Celebrating 1 year of OIT!
Today's dose!! Reese's pieces!
Soon after our OIT journey began, we learned that Brandon's body was going to have to take it slower than most kids. He had a reaction to a dose, about 2 months into his treatments, and we had to put the breaks on. At that point, his allergist slowed his updosing down to every other week, versus an every week schedule that most kids follow. I fought against it so hard in my brain and my heart when we she slowed us down. So very much. But, I ever so slowly got over myself 😉 , put my own emotions in the backseat, and let Brandon's body do the driving.
So here we find ourselves, one year into our journey!! What we thought would take us 6-8 months max, will likely end up taking us about 18-20 months to complete, possibly more. But like we have learned, the end result is what we're going for here, no matter how long that takes. Freedom from his peanut allergy? Yes, please! 🙋
At our one year mark, I thought it would be fun to share some stats . . . . so here we go!
- Today was our 28th updose appointment, meaning a day that we have to physically go to his doctor's office and increase his dose to the next level. Praise. The. Lord. that his doctor is 15 minutes from our house! 🙌
- A common misconception with OIT is that you only take your allergen dose on days you're at the doctor's office. But you have to dose every. single. day at home too. The doctor's visits are only to increase your dose. So, he's now dosed 366 times. 😲
- With every dose, he has to rest for 2 hours after ingesting his peanuts, to allow his body to process the allergen. We call it 'rest period,' and he doesn't have to sleep, but he does have to refrain from raising his body temp (no playing, no showers, no extracurricular activities, no running around the house, etc.) So as of today, he's been in his rest period for 730 hours in the past year. That's a little over one month of his life that he's been 'resting.' 🤣
- Today was dose 20 out of 30 doses on his doctor's protocol for peanut OIT. That means that if he goes for the maximum number of peanuts as his maintenance dose, he has 10 more updose visits before graduation. At our current pace, that's at least 20 more weeks with no hiccups, or another 5 months.
- On "Day 1" of OIT, he started by ingesting 2.5 micrograms of peanut flour in a kool-aid solution. Today, he ingested .4g of actual peanuts. Still mind boggling to me folks! What used to potentially send him into anaphylactic shock no longer affects his body at his current level. You can't put a price on the safety of your children, am I right? 💙
- We are just 2 updoses away from 1 full peanut!!!
It's been said that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Brandon, you have fought harder in this past year than I have ever seen you fight. This road has not been easy for you at times, and we honor and recognize that today on this milestone. You are stronger and more confident today than you were a year ago, and it's through this journey that God has continued to form you and mold you into the man He plans for you to be. So today, celebrate this accomplishment!! We aren't done yet, we're marching on, and we stand with you on every step of this journey. Kudos to you!
So, my friends, take a moment today to celebrate the milestones and victories in your life. Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees when we're lost in the middle of the struggle and battle. Today, celebrate where you are, where you've come from, and anticipate the journey ahead, with hope and expectation of where the next turn in the road may take you.
Until next time,
Momma Knows Best (a.k.a. MKB)
🐢💚
P.S. Here are a few comparison pics . . . .
Day 1 doses, back on 5/22/18. We got through the first 6 syringes that day, from left to right, versus . . . .
Day 366 dose (5/22/19) - 2 Reese's pieces!!
Brandon on Day 1 (5/22/18) versus . . . .
Brandon today, 1 year in (5/22/19)
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