My Allergy Journey, Part II: This Arm is On Fire

 Nestled in a narrow building on East 75th Street between First and York Avenues in Manhattan's Upper East Side is the New York office of Latitude, where a claimed 92% of its clients have been successfully treated for food allergies. I hope to become one of the 92%. 

On the day of my first appointment, I took the NJ Transit train from Edison to Penn Station, walked down 34th Street to Fifth Ave, hopped on a Q train for my first ride on the recently opened 2nd Ave subway. I got out at 72nd Street and walked up to the office. 

Inside, I was immediately greeted in the gleaming, clean office by a friendly receptionist and given a quick tour before being escorted into the exam room where I would be for the next 90 minutes or so. I had my vital signs taken by a nurse, then met with Dr. Brian Novick. He explained how the exam would go and what to expect. We spoke about my allergy history and I told him about my top three worst reactions that I could remember. These were incidents where I trusted the source of my food but found out later that I had consumed Walnuts in one case, Hazlenuts in another, and a mystery allergen that made me suspicious of Indian food for years to come.

After our chat, another nurse came in and gave me a scratch test: We identified ten allergens and got a skin prick with a small amount of the things I suspected I was allergic to. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal but after about ten minutes, I felt a burning sensation up and down my arm, and could see red spots and welts developing on some of the scratch locations. Every few minutes either the doctor or nurse checked in to see how I was doing. My arm was on fire!

This went on for about twenty minutes, after which, mercifally, my arm was wiped clean and sprayed with an antihistimine spray. Relief!

We then did a blood test, which is done to confirm the results of the scratch test. The scratch test results were surprising. Several nuts scored much lower than expected, meaning I either had no allergy or less severe ones. Brazil Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, Pecans, and (most surprisingly) Hazelnuts scored low. Did this mean I could eat them? No, but I might be eligible for "food challenges.

More about what that means in the next installment.

Street Photos

Since my allergy treatments will be taking place in New York, that means I'll have some limited opportunities to do street photography on my way to and from my appointments. 

Here are some that I shot before and after my first appointment.