Saturday, June 18, 2016

Anybody Want a PEANUT?!!

We've been truckin' along in OIT land, and I realized that I hadn't updated since we began multi-nut OIT in mid-march.  It's all gone so smoothly, there's been nary a need to update!  But here's how it's all gone down for those of you following our story:

We have faithfully updosed every week since mid-march.
At one of our updoses, Brendan's egg graduation picture finally made it to the wall of OIT graduates!
Our office actually had to start a new wall, because their old one was so full!
After about six weeks, we got to shed the solution and move on to capsules of peanut and hazelnut flour.

The entire first week of capsules, I felt like I was in "The Matrix."
Red pill or blue pill?!! We'll take BOTH!

Moving to capsules has some advantages, chief among them are no more nightmares that you may have left the solution on the counter all night.  Ask me how many nights I got up at 3am just to check!!  The capsules don't require refrigeration, so they are easier to transport and deal with in general.

The only con to the capsules, and this was a big con for us, since Brendan had already been down this road with egg OIT, is that you must mix the capsules into some sort of food (most people use pudding or yogurt) and our capsules contain a bit of baking soda to help the flour not stick to the capsule when you break it open.  Brendan HATES the baking soda taste, and he was already burned out on both pudding and yogurt for his "mix in" food.  We tried several things the first week or two of capsules.
These were seriously the only items in my cart one day at the grocery store.
I'm sure they thought I was nuts.  I guess I am!!!
Dosing methods in order of taste preference (number ONE being the best tasting):
1) Hershey's Syrup topped with whipped cream 2) Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream 3) Frosting (this was not a hit-- the texture was way too thick).  999) Blue Gatorade.  Seriously.  Don't try this.  It was YUCK.  He barely managed to choke it down.
We finally settled on a spoonful of Hershey's syrup with the flour on top, finished off with a squirt of whipped cream.  He used this method for dosing about 90% of the time we were on the capsules.

Whipped cream makes everything better.
By the final week on capsules, we were up to three spoonfuls, two hazelnut and one peanut!

Unfortunately, TSA doesn't like whipped cream-- or maybe they like it too much-- because they confiscated our bottle of Rediwhip in the Dallas airport!  OIT airport adventures are never boring!!

After 5 weeks on capsules, the big day arrived: ONE peanut and ONE hazelnut.  The real deal.
We just had to with this shirt.  #favoritemovieever

Here they are.  Weighed and ready for the entire week's worth of dosing!
It took me the entire jar to find peanuts the perfect size.  Next week, we will be using peanut pieces!!

Eating carbs right before his dose.

Moral support from little brother :).

More moral support from Memaw!
And here's the BIG MOMENT!!!

We were actually scheduled to see one of the PA's,
but when Dr. Silvers found out it was our ONE peanut day, he decided to do the visit instead :).


Brendan ate them like a champ!!  We're still only about half way done with the process.  They'll take Brendan all the way up to 12 peanuts/hazelnuts twice a day before he graduates.  Once he finishes, his maintenance dose will be 8 peanuts and 8 hazelnuts once a day.  I'll try to update again before he graduates, but just in case I don't get to it: Don't worry about us, we'll just be over here EATING PEANUTS!!