Sirirat Banuchi was my doctor for 25 years. In 1999 she tested me for an allergy to local anesthesia and confirmed I was severely allergic to anything ending in ‘caine’. She told me this was “A one in a million allergy” and no dentist would believe it. She gave me a card for my wallet to explain the allergy and told me to get a med alert tag. In 2009, I went to see her with a rash on my neck. The administrative staff had cleaned out the office files and my allergy info was not transferred to my new file. Banuchi gave me a shot of Kenalog and added a local anesthesia so the shot “wouldn’t hurt my arm”. I broke out in a full body rash with severe skin lesions. I went back to see her and she told me I needed to find out what I was allergic to. When I could not afford testing by the doctor she recommended, she told me to “Go to Stroger”. That is what I did and I was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. After Banuchi’s shot I was suddenly allergic to cow’s milk, wheat, soybean, eggs, shellfish, nuts, green beans, bananas, kiwi. Kiwi? I had never had a food allergy in my life. These ‘allergens’ are also in many personal products, shampoos, conditioners and lotions. It took eight months and multiple visits to Stroger Hospital to diagnose the allergies. I lost years of work and still can’t eat at most restaurants or other peoples homes. I have to read ingredients on EVERYTHING I eat or use on my body. If I accidentally eat the wrong thing my eyes swell shut then peel along with fever and severe fatigue. It takes two weeks to recover from less than half of an almond. I talked to several lawyers but was not able to find recourse. Apparently there is no way to prove where allergies come from. Seeing Sirirat Banuchi changed my life.
The office was easy enough to find. The one thing that I really enjoy about this place is their high level of customer service. Their full attention is always on me and they never take personal calls during my appointment. I've been to other places that answer their phone and it just drives me crazy. I felt very safe in their care. I definitely trust them. However, I found it distracting that she would often begin going on long tangents about her personal experiences, completely ignoring my questions regarding my skin. She definitely has an incredibly high opinion of herself-which is fine- but it shouldn't take over my appointment.