with a telemedicine company takes less than twenty minutes typically and all that is required is a computer or mobile phone device to which you can download a free mobile app. You will provide medical background and health insurance information (your telemedicine video chat consultation may be covered by your insurer) as well as your chief complaint at the time and within minutes you will receive a contact list of the available doctors ready to have a face-to-face video consultation with you. You can save time and money too, most video chat doctor appointments cost less than an office visit at your doctor’s office and if your health insurance company covers your video chat consultation you will save even more.
How A Video Chat Doctor Will Treat?
The U.S. board certified doctor you have selected for your video chat consultation will have examined your medical history carefully to which the doctor will add to by asking you questions regarding your allergy history and current medical complaint(s). The doctor will also make a visual examination of you and combined with your medical history make a diagnosis.
Depending on the diagnosis the doctor will explain his or her findings and give you a treatment plan based on your diagnosis. The treatment plan may include simple instructions such as avoiding the allergen and prescribe medication, nasal sprays, antihistamines, eye drops and or prescription medications to alleviate your symptoms. The doctor will clearly outline for you what your diagnosis is, when you can expect to be feeling better and explain any follow up care you may need. You will also have the opportunity to ask the doctor any questions you may have.
If your allergic reaction is more severe the doctor will refer you to an allergy specialist in your area who will desensitize your immune system to the particular allergen causing your reaction or in the case of emergency refer you to your local hospital emergency room.
If the doctor decides that you are in need of prescription medication the doctor will call or electronically send in your prescriptions to the pharmacy of your choosing.
What Information You Will Need to Have Ready For The Doctor
As a best practice it is always good to make a list of the questions you want to ask the doctor so as not to forget anything which most people almost always do, only to have to call the doctor back, making a list can save you the bother and your doctor. You should also make a list of your chief complaints/symptoms including taking your temperature just before your video chat doctor appointment begins so you can give this information to the doctor during your face-to-face video chat consultation.
If the doctor prescribes medication for you it is good to have the pharmacy phone number and address at hand especially if the pharmacy you are requesting to have the prescription called in to is different from the pharmacy you listed in your online registration to the telemedicine company.
What Kind of Resolution Can I Expect From The Doctor
From your face-to-face video chat doctor appointment, you can expect to have an uninterrupted doctor consultation in which the doctor will visually examine you. The doctor will have intensely reviewed your health history record and combined with the information he or she receives from the consultation with you and the visual exam will make a diagnosis of your current health issue.
The doctor will then explain your diagnosis to you and present you with a treatment plan to eradicate or alleviate your allergy symptoms. At this point the doctor will ask if you have any questions regarding your diagnosis and treatment plan. The treatment plan may include avoidance of the allergen, over-the-counter (OTC) medication, nasal spray, eye drops and prescription medications. Prescription medication is completely at the discretion of the doctor’s findings and diagnosis, he or she is not obligated to prescribe prescription drugs unless it is their judgment that they are necessary to your recovery.
Additionally, if the situation should arise you can expect the doctor to refer you to a specialist in your area if he or she determines that you are in need of blood tests or allergy skin testing in order to diagnose what allergen(s) are causing your current symptoms.
