Probably the most frequently asked question I get about OIT is, “Is it safe?”
Sometimes the question is asked like this:
“Doesn’t it scare you that he could react?”
“What about the risk of an anaphylactic reaction?”
“Are you scared he will have a reaction?”
The question about safety is a great one to ask. As an allergy parent, we have been guarding our child from his allergen his entire life, so to introduce an allergen to him willingly can be unnerving to put it lightly.
When I was searching for an answer for my allergic child, Noah, anaphylactic reactions were already a part of our life. They weren’t something we feared, it was way worse than that, it was a fear realized. We were dealing with them and often. This was my frame of reference, so when the question came up, I had a different response than some.
Is there a chance a child could have a severe reaction while undergoing OIT? Absolutely.
This did not discourage me because we were already there. I had no choice if my child would have a severe reaction. It was happening and unfortunately, with each reaction he was having, our situation was growing more desperate. At least on a path of OIT, we would be moving FORWARD. We would be moving toward hope and healing. Reactions before OIT were just scary, defeating, and left us feeling doomed to a life of fear.
When I read about OIT and the risks involved, a few things stood out to me in regards to reactions.
- There is a protocol for a reason. There are boundaries meant to protect your child, like rest periods, dosing protocols, what do in the event of illness, etc.
- If your child has a reaction, it will most likely be on the mild end. OIT uses small, escalating doses for a reason. In the event we have had reactions, they have been mild in nature. Not to say you cannot have a severe reaction, you can, but they are rare.
- You will know the reaction is caused by your allergen. Not rocket science, but for the parent of a child with multiple food allergies, it is nice to know what caused the reaction. It takes some of the fear away, just knowing that this is indeed the allergen and dose the child reacted. If that occurs, there is a plan in place. For instance, you will back down on the dose until it resolves and try again more slowly perhaps. It is CONTROLLED. It isn’t the common out of control reaction that is plagued with fear: “Why did this happen? What did he react to? How do I keep my child safe?”
After evaluating the research, meeting with an OIT provider, and reading about countless success stories from OIT, it was a no-brainer for me. I would rather assume the risk, after all, just living day to day in the world, we were already assuming a risk. In OIT, we would at least be moving forward, toward an end goal of safety.
I remember talking to Noah before we started OIT. He was only five years old at the time but very aware of his allergies and challenges. He asked me if he could react and I told him honestly, “Yes. Yes buddy, you might, but we have medicine to help you if you do.”
Then it occurred to me, “What if you don’t react? What if you are the one who sails through OIT and it changes your life? What if you are the person who never has a reaction? What if you are the one it works for, but we never tried because we were scared?”
There are always statistics and fears to work through, but what if you, your child, are the one who is a success story. Isn’t it worth the try?
