Allergy & Asthma Medical Associates

Dr Abraham is one of the most compassionate doctors I have dealt with. He spends the time to examine you, asks lots off questions, and goes over the details of treatment.

We visited this office for my child daughter who had been experiencing frequent coughing/​congestion and bags under her eyes for many, many months. We were unsure whether it was allergy related or something else but wanted to start narrowing it down. We called ahead and learned that before allergy «tests» could be performed we’d have to come in for a consultation. At the consultation the doctor suggested we return for testing and also prescribed an inhaler treatment along with Singulair. We scheduled a follow-​up for a few days later and immediately began using the prescribed medications.
We returned the following week for the tests and were brought back to a treatment room rather quickly. Within a couple minutes a nurse rolled in with a tray of testing material. She applied 25 – 40 samples to my daughter’s back without much explanation of what was happening. About half way through (with my daughter crying) she paused to poke my arm with one of the appliques to show me that it was merely a dull poke of the skin. She also showed my daughter and it was better for the remaining test… wish that could have come with some greater explanation up-​front rather than midway through. The nurse left the room and advised us that we couldn’t itch the test sites or it would have to be reapplied and left the room.
About 10 minutes later my wife left the room with our infant to get some fresh air and asked how long until someone came in to read the test (again, some communication on what was happening would have been good) to which we were told 5 minutes. The nurse rolled in again to read the test and then left to consult with the doctor. When she returned she rolled in another cart and said they would be trying higher doses of about 6 allergens that showed signs of reaction… at least that’s what I think she explained… again, it was not a clear explanation. Also, this next round of tests involved needles and applying the allergen beneath the skin… again, no notice that this was the case or how/​why was given. As you can imagine, my daughter suffered through 6 consecutive needle pokes (as did her mother and me) about the same as getting a full shot. The nurse again left the room with no explanation of what was to happen next or how long we would have to be there. We were only advised to, again, not touch the test site.
After about another 15 minute wait, my wife left the room and saw a timer on the wall and confirmed that was the timescale for the test. The doctor finally came in and read the test and discussed what we should do. This was about the most/​best communication we received on the visit and I have little complaint with his responsiveness.
So the concerns I’d like to summarize for the benefit of others are:
1. Quick to throw medication at something they hadn’t even diagnosed as an allergy. My daughter started having night-​terrors a few days later and burst into tears during her dance class (which she always loves). One of the Moms heard she had been taking Singulair and advised us of side-​effects her child had seen which included night-​terrors and emotional distress. This was never discussed with us by the doctor. We confirmed the side-​effects online and immediately took her off both medications until we can research the risk/​reward.
2. There was NO communication of what was happening during the whole testing process.
My wife and I feel horrible that we didn’t take the initiative to do our due diligence on the process and medication but when you go to a doctor you’ve got a certain faith in their abilities and the process… lesson learned. I’d suggest going somewhere that has a staff with better bedside manner and communication skills. I’d also warm people to be skeptical of any doctor who seems to be treating you or your kids with medication without attempting to make a formal diagnosis. These people were (in my mind) too quick to churn on patients without taking the time to communicate… not bad or mean people, just don’t think there was a lot of attention to detail.

Dr. Abrahamson and his nurse were not as kid friendly as I would have liked. The nurse barely spoke 2 words to my son while she took his weight, blood pressure, etc. The doctor was about the same. We saw Dr. Meyer before and had a much better experience but unfortunately he was pretty booked up. Next time I will try to hold out for Dr. Meyer.

Today (11÷24÷08) was our first trip here as our Pediatrician is trying to diagnose our son’s semi-​frequent chronic cough. We saw Dr. Abraham and the staff here is really friendly and helpful and informative.
Thankfully we were only here for one hour for his tests. At this point we won’t need to be frequent visitors here, but if we have to come back we won’t be dreading it.