My Allergy Journey: I Can Taste It Now
For the first time since I started Oral Immunotherapy for my Cashew, Pistachio, and Sunflower Seed allergies, I was able to taste the nut/seed mix in my applesauce. It was ever-so-slight, but with nearly a gram of a ground mix of my toughest allergens, a bit of taste and texture finally came through. It’s feeling just a bit more real.
Every milestone, even a minor one such as this one, is worth noting—especially since I really didn’t feel much of a reaction. I usually do feel some GERD the first time I updose. This time, it barely registered.
This is my 8th updose visit out of thirteen Every two to three weeks, I travel from Central New Jersey to New York’s classy Upper East Side to have a dose of allergens doubled. I hang out at the office for an hour or so and they observe me for any possible adverse reactions. I am advised to take it easy going back to Penn Station, not to elevate my body temperature. By the time I get home, two hours have passed and I can resume normal activity.
I have to admit: This phase is a slog. I’m in a marathon that will continue through June, possibly into July. It can be slowed down based on schedule conflicts, or if the doctor feels I would benefit from staying at a certain dosing level for a bit longer. For example, at the time I’m writing this, it is a week and a half before Passover. (You’ll be reading this somewhat later than that.) I won’t be able to come back until after the holiday, which means I’m about to have a 3 1/2-week break. During this time I’ll continue at the dose we started today. Then it’s back to the bi-weekly schedule.
But when I’m done, on that warm early Summer day, I’ll be able to eat anything without fear of having an allergic reaction. The fact that I no longer need to worry about eating Brazil Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, and Pecans, thanks to food challenges last fall, is already life-changing. The list I give to people who host me for meals is down to just three items. Pretty cool, huh?
As they say around here, I’m “On My Way To Unstoppable.” I can’t wait.
A peek behind the curtain: How do I self-dose?
My allergy home dosing kit: Ground-up nuts and seeds, a big spoon, a really small spoon, a toothpick, and a jewelry scale.
My first dose was a few milligrams of ground-up allergens. This is the spoon I used, barely a millimeter across.
Read the entire My Allergy Journey series of blog posts:
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