I didn’t think it would be too hard to manage my younger son’s multiple food allergies. He would be safe if he only ate food that I provided and made for him, and I would be able to protect him from exposure or cross contamination if we avoided places or situations that may have his food allergens. However, as he grew older and more independent, I realized that it was harder than I thought. As kindergarten drew closer, I became more and more anxious – how could I protect him when he was at school, with kids eating peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars, and anything else that contained nuts? How could I trust others to look after him, and know the appropriate action to take if he had an anaphylactic reaction? We also found out my older son had developed a peanut allergy at that time. Our stress levels were through the roof!
Somehow, we were lucky enough to find Dr. Agrawal at Freedom Allergy when we moved to Atlanta, and he told us about OIT. It took us some time to decide to do it, but we are so grateful now! Oral Immunotherapy has changed our lives. Not only has it given my sons protection from their food allergies to peanut and tree nuts, but it has given our entire family freedom. The stress and anxiety of living with food allergies has been lifted – we are able to eat out at restaurants, go on vacations, go to school, and attend social gatherings without the fear we used to experience. We understand that OIT is not a cure, but a treatment, and that my sons will always need to carry their epi-pens, but we are now in control of our food allergies, and that makes all the difference!
