My Experience With OIT

First of all, OIT stands for Oral Immunotherapy. It is a therapy in which you are given VERY small amounts of your allergen, with the goal of being able to freely eat it in the end. It sounds like a crazy miracle right? It is! My journey of OIT began about two years ago. I went in for the first appointment (the office being about 2 hours away) and I came back thinking I am never doing this. I thought that it would take up all my time and that it would be hard keeping up with school when I have to commute every week. A couple months passed, and my mom became more invested in it. She decided that it was the best option for me, so I ended up agreeing (having no clue what OIT was or what they would give me). I go in on the first day and they start by giving me a liquid solution with an EXTREMELY small amount of egg diluted into it. After a couple of doses, my fear kicked in and I felt very unsure about what I was doing. So, they stopped me at that dose and I continued to take the same one for the week. Little did I know, that this was just the beginning. My journey would be filled with MANY highs and lows. I ended up graduating (finishing) OIT for my egg allergy about a year later with multiple bumps along the road. But, the moment where I was able to eat my first ever donut made it all worth it! I then started my tree nut and sesame OIT. Since I was way more used to OIT, my first day went very well and I successfully went through the entire protocol. My tree nut and sesame OIT were almost over, until I started having some issues towards the end. I’m gonna be honest, it gets hard in your mind sometimes and you have to fight to keep yourself pushing. Somedays, I did feel like quitting, but then I would bounce back. I’m so glad I didn’t stop because I overcame those issues and finished all of my updosing and all I have left now is a pecan challenge (to see if it covered the walnut which I did OIT for). Yes, OIT did bring a few bumps into my life and I did have to sacrifice some things. But, if you want to achieve an amazing goal, you have to sacrifice somethings right? And as I look back, I wouldn’t trade OIT for the world! I cannot wait to finish my pecan challenge and get my certificate which will complete my OIT journey as a whole. After that, I will be able to hang out with friends, go to any restaurant with families, enjoy parties, and try to foods I’ve just been looking at from a distance all these years! So if you’re considering doing OIT, I 100% recommend it!! It WILL change your life for the better and I cannot even express the amount of relief it has brought to me and my family. I really appreciate that you read my story and I hope ya’ll are staying safe!