OIT or Bust!

In one week, Kyzer will be starting Oral Immunotherapy (OIT).

What is OIT?  Per oit101.org, OIT stands for “Oral immunotherapy” or oral desensitization for food allergies. OIT is a medical treatment guided by a board-certified allergist with a payoff of lifetime freedom from food fear and stress.  The immune system is re-trained to tolerate food proteins/allergens through regular eating of small amounts of food.

So, OIT in a ‘nutshell’ is eating the very thing that could cause serious harm to you….but starting with a teeny, tiny amount and then slowly building up a tolerance over a long period of time.

Kyzer’s schedule for dosing will be us going to the allergist’s office once every 2-3 weeks to get an updose, then take that dose home so that we can give it to him once a day.  We are going to go as slowly as need be.  There is more to it than just taking a dose a day.  He will have to observe a 2-hour rest period after taking his dose.  He will not be allowed to get his heart rate/blood pressure elevated.  No running around.  No taking hot showers.  He will have to make sure to have something in his belly before he doses.  We feel Kyzer is the perfect candidate for this treatment.  He is not a ‘rough and tumble’ kid.  He does not play sports. He is homeschooled so I will be able to monitor him closely.  He is the type of kid that if you tell him to do something, he does it.  He is a rule follower, through and through.  After living with this horrible peanut allergy for 11 years, he is ready to do whatever it takes to make it better.

OIT is NOT a cure.  It will always be something he has to be aware of, and he will always still carry epi-pens for life.  OIT will lessen his chances of dying from an anaphylactic reaction.