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Forum -> Children's Health -> Allergies
What to expect at allergist Dr Bar Sela
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blessedflower




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 11:22 am
I made an appointment with dr bar sela. I want to know what I can expect when I go with a 4 month old baby.
Do I need a hafnaya? I see the waiting time is a month, any idea how soon he will want to see me again? Will he do test or send me for tests?


Last edited by blessedflower on Tue, Dec 15 2020, 5:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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amother
White


 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 12:03 pm
Why don't you ask the office these questions? Every doctor does things differently.
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amother
Crimson


 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 12:05 pm
What's a hafnaya?
Typically they do testing on first appointment. If there's lot to test for they might do 2 appointments.
You wait in the office waiting room for results. So you should know right away. If testing is borderline they repeat that specific item.
Make sure that your baby doesn't get any anti allergy meds for a few days before going to your appointment. If you forget, they won't be able to test!
Hatzlacha rabba!!
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blessedflower




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 5:35 pm
My dh just said that it says on the appointment confirmation that all appointments now are over the phone What can't figure out how the dr can help me over the phone.
He will call tomorrow.
Also I davka want to know how it works with this dr. Things are different in Israel. I have come to specialist only to be send further for testing. Dr here do the minimum necessary
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anonymrs




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 7:47 pm
I went to him about 10 yrs ago with my then-10 month old baby. We did need a hafnaya, if I'm remembering correctly. He did skin testing on her at the first appt. I'm not sure how that works if you can't be seen in person.
Good luck!
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Leona




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 8:57 pm
Hi,
Just a word from a mom who has been there, done that...Generally speaking, allergy testing on young infants (under a year-some say up to age 3) is really not reliable nor accurate. It’s usually more of a “sensitivity” vs. a true IGE food allergy (which is what they test for). Not that this makes anything any easier, because the kid can still be miserable, have eczema, etc. The most effective way of figuring things out (and this is hard!) is by keeping a detailed food journal. If the baby is exclusively breast feeding, you need to analyze Mom’s food intake, if they baby is on formula you may need to switch brands/types. HINT: milk is a common offender! Much hazlacha!
If it makes you feel more “responsible” then sure, go to the specialist, but my gut tells me it won’t be much of a practical help. BTW, soaps and laundry detergents can also be problematic. Play detective and don’t give up!
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amother
White


 

Post Tue, Dec 15 2020, 9:39 pm
Leona wrote:
Hi,
Just a word from a mom who has been there, done that...Generally speaking, allergy testing on young infants (under a year-some say up to age 3) is really not reliable nor accurate. It’s usually more of a “sensitivity” vs. a true IGE food allergy (which is what they test for). Not that this makes anything any easier, because the kid can still be miserable, have eczema, etc. The most effective way of figuring things out (and this is hard!) is by keeping a detailed food journal. If the baby is exclusively breast feeding, you need to analyze Mom’s food intake, if they baby is on formula you may need to switch brands/types. HINT: milk is a common offender! Much hazlacha!
If it makes you feel more “responsible” then sure, go to the specialist, but my gut tells me it won’t be much of a practical help. BTW, soaps and laundry detergents can also be problematic. Play detective and don’t give up!


That might be your experience but there are many people who have accurately diagnosed allergies in infants by testing. Lots of people on this board have seen night and day differences in babies after testing and eliminating the foods that came up.

My allergist has been practicing for decades. He's a true mentch, he has always been completely honest with me, and he absolutely has accurately diagnosed hundreds of babies. Including three of my own (which have been later confirmed with blood tests once they got older). Please don't steer people away from getting help. If she doesn't find that allergy testing is helpful for her she can move on to alternate methods like elimination diets, which are much more challenging when done correctly. But advice like yours is the reason I didn't test my oldest when he was younger. It just prolonged his suffering needlessly. I could cry when I think how long he suffered because people convinced me that testing that young isn't accurate.
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blessedflower




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 1:50 am
I stopped eating diary a month ago. His eczema only for worse. So I stopped eating 10 days ago and it's still only getting worse. So now I'm thinking that I ate more soya products lately and more nuts (I think mostly almonds though I ate peanut butter too) and I ate more chicken. If I eliminate this foods I'm left with nothing Surprised
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chanchy123




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 2:27 am
blessedflower wrote:
My dh just said that it says on the appointment confirmation that all appointments now are over the phone What can't figure out how the dr can help me over the phone.
He will call tomorrow.
Also I davka want to know how it works with this dr. Things are different in Israel. I have come to specialist only to be send further for testing. Dr here do the minimum necessary

my children's allergist sent my kids for blood tests before she did a scratch test. I would assume it's the same thing here, the doctor will talk to you on the phone and then send your baby for some blood tests and then come back for a scratch test.
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blessedflower




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 2:43 am
chanchy123 wrote:
my children's allergist sent my kids for blood tests before she did a scratch test. I would assume it's the same thing here, the doctor will talk to you on the phone and then send your baby for some blood tests and then come back for a scratch test.
I really hope so. Blood tests are much more accurate. I remember with my dd the scratch tests didn't show any allergies and the blood test did show.
I guess time will tell
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juggling




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 3:22 am
blessedflower wrote:
I made an appointment with dr bar sela. I want to know what I can expect when I go with a 4 month old baby.
Do I need a hafnaya? I see the waiting time is a month, any idea how soon he will want to see me again? Will he do test or send me for tests?

I don't know Dr. Bar Sela. I do think you'd get much more accurate information if you moved this to the Israel forum, or at least specified that you're looking for Israel-based information. Many things about the medical system in Israel are unique to Israel, so people from other countries can't really answer.
Personally, I have experience with allergists in Israel, but not with this one and not during Corona. Plus, the details of your child's specific case may affect the doctor's approach. Why are you taking a four-month-old to an allergist? You do need a hafnaya for a first visit iirc. Have you not gone to your family doctor or pediatrician first?
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mochamix18




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 3:43 am
Blessedflower I went to Dr Bar Sela about 5 years with my now 5.5 year old. He had horrible atopic dermatitis as a baby. He didn’t do allergy tests. He did give me a mirsham for topical steroid. I have also been to him for a problem of my own but it was already clearing up so there was very little he could do. I don’t remember if I needed a hafnaya but the kupa hotline could give you that info. In the meantime one thing that really helped my son be more comfortable as recommended by a dear family friend who is a pediatrician in the US was cerave cream. We used to have people bring it to us and now BH it is sold in Israel. It’s a little on the expensive side but a little goes a long way on baby. Hatzlacha rabah.
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mochamix18




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 3:47 am
[quote="amother [ Crimson ]"]What's a hafnaya?
In Israel we need referrals for everything from lab work (blood and urine tests) to specialists. It’s called a hafnaya. OP is in Israel, so it does work a bit differently than you described. Tests have to be sent out for lab testing so don’t get immediate results.
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juggling




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 4:05 am
[quote="mochamix18"]
amother [ Crimson ] wrote:
What's a hafnaya?
In Israel we need referrals for everything from lab work (blood and urine tests) to specialists. It’s called a hafnaya. OP is in Israel, so it does work a bit differently than you described. Tests have to be sent out for lab testing so don’t get immediate results.

In Israel, in my experience, the primary allergy tests are skin tests. Those are exactly as was described. You wait in the waiting room for the tests to develop. If your allergist wants to follow up with blood tests those generally cost extra and are sent to the lab. It takes a week or so for those results to come back iirc.
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chanchy123




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 4:09 am
juggling wrote:
In Israel, in my experience, the primary allergy tests are skin tests. Those are exactly as was described. You wait in the waiting room for the tests to develop. If your allergist wants to follow up with blood tests those generally cost extra and are sent to the lab. It takes a week or so for those results to come back iirc.


I had the opposite experience with the allergist at the Bell Center in JLM (I forget her name, she's French). My Husband and several children have been to her. She first sent them for blood tests and only after the results came in did she do the scratch test.
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juggling




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 4:12 am
chanchy123 wrote:
I had the opposite experience with the allergist at the Bell Center in JLM (I forget her name, she's French). My Husband and several children have been to her. She first sent them for blood tests and only after the results came in did she do the scratch test.

Could be. Which is why I said every allergist is different and every patient may be given a different approach.
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chanchy123




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 4:29 am
juggling wrote:
Could be. Which is why I said every allergist is different and every patient may be given a different approach.

But it does explain why a phone appointment makes sense. I also remember paying extra for certain allergy tests.
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anonymrs




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 9:33 am
In the U.S., it's generally accepted that skin testing is more accurate than blood testing.
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nnmom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 10:19 am
Your phone call may be helpful too- my baby’s first appt was virtual because of covid- and my allergist believes that a nursing mother’s diet doesn’t impact the baby. I was advised to continue to eat baby’s allergens. Baby has serious allergies to milk, nuts and more. This is not advice for you, just to let you know you can get information without seeing the dr yet.
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blessedflower




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 16 2020, 5:51 pm
nnmom wrote:
Your phone call may be helpful too- my baby’s first appt was virtual because of covid- and my allergist believes that a nursing mother’s diet doesn’t impact the baby. I was advised to continue to eat baby’s allergens. Baby has serious allergies to milk, nuts and more. This is not advice for you, just to let you know you can get information without seeing the dr yet.
how did you figure out what baby is allergic to?
I mainly need help with that
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