OIT

 At Tucker's yearly allergy appointment, I would tell myself not to get my hopes up.  I would think of all the skin reactions he had over the last year and how the chances of him not being allergic to dairy were slim.  Despite this, I still always felt disappointed when the skin panel would show a large reaction to dairy or his blood test indicated he was still 'highly allergic'.  Tucker's allergist always told us that 80% of dairy allergic kids will outgrow their allergy.  But as each year passed, I began to lose faith.
 I started looking online for success stories of children who outgrew their allergy.  One night, I stumbled on a Facebook post about Oral Immunotherapy (OIT).  The post was from a mother who's child was severely allergic to peanuts yet was consuming several peanuts a day due to OIT.  I had never heard about it and quickly googled it to see what it was about.  I also asked to join a FB group dedicated to OIT.  I rarely commented or even asked questions at first.  I just read post after post and comment after comment.  I was stunned that this community existed out there in the food allergy world and I had never heard of it before.  I was shocked that there was an alternative to 'strictly avoid food allergen'.  The more information I collected, the more certain I was that OIT was the path for Tucker.
 In a nutshell, OIT is a food allergy treatment that aims to desensitize the body to the allergen.  Under an allergist's care, the patient is given a daily dose of the allergen in a very small and diluted amount.  That dose gradually increases as the body begins to tolerate the allergen.  The goal is to desensitize the body so it no longer reacts to the allergen and it is no longer life-threatening.
  This all sounded amazing when I began researching it.  But it wasn't an easy decision.  For starters, there is potential for an allergic reaction.  Tucker would be ingesting a daily dose of diluted DAIRY.  How could I willingly give my child something he is so severely allergic to?  Also, after dosing everyday, Tucker would have a 2 hour 'rest period'.  It's important to keep the body calm (heart rate, body temperature) to lessen the chance of a reaction.  How would I keep an 8 year old 'resting' for 2 hours?? And finally, the closest OIT doctor is in Cleveland.  That means a 6 hour round trip car ride every few weeks for dosing appointments.
 So we stalled.  I spent a year going over the pros and cons, talking it out over and over with my husband, talking to Tucker about it, reading the FB posts.  I think I knew in my heart that we would end up doing it but I was scared.  There's a strange comfort in doing what you have always done, even if it's not what is best anymore.  After months of indecision, we finally decided to make an appointment for a consultation.  In April, we drove to Cleveland for a face to face meeting with Dr. Silver.  He was everything I could hope for in a doctor.  He was knowledgeable, calm, and reassuring.  He explained the whole process for us and answered countless questions.  He engaged with Tucker and included him in the conversation.  When we walked out of his office that day, my husband and I both felt the same thing: why did we wait so long?