My Allergy Journey, Part VIII: Now, We Get Serious

 It was all fun and games (relatively speaking) for the first six or so visits to Latitude, but now we deal with my three most serious allergies: Pistachios, Cashews, and the worst of all: Sunflower Seeds. In allergy tests I scored 11 on a scale of 1-12 for Pistachios and Cashews, and a solid 12 for Sunflower Seeds. Sunflower seeds could trigger a severe reaction and put me in the hospital.

Irony alert: Sunflower is often used as a substitute for other allergens. Sunflower Butter Cups are a thing. 

Even worse: Sunflower oil has made its way into many of the foods I love: Some brands of Hummus, Garden Gourmet Veggie burgers, and even certain “Extra Virgin Olive Oils”. I’m constantly reading labels  and becoming frustrated when I discover yet another food I have to avoid. For whatever reason, many more processed foods are using Sunflower oil, making this treatment more urgent for me.

One Small Scoop for Man…

After a monthlong delay (I had a minor cold and had to reschedule; the first available date was a full month later; oh, bother), we started. I would start with 1/300th of a Cashew and 1/300th of a teaspoon of Sunflower butter. (Cashews and Pistachios have the same protein profile and therefore can be used interchangeably for treatment.

Nurse Tracey took out the kind of spoon some folks in the 80s might have used for a different kind of powder, and scooped up a nearly invisible amount of my two allergens. She mixed them in with a spoonful of applesauce, and I took my first dose.

Tracey set the timer for 90 minutes, which went by uneventfully. She and Dr. Novick came in to check on me every few minutes, and to explain what happens next. I downloaded the Latitude App, where I will log in every dose and if there was any reaction. I was given a nifty little travel bag with my cashew and sunflower powder, two different sized scoops, and a measuring scale for when I’m taking larger doses, so I can dose myself every night at home between visits.

And so it begins: For the next six or so months, I’ll be taking gradually larger doses of Sunflower and Cashew. Until I can tolerate actually eating these foods. If all goes well, this should happen on or about the Fourth of July…a new kind of Independence Day for me. 

And now for the day's street photos...