A TREATMENT NOT A CURE

Sigh- I just read about yet another child who died from anaphylaxis. Tanner was 14 years old. He ate a cookie. Now he's dead. The firemen & ambulance team worked on him for over 45 minutes at home using a defibrillator. At the hospital they worked on him for over an hour. They life flighted him to another hospital where he was pronounced brain dead from lack of oxygen. I know food allergy deaths happen every day. I know often 'death by asthma attack' is actually food anaphylaxis in disguise, but when one reads about a young child dying from this- it really gets to you.

Some people still believe OIT is a cure. It is NOT.

But it perhaps may be the closest thing we get to a cure.

Even one who graduates OIT can have reactions in certain circumstances (like fever or exercise after dosing). OIT is a TREATMENT. It has strict guidelines that need to followed daily. OIT basically takes away the risk of accidental ingestion causing anaphylaxis. It takes away the risk of a touch reaction and an airborne reaction. It takes away that risk of 'one wrong bite can kill.' It gives a child back his childhood allowing him to partake in birthday parties, trips, sleepovers, restaurants, going out for ice cream, playdates, college etc etc etc.

If a child graduates he/she will have to eat a certain amount of peanuts every single day followed by that rest period. His body 'should be' desensitized to that amount of allergen if there are no extenuating circumstances. During the day the child can eat whatever he would want---- if the amount is equivalent to his dosing amount (for example one snickers bar is 14 peanuts) he would have to rest after that as well. If it is lower than the dosing amount (I believe 12 peanuts) then he wouldn't have to rest.

Many children choose NOT to eat anything specifically with peanuts other than their dose but are still free to go to that ice cream parlor and eat anything that may be cross contaminated with almost no worry. Those who choose to eat a butterfinger or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich will have to still 'watch and wait'.

Epipens will still be carried. But the risk of reaction from OIT is much much lower than the risk without it.

 I repeat it is NOT a cure. It is a TREATMENT that hands them back their life. It takes away that risk of accidental ingestion causing anaphylaxis. It is still life saving, it is still life granting. But it is not a cure.