Flu Shot Testing

Carter finally went for his flu shot testing appointment and even though he is highly allergic to eggs, he was able to successfully receive the flu shot. It ended up being a long day for us though. When we got to the office we were told that they didn't have flu zone available yet, which is for children four and under. My poor son had been off all his allergy medicine for over a week because of this testing. No vaccine, no testing. I left feeling disappointed because we wanted to get him the flu shot as soon as possible and now they said it could be days or weeks. With one phone call to my pediatrician's office I was able to obtain the vaccine myself. I brought it to the allergist's office and he was then tested. They pricked his back with the vaccine, antihistamine, egg and one other. Of course the egg swelled up, but luckily the spot where the vaccine was didn't show much sign of irritation. He was then able to get a full dose at once and we had to wait around for about a half an hour or so. If his back had shown serious signs of irritation, they would have given him a little at a time over a couple of hours. We feel much better now knowing that he is protected and will most likely be able to get the swine flu vaccine. They do want to skin test him again for that one though, just to be sure. If your child has an egg allergy and needs the flu shot, ask an allergist about the testing. It was painless, just itchy. Maybe one day they will make the shots safe for all egg allergic patients without worry!