Hi Cindy,

I have not been to see Dr. Schwartz, but I am sure he is wonderful.  I have traveled a long distance to see Dr. Afrin.  He is very knowledgeable about mast cells and a brilliant doctor.  He does require you to have a local doctor to work through if you live a great distance from him.  That has been my biggest challenge because many doctors either are too egotistic to learn or just simply don't have the extra time for patients like us.  We do create more of a work load.

I know the wait time to see Dr. Afrin is several months and I would assume it is similar for Dr. Schwartz.  I would recommend making an appointment and look for a local doctor before your appointment so that you can have an established doctor to work through when you go for your visit.  I wish I had done this rather than waiting until after my appointment and silly me....several weeks more until I got my test results.

Best of luck,
Kate

Woot woot!!  I am so happy for you that you found a local doctor who is willing to order the tests and learn!  That is half the battle.  Maybe you won't have to travel after all.

Try to nicely insist that the tests be handled correctly at the lab.  Chilled, iced, etc.  

Many hugs to you and good thoughts that this young immunologist will consult with Dr. Castells and become another doc to help you and other masties out.

Kate