Calista has an appointment this week at Dallas Allergy. Scheduling this appointment has made me think about all that has changed since we met Dr. Wasserman.
Wow.
508 days ago, I sat in a doctor's office and watched a nurse give Calista the tiniest fraction of a peanut (mixed in liquid). And I was scared. Out. Of. My. Mind.
But I was cool ;) - probably not, but I was trying to be. I was trying to be cool because Calista was a little nervous. I'd spent her entire life telling her that peanuts were dangerous and then I let a nurse give her some (over and over for an entire day).
Wow.
In hindsight, she REALLY handled that well.
And now -- school is starting and I don't have to have that conversation with the teacher. You know, the conversation where you tell them all about peanut allergy and how dangerous it is. The conversation where you show them the Epinephrine and teach them how to use it and teach them the symptoms to watch for. The conversation where you try not to scare the hell out of them while trying to make sure they realize that your child could die if they make a mistake. The conversation that makes you think you really should've purchased a huge bubble and placed your child inside (just to keep her safe). Yeah, that conversation. And as you walk away, you add "And she needs a little help in math too" - because the start of a school year has so much more to do with food allergy safety than anything else.
But I won't have that conversation this year. Yes, she will have an Epi. I'll tell the teacher about food allergies. But my girl ate 24 whole peanuts on September 7, 2012 and has had 14 peanut M&Ms every single day since.
So back to school is actually about her education this year. What an amazing concept :)
I am so very thankful to the entire team at Dallas Allergy Immunology. OIT works. It worked really well for us. Some patients have bigger setbacks, but it is worth investigating.
For more information: http://dallasallergy.net/
Such wonderful news! Brian and I are going to start Isabel at some point in the near future. We just need to get the logistics figured out. I was wondering if you still avoid tree nuts as well? Is there a separate protocol for that?
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful news! Brian and I are going to start Isabel at some point in the near future. We just need to get the logistics figured out. I was wondering if you still avoid tree nuts as well? Is there a separate protocol for that?
ReplyDeleteWe do still avoid tree nuts and will until she has a food challenge. Once she has passed that, I'm told we can go all nuts ;)
DeleteMy husband and I tried to split it up as much as possible. He'd take one Friday and I'd take the next. It was definitely a large amount of time to travel, etc but was well worth it. You can increase as often as every 7 days, but don't have to. You can choose to increase on the schedule that works for you. I think we had 15 levels to increase...