6 Months of OIT - Celebrating the Victories!!!

First, I apologize - life is busy, and constantly changing.  With the failing health of my father and his death, I have not found the time or mental energy to write about our journey.

Thankfully, I have nothing negative to report.  We have had absolutely no real issues with OIT.

Tori is now "bite proof" for pistachios and cashews.  Faith is struggling with today's updose - 1 pistachio and 2 "tads" of cashew - Hunter moving up to the next level of pistachio/cashew flour.

The New Year will bring NEW freedom for Faith and Hunter.  They will be bite proof for pistachios and cashews and we will find out if they are allergic to other Tree nuts at that time.

Studies show that many times after desensitizing the worst nut allergy, the immune system reboots and the other allergies are gone.  Praying this is the case for Faith and Hunter🙏until then we thank GOD and celebrate the victories along the way🎉🎉🎉

I will attempt to update more often.

If you are reading this and know someone with food allergies, please know there is HOPE!  All three of our kids have experienced severe allergic reactions.  I thought OIT would be stressful and we would have setbacks.  It couldn't be going better!  For more information about OIT you can visit Dr. Chad Mayer's website  www.oitcenter.com

THERE IS HOPE!

Two Months into Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) -- ALL IS WELL!

It has officially been two months since we began OIT.

We have had no complications at all.

We started off going in every two weeks for the new "updose" however Dr. Mayer has transitioned patents to weekly updosing and it has gone well.  We now updose weekly.

During OIT we have faced challenges of fitting in doses in order to observe the minimum two hour rest period.  Sports camps, outdoor activities in the summer heat and vacations have at times provided obstacles, but we survived.

We are now to the point that all three kids have been able to spend night(s) away from home and manage their dose while gone.

This was probably one of my biggest concerns... well, one of my concerns.

The other concern was vacations and dosing.  I must have assumed we would have reactions or problems with OIT because vacations may have caused us to be creative with dosing times, but there has been no complications due to OIT.

We are happy to be facing these nut allergies head on.

Happy for a future without constant worry about what my kids will eat when away from our controlled environment.

Our major reactions happened while on vacations and away from our controlled environment.  Now that the kids are getting older, they have opportunities to travel and do field trips.  One year from now, these options may be reality.   The oldest is applying for graduate school, I am happy and hopeful that she will be through OIT when she goes away to college again.

Overall, all is going very well!  We have renewed hope for a future without constant worry.

I thank God for the wisdom of doctors to begin this food allergy treatment and especially to Dr. Mayer for shepherding us through this process.

Ready to roll! May 18 begins our journey through OIT!

XOLAIR is underway - Faith has received her third round of injections.  

OIT is back on for May 18.

We are not nervous....OK well we are nervous!  However we are so ready to begin this journey that will take us to a life filled with more freedom.

A life that will allow our children to eat food that "may contain nuts" that they are allergic to.  The goal of Oral immunotherapy for our children is to become "bite proof".  They  will likely never eat a hand full of nuts.

So this begins the countdown to OIT.

12 days
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For more information regarding OIT please visit the website of Dr. Chad Mayer

www.oitcenter.com

After Months of Silence....

Where have I been?

Why the silence?

I have spent months of dealing with the anxieties and the after math of a severe allergic reaction. Our allergist suggested Faith's immune system would reset itself after 6 to 8 weeks.

That would have been September at the latest. We are now into April and her immune system never did reset itself. Chronic hives, major anxiety and asthma flare ups became a part of our daily lives.

Our allergist recommended we try Xolair injections.  Xolair once approved for asthma is now approved for chronic hives as well.  Faith qualifies in both spectrums which translated into the insurance approving what may have taken months and months of reviews in just two short weeks.

I have leanred that Xolair was originally in development for use with food allergies when a pharmaceutical bought the rights and developed Xolair for a much bigger market "asthmatics".

The best way I believe to explain Xolair is that it has the potential to put asthma in "remission".

Faith has received Xolair for the past two months.  Three injections followed by a two hour waiting period.  The next visit two injections and a three hour wait (due to allergy concerns).  

Xolair itself can cause an anaphylactic reaction in A small percentage of 

people.

Faith's allergies and asthma are not yet under control.  Hopefully this month and the next series of injections will be the beginning of that control.

We have scheduled OIT for May 18. Our hope is that Faith's allergies and asthma are at a place where she can move forward. We have waited along time to begin this process of desensitizing food allergies. One year from today our lives could be so different, the quality of life so much better. It is our prayer that this OIT is successful for all three kids.

So the countdown begins. 

Again.

If you're reading this, please keep us in your prayers and believe with us in faith for healing.