First Doses at Home

We began dosing Sean with his peanut liquid at home on Wednesday, so this is our fourth day.  I was a bundle of nerves as we gave him that first dose at home.  I made sure to follow it up with some water, as recommended by Dr. M.  Then we gave him some applesauce since we learned that it helps curb tummy problems.  The next stressful task would be to keep him still for the required two to four hours after his dose.  

Sean is 4 years old and he has a 2-year-old brother (not to mention their 3-month-old brother).  The older two are typical young little boys who love to bounce off the walls, often in the literal sense.  They are loud, rambunctious, and crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  However, people going through OIT are faced with the problem that they are more prone to reactions if they are particularly active in the first few hours after their dose.  How on Earth would we keep this boy still?

Conveniently, I had just purchased a huge collection of craft projects that I had found online, and the kids absolutely love them.  They have made adorable little monkey puppets, and there are so many more projects that we still have to do.  I'm personally excited for the colorful, fun-looking paper airplanes!  They also love playing games on the Kindle, Nook, and on my phone, and they would sit there for hours and do that if you let them.  I rarely ever let them before, but lucky for them, they have a good excuse now.  We need to keep Sean still!  I'm also waiting on a big order of new books to arrive for them also.  I'm always happy to sit and read a book with the boys, and Sean is taking a great interest in learning how to read for himself.  He knows how to spell a few small words like yes, no, and his own name.  I can't wait until that magical moment when the light bulb comes on and he realizes he can sound out the words!

The second home dose had to be given by Daddy while I was at work.  It had to be given in the evening, approximately 12 hours after the morning dose, and he could not sleep for at least an hour afterward.  Of course, I was a nervous wreck standing at work an hour away from home and hoping a disaster didn't happen.  Thank goodness, it went well.  I was, and still am, afraid to let him go to sleep at night.  I insist that we check on him multiple times before we go to bed ourselves.

Today is day four of home dosing, and we've only had one minor problem so far.  Yesterday, he began to run around and play at the two hour mark after his dose, and a red welt-like spot popped up on his cheek.  He said it felt hot, and kept putting his hand over it as if it bothered him.  I was watching him like a hawk after that, but thankfully it went away pretty quickly and he never showed any other signs of a reaction.  I am taking it as our lesson that a two-hour rest period isn't enough for us.  We'll definitely be sticking to three or four hours from now on, as difficult as it may be with a hyperactive 4-year-old.  

Our appointment to try our first dose-increase is in five days and we'll be traveling back to Michigan, this time with all three kids, God help us.  We'll have to leave at 4 in the morning and be gone most of the day.  This is the way I'll spend my days off for quite a while now, potentially a year or more.  If it allows me to live life with a little less fear that Sean will die of an allergic reaction to peanuts, then there is nowhere else I'd rather spend my days off work.  I hope this treatment is a success!