10/16/201908/10/2020 admin

Intake Appointment

TIP, Travel

I am excited to share our journey to #foodfreedom with you from traveling to appointments to dosing at home. I hope this information is helpful to you! #SoAllergicTIPs

Joining the Waitlist

We joined the waitlist December 30, 2018 and reached the top September 13, 2019. The expected wait time was one year but we got through pretty quick. Now, the wait time is at about 2 years so I’d say join the waitlist if you are considering the SCFAI.

Preparing for the Appointment

Once you reach the top of the waitlist, you will get an email with instructions on what to do next. You cannot book your first appointment until you complete the orientation and payment tasks. These tasks are time sensitive so if you are unsure or have questions about anything then contact the clinic so you don’t lose your spot.

Once I booked my appointment, I contacted my insurance to see if the treatment is covered. The SCFAI website has a page dedicated to the costs here. On the bottom of the page, is a link to the billing codes for each procedure. Talk to your insurance ahead of time to figure out what you are responsible for and what you might need a preauthorization for. For instance, the Foundation Labs is not covered in network for most insurances. The billing department at the lab worked with me to get a preauthorization but I called the insurance to find out how to get the ball rolling. So, even though I needed to start the preauthorization process 15 days prior to getting bloodwork done, I was able to get the authorization 5 days prior to the appointment. Stay on top of it and be consistent with calling and emailing.

Travel Itinerary

Our appointment was for Monday afternoon. We flew to LAX Saturday afternoon and spent Sunday exploring beaches and enjoying the warm weather. The toughest part for us was being off of antihistamines for 7 days prior to the appointment. The weather was changing to rapidly in Chicago and the summer to fall change always causes Musa’s environmental allergies to act up. So, I would have ideally flown in Sunday night, had the appointment Monday and spent Tuesday exploring.

We stayed at the Hyatt House in Cypress/Anaheim. The room had a kitchenette with fridge/freezer, stovetop, sink and microwaves. Rooms with ovens were available upon request. It was clean and quiet. Although, I found out later that pets are allowed. So, if that is an allergen then double check with the hotels prior to booking.

We made a quick stop at the local Vons to checkout what allergy friendly foods were available for future appointments. We found Daiya pizza, Vans frozen waffles, Saffron Road frozen meals, all kinds of dairy free milks and yogurts, and plenty of snacks. There was a Whole Foods nearby which we didn’t get a chance to stop in to but I know that you can call them and have them check on product availability so thats always an option.

Appointment

The appointment took about 2.5 hours total. This included a skin prick test, consultation with the doctor and a blood draw across the street at the Foundation Labs.

I didn’t tell Musa what was going to be done at the appointment until the morning of because he hates skin prick tests and blood draws. I didn’t want him to be anxious the entire trip or be reluctant to even come to California. He didn’t take it well and cried for sometime before we could go ahead with the skin prick. The nurses were very kind, though, and two of them did the tests together so Musa felt the prick for 34 foods altogether at once. We then waited 10 minutes before the measurements were taken.

After the skin prick test, the doctor came to speak with us about Musa’s health history, prior anaphylactic reactions and monthly food intake. This took about another 30-45 minutes. At this point, we were able to ask the doctor any questions we had.

Lastly, we went across the street to Foundations Lab for the blood draw. It took about 15 minutes to checked in and blood drawn.

Overall, this is more of an intake appointment where data is being collected. You will get a copy of the skin prick test results to take home with you. It’s interesting to see what caused a reaction and what did not. Still, you should not change or add anything in your child’s diet based on the skin prick test.

Now we have to wait 10 weeks so until the end of December to get our result. The clinic takes into account those that are from out of town. So, we will get a call about our results and treatment plan prior to making a second appointment. This is to ensure that we can maximize our time at clinic without prolonging our plan.

Recommendations

I would highly recommend writing out a few notes for yourself before the appointment. The doctor will ask about past reactions, what you did, if an epipen was administered, what other medications were given and how long recovery took. There is so much going on during the first appointment so it’s nice to be prepared and know you gave all the information as completely as possible. I feel like I would have forgotten some details on the spot and with a 1 year old running around.

Similarly, you want to be thorough when you complete the food intake form that you are emailed when you join the top of the waitlist. The doctor prints it out to confirm the information and make changes. It’s just better to know that the form was as accurate as possible so you don’t need to make too many changes.

There is street parking around the clinic which is free. However, if you park in the lot it’s $5 cash only. If you’re like me and never have cash on you now you know. You can pay inside the lobby of the Foundation Labs building.