OIT & Me

Today we had a pretty chilled day! We ate breakfast, I dosed and then we watched Wales get beat by Ireland! Dosing was nerve-wracking this morning as we had to ‘updose’ at home from 9.6mg to 12mg – itchy mouth and throat but lots of water consumed as usual! I also had a slight swelling on the inside of my lip where the solution had been. It took me a while to dose this morning as I was really nervous about the increase but got through it!

Then, our poor rental car had a slow puncture so we had to take it back to ATL airport to exchange the car.

When we got there however, they told us that they had no Model Ys available to swap (despite being told that they did on the phone!). The lady from Hertz was so rude and tried to send us on our way with a M3 but this would’ve been too small for all of our cases. She ended up shutting the door on our face!

They then miracously found a Model Y that was available to us after lots of grumbling and waiting around. What a surprise! Thankfully though, the car was fully charged and had lower mileage. It’s also black which is a nice change!

I then made us a spag bol which we enjoyed before evening dosing. Dosing was fine (same symptoms) as usual until I looked in the mirror and saw the corner of my right eye was slightly swollen. This sent me into a bit of a panic but the swelling hasn’t got any bigger and no other symptoms have appeared which is a relief. I’ll make a note and tell Dr A on Monday however.

We are hoping to do some more touristy things tomorrow in between dosing!

Today we had the day off clinic but instructions to dose morning and evening (same dose as yesterday). I’ve split the dose into two, spaced over a 15-30 minute period, as this tends to help my anxiety when dosing! Dr A said that this was absolutely fine and I know people who do this regularly.

I dosed in the morning and then we hired a golf buggy for the afternoon ($25) to explore Peachtree City! 🍑

The area is known for its 100 miles of mixed-use, off-road trails which are brilliant. They are basically trails that run through the forestry and parallel to roads. It’s quite hilarious as everywhere you go, there are golf carts! This is how the teens get to school and I was shocked to read that you can drive a golf buggy from the age of 12! Now, we both really really want a golf cart. We checked out the price and they were a lot more expensive than what we had anticipated! Don’t worry UK roads, we won’t be getting one!

On our travels, we saw lots of beautiful homes which are just amazing! We couldnt stop taking pictures!

We also visited Peachtree City Lake and Kedron Lake which are both stunning. The sun shone so brightly today but we were wrapped up as the temperature has taken a nose dive thanks to the cold spell from the Eastern US!

We then ate dinner before my evening dose. Again, mild itching and tingling which subsides with water (LOTS!) and time.

It’s Saturday tomorrow and we are hoping we can watch the Wales V Ireland game in the morning. Let’s hope the return of Gatland brings us some luck! Come on Wales!

Today I started on the probiotics that the clinic recommend. They are absolutely HUGE!

Ortho Biotic^® includes a carefully assembled cast of probiotic organisms to support microflora balance and maintain a healthy environment for vitamin uptake and optimal immune function.

https://www.orthomolecularproducts.com/product/ortho-biotic-capsules

We were a little later getting up today as jet lag seems to be slowly fading so chose not to dose as we were rushing around trying to get out and my HR was elevated. You should be calm and relaxed before dosing. So I lined my stomach with some trusty Scot’s Oats from home and we set off to clinic.

I hadn’t driven on this trip yet so I decided to give it a go to take my mind off what I may be doing when I get to clinic! I am pleased to report that it was a smooth drive.

When we got to clinic, I explained that I hadn’t yet dosed this morning so she quickly checked my vitals and give me the same dose as yesterday.

They then observed me for a while and suggested I add another 3.6mg to increase the amount that I was on yesterday.

So I’ve gone up another 3.6mg today. Again, tingling as usual but no nausea to report this morning which they were pleased about.

Still waiting on full labs but my vitamin D came back as in range which is great. I do take a vitamin D supplement daily however so I expected it to be OK but you never know. They have had one peanut lab back which was high and suggests a significant peanut allergy so she explained that they will continue to build slowly and be guided by my body’s response.

We were then sent home with dosing instructions for the next 3 days as we’re not back in clinic until Monday.

Dose morning and evening for the next 3 days and try and increase by 2-4mg by Monday (if I feel my body is tolerating it ok).

I will see how I feel and I have the Doctor and Nurse’s emergency contact numbers if needed. The doctor is contactable 24/7 365 days a year which helps. Everyone at clinic is so lovely and calm. Dr A has the most calming presence!!! 😌

We are looking forward to a few days break from clinic and dosing twice a day. Dosing 4 times a day can be a challenge!

Thanks for all your lovely messages everyone xx

Today started with the same dose as yesterday after breakfast (5ml syringe) It’s important that your stomach is lined so I had two weetabix and a piece of toast – carbs are the foods of choice for OIT ! #Ilovebread

We arrived in clinic and my lovely nurse, Amanda, said that we’d be doubling my dose today to 6mg from 3mg. She said that the solution would consist of less liquid and it would be more concentrated with peanut flour so I’d only be taking 2.5 ml today. But this was double the peanut.

Look at the peanut in the bottle – it’s starting to turn a cloudy yellow!

1st dose increase in clinic – tingling and itchy mouth. About 1L of water consumed. Water is currently my best friend but my bladder hates me!!!

vitals checked – all good

They kept me in for observation for an hour and then I was sent home with dosing instructions for the rest of the day: 3 doses between now and tomorrow morning when I return to clinic.

We spent some time wandering around the area before heading back to the hotel for lunch – british favourite of a bacon sandwich 🥓!

Afternoon dose consumed after lunch – this scared me as the tingling was a lot more but it subsided after 10 minutes and I felt a little itch in my throat.

Itching is a perfectly normal symptom when doing OIT – NEED TO TRY AND REMEMBER THIS!

I took my own vitals and this reassured me that I was doing OK.

I ended up doing the two hour rest period (staying calm/not exercising/no hot showers or baths etc) and then had a 30 min nap. The days are catching up on me coupled with jet lag!

I woke up and had a sip of my water and it tasted like peanut, eww! This was the water that I’d drank previously after my dose so new bottle next time!

I wanted to make sure I had plenty of carbs in my tummy before my final dose of the day so I knocked us up chicken and brocoli pasta which was yummy. Not too bad considering we are quite limited with cooking space and utensils in our accommodation!

We then went to the shop quickly as needed some quick bits then I returned home to dose. I was quite nervous about this because of the tingling earlier but knew it needed to be done 💪

final dose of the day – again, itching and tingly mouth. Throat seemed fine this time but felt quite nauseous which is also a common symptom. This passed after a short amount of time.

Back to clinic in the morning; I am hoping my blood tests will have arrived from the labs.

We returned just after lunch and the Dr announced that we’d be starting peanut OIT. 🥜 This was terrifying!! My skin prick tests result was massive and we are awaiting my blood result. Nevertheless, Dr A said we’d start on really small doses to start the process. As with hazelnut, they dose every 15 minutes and check vitals at this time too.

The starting dose is a solution of peanut flour and water. I could not believe how much this tasted of PEANUT! Despite never having tasted of peanut, the taste was really strong!! This will definitely take some getting used to especially because my body has been protecting me from this taste and smell for 25 years!

1st dose – no reaction – 1st time I have ever tasted peanut! Ew!

2nd dose – no reaction

3rd dose – small hive on the inside of my lip

4th dose – no reaction

I then met with one of the wonderful nurses who showed me the solution that was made up for me to take home. The plan was for me to dose at home after dinner and in the morning after breakfast.

It’s important that you dose after a meal and carbs really help! You should also be calm 30 minutes before the dose and for two hours after. This can involve normal activity but no hot showers, baths, or exercise – anything that could raise your heart rate. This can increase your likelihood of reacting!

I was pretty nervous about dosing at home but the doctor is on call 24/7. You are able to call/message the Dr / Nurse whenever you need to which is really reassuring.

So we ate our evening meal and then my wonderful partner prepared my dose (this was the same dose as my final dose in clinic that afternoon).

Almost 2 hours since the dose now and nothing untoward except some initial tingling to report which is great!

After the bloods were taken, we headed to clinic. Dr Agrawal said that he would be doing a hazelnut challenge in the morning and starting peanut OIT in the afternoon. Hazelnut was a small positive on my skin prick test and previous blood test results suggest that my allergy is related to birch tree pollen. Nevertheless, I was quite nervous for this as I knew it was a true allergy and one which has given me symptoms when sat next to someone eating a Kinder Bueno before!

So… the hazelnut challenge commenced

You are given a certain amount, wait 15 minutes, oxygen and heart rate checked and if all ok, you move up!

25mg – no reaction

50mg – no reaction

100mg – no reaction

250mg – no reaction

750mg – huge amount of tingling and itchiness as soon as I chewed the nuts! Thankfully it subsided on its own by drinking water and eating a snack. But Dr A decided to stop the challenge at this point which I knew was the right decision!

This was the first time I’d felt this level of itchiness and tingling in the mouth and tongue. Throat felt mostly OK. No antihistamine or epipens were required. And despite not making it to the final dose – I was soooo pleased to know that I could tolerate quite a sizeable amount without any symptoms. 🙂 They did keep me under supervision for about an hour afterwards.

12-1 – lunch back at our place! Nice to take a break!

Next up – starting peanut OIT 🥜

Early start to go to the Lab to get bloods taken. The lab is a 10 minute drive from the clinic and the results get sent to you by email – very efficient. Hopefully they won’t take too long to come through!

Now off to clinic to see what’s in store today.