Pinch me!!
Yesterday, Brandon had his latest updose at his allergist - he successfully ingested 12 full peanuts.
Let me say that again. He ate 12 PEANUTS.
12.
A dozen.
What on earth??? Seriously??
Yep!
🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜
Okay, that was just fun to put 12 peanuts in my post. 🤣
Y'all, this is it!!! By his doctor's protocol, we are on the FINAL updose before graduation! Her protocol calls for 30 total updoses to be able to graduate at a full maintenance dose. On Day 1 he got through doses 1-6. It took him 5 months to get through the next 4 doses, and then from there, he slowly and steadily increased his doses.
It's been methodical.
It's been tedious.
It's been HARD.
It's been time consuming.
But it's real y'all!
To 'graduate' from peanut OIT with his doctor, he has to ingest 24 peanuts in one sitting.
Yep, you read that right. 24 peanuts.
😳
Gulp.
Going from 12 peanuts to 24 is more than a bit intimidating for anyone, especially someone who has been told his whole life to NOT eat peanuts. So at his appointment yesterday, we devised a plan for his potential graduation appointment that both him, his doctor, and momma 😉 are comfortable with. He'll start by eating 16 peanuts (up 4 from the dose he's currently on), wait 30 minutes, eat 4 more (to get to 20), wait another 30 minutes, and then eat the final 4 (to make 24.) If he can handle that day, then he's officially DONE with peanut OIT!!!!
Why does he have to get to 24 peanuts? 🤔 Per his doctor's protocol, his daily dose after OIT will be 8 full peanuts. 8 full peanuts is considered "free eating" of peanuts, more or less. There's a lot we still need to learn about the in's and out's of maintenance, but being able to eat the equivalent of 8 peanuts essentially allows him to eat whatever he wants that has peanuts in it, in normal quantities. So, he has to be able to safely eat 3x's that daily maintenance dose, just in case of possible over consumption.
So, 8 x 3 = 24. And that's where we get 24.
His graduation appointment is currently scheduled for November 12th. Less than a month, and this journey that has taken more than a few unexpected turns for us will finally reach a HUGE culmination, before we enter the next phase of maintenance.
We are a huge range of emotions over here my friends, HUGE!!!
Excited.
Nervous.
In disbelief.
Hopeful.
Cautious.
We're going to hold at this dose of 12 peanuts for an extra few weeks, just to give his body a little extra time to steady out at this dose that's higher than what he'll have to ingest every day after graduation.
That's one thing that most folks don't realize - once you graduate from OIT, the patient still has to ingest their allergen every single day, at the approved maintenance dose. They have to have their rest period - every single day. This is to let the body remember, "Oh yeah, I know what to do with this, and to not attack it." And yes, he will still have to carry an EpiPen/AuviQ and Benadryl everywhere he goes (just in case of possible reactions - they can still happen, but are not extremely common.) But that's okay by him and by us.
Please keep us in your prayers. Even if he doesn't pass the final challenge on 11/12, he can still continue on his OIT journey, and we'll reassess if his maintenance dose should be 8, or if it should be something different. Regardless, you know I'll keep yall updated on what happens!
Pressing on with hopeful expectation,
MKB 🐢💚🥜
Let me say that again. He ate 12 PEANUTS.
12.
A dozen.
What on earth??? Seriously??
Yep!
🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜
Okay, that was just fun to put 12 peanuts in my post. 🤣
Y'all, this is it!!! By his doctor's protocol, we are on the FINAL updose before graduation! Her protocol calls for 30 total updoses to be able to graduate at a full maintenance dose. On Day 1 he got through doses 1-6. It took him 5 months to get through the next 4 doses, and then from there, he slowly and steadily increased his doses.
It's been methodical.
It's been tedious.
It's been HARD.
It's been time consuming.
But it's real y'all!
To 'graduate' from peanut OIT with his doctor, he has to ingest 24 peanuts in one sitting.
Yep, you read that right. 24 peanuts.
😳
Gulp.
Going from 12 peanuts to 24 is more than a bit intimidating for anyone, especially someone who has been told his whole life to NOT eat peanuts. So at his appointment yesterday, we devised a plan for his potential graduation appointment that both him, his doctor, and momma 😉 are comfortable with. He'll start by eating 16 peanuts (up 4 from the dose he's currently on), wait 30 minutes, eat 4 more (to get to 20), wait another 30 minutes, and then eat the final 4 (to make 24.) If he can handle that day, then he's officially DONE with peanut OIT!!!!
Why does he have to get to 24 peanuts? 🤔 Per his doctor's protocol, his daily dose after OIT will be 8 full peanuts. 8 full peanuts is considered "free eating" of peanuts, more or less. There's a lot we still need to learn about the in's and out's of maintenance, but being able to eat the equivalent of 8 peanuts essentially allows him to eat whatever he wants that has peanuts in it, in normal quantities. So, he has to be able to safely eat 3x's that daily maintenance dose, just in case of possible over consumption.
So, 8 x 3 = 24. And that's where we get 24.
His graduation appointment is currently scheduled for November 12th. Less than a month, and this journey that has taken more than a few unexpected turns for us will finally reach a HUGE culmination, before we enter the next phase of maintenance.
We are a huge range of emotions over here my friends, HUGE!!!
Excited.
Nervous.
In disbelief.
Hopeful.
Cautious.
We're going to hold at this dose of 12 peanuts for an extra few weeks, just to give his body a little extra time to steady out at this dose that's higher than what he'll have to ingest every day after graduation.
That's one thing that most folks don't realize - once you graduate from OIT, the patient still has to ingest their allergen every single day, at the approved maintenance dose. They have to have their rest period - every single day. This is to let the body remember, "Oh yeah, I know what to do with this, and to not attack it." And yes, he will still have to carry an EpiPen/AuviQ and Benadryl everywhere he goes (just in case of possible reactions - they can still happen, but are not extremely common.) But that's okay by him and by us.
Please keep us in your prayers. Even if he doesn't pass the final challenge on 11/12, he can still continue on his OIT journey, and we'll reassess if his maintenance dose should be 8, or if it should be something different. Regardless, you know I'll keep yall updated on what happens!
Pressing on with hopeful expectation,
MKB 🐢💚🥜
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