After almost 45 years practicing medicine, the last four decades in Thunder Bay, I have decided to completely retire. I retired from my office practice over a year ago. I’ve continued the allergy shot clinic during the pandemic as a help to my patients (as it has been so difficult to arrange family doctor appointments /walk-in clinics for patients to get allergy shots). Hopefully, you can arrange with your primary care provider or walk-in clinic to maintain your shots. However, my health has dictated that it’s time. I will miss all of you.

Immediate Shot Schedule changes. Regular allergy shots will be given Monday, April 26 and Monday, May 10 from 7 AM to 11 AM. Your allergy serum can be taken home and kept in the refrigerator until you arrange for your shots to be given by your primary care practitioner or clinic. FINAL allergy shots and FINAL serum pickup will be on Tuesday, May 25 from 7 AM until 2 PM.

Getting Your Allergy Shots-allergy shots can be given by a physician, nurse practitioner, or a health professional working directly under supervision of a physician in office/clinic settings. Allergy shots cannot be given by other individuals due to the risk of a severe allergic reaction. Any individual who administers allergy shots must have the appropriate resuscitation equipment immediately available to handle an acute severe reaction (epinephrine, antihistamine, oxygen, etc.). Hopefully, you can arrange with your primary care provider to continue your shots. Some walk-in clinics will give shots, but this depends upon the specific walk-in clinic and the attending physician.

Continuing Your Allergy Shots - most allergy shot patients should consider whether they need to continue allergy shots after 3 to 5 years of regular maintenance immunotherapy. Many of you have been on shots for years and have found that you do better if you continue with shots long-term. I think it’s useful for some individuals to consider whether they need to continue immunotherapy or not. Go to my website www.sweetballergyasthma.net , the Contents Section, click on the subsection Allergy Shots-Immunotherapy. Once you are in the Allergy Shot Subsection scroll down past the first section on getting your shots to the lower section on “Stopping Shots” and review. Any questions email me at sweetb@tbaytel.net

Reordering Shots - for in town patients I will give you the appropriate paperwork to reorder shots. For out of town patients we will mail you the paperwork. The Order Form is available at my website. Prescription forms for reordering allergy serums must be signed by a primary care provider and you can then email or fax the reorder sheets to the serum manufacturer Stallergenes Greer. You can pay for the allergy serums by credit card and the reordered serums can be mailed directly to your home address. NOTE: the cost of serums reordered will be roughly double what you are used to paying at the moment. Fax order form(s) to Stallergenes Greer 1- 519-762-2738 or send to them by email orderentry.canada@stallergenesgreer.com For SAA patients where MOH pays for serums (over 65, under 25 with no drug plan) take your order form(s) and SAA form to your primary care provider for signature, then take to pharmacy.

Repeat Prescriptions - as of the end of May 2021 I will not be filling repeat prescriptions. Future Prescriptions can be obtained via your primary care provider or walk-in clinic. Make sure you bring the actual prescription container to be repeated or have a pharmacy a printout of the exact prescription so that you receive the same dose and frequency of medication that I prescribed.

If Problems Occur - I will continue to answer emails sweetb@tbaytel.net for the next 3 months. However, I will not be checking my emails regularly, so expect delays if you try to contact me. My website will not be updated after May 25, 2021. Dr. Sweet April 2021