Shots or No Shots

Madelyn saw the Allergist again yesterday. Since none of the medicines seems to work and we've tried about all of them, we need to start considering allergy shots. We have been given another medicine, the last on the list, to try and if this is not the miracle drug, she needs the shots.

Unfortunately shots are not cheap. With our insurance, each injection is $25. That is not including the medicine. I do not have a price on it yet. For six weeks, it's two injections a week. Then it's one injection a week for 6 months and it keeps going from there lowering how many times she comes in.

I know $25 isn't much but many times pocket'd out adds up. Not only will this $25 add up quickly, it's not going to be easy getting her to the appts without taking the entire gang. I not only would need to consider the waiting time for the injection, but she is required to stay in the doctor's office 20 minutes afterwards. That would mean I would have to entertain a toddler in a non-toddler zone, sometimes three of them and maybe a 6 year old too. Twenty minutes is a short time period to me but not when I'm outside my child-proof zone.

I could have the allergist send the allergy shots to the pediatrician. In that case, I would have a play area to wait. Unfortunately it's about a 20 minute drive without traffic one way so if you take 40 minutes driving (minimum), estimate a 10 minute wait in office, 20 minutes after shot, that's a long time just for one little tiny needle to go into her body. Time is everything to me these days.

I've had friends say I could do this during preschool hours so I don't have to take all the kids with me. Well, I'd have to pull Madelyn out of preschool. If you take into account how long it takes to get the shots and driving time back and forth, she would barely get an hour of preschool since it's only three hours a day two days a week. I'm not paying for her to go to preschool and not get full use of the time I'm paying for.

The allergy shots are no gaurantee either. Even the doctor said there's a chance these would not work to control her allergies.

I think for the next few months we'll try this last drug and see what results from it. If we make it through this year without opting for the shots, we have the chance to change insurance companies at the end of the year to begin in January and maybe there will be a plan we can opt for that might pay for the allergy shots, one that is better than a copay everytime we walk in the door and I still haven't check into what the actual medicine cost yet.

And I haven't even mentioned the fear Madelyn has of shots. I know last time she had a physical with shots, she screamed before the cap of the needle was taken off the syringe. I'm sure she'll fight me and scream everytime we drive up to the doctor's office once she's had a few and figured it out that I'm taking her there for a painful needle.

I don't want to take on allergy shots, but it might be our last resort. I hate snot!!!!