Hi! I’m Tia, a 25-year-old navigating life with food allergies. I am allergic to peanuts, cashews, and pistachios, and I am currently undergoing oral immunotherapy (OIT) to overcome these allergies. I started this blog to share my experience and to inspire people to advocate for themselves. I will be writing about my experiences with OIT, traveling, exercising, and enjoying food with allergies.

After college, I moved to New York City. While surrounded by incredible doctors and wanting the freedom to travel, attend weddings, and try new cuisines without fear, I decided I wanted to try to treat my food allergies.

As a baby, I was allergic to milk and eggs. During testing, my allergist discovered I was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I successfully avoided them my entire life and thankfully, never had a severe allergic reaction. I heard about clinical trials to treat food allergies, but I was always too nervous to try.

The first doctor I saw told me it was not possible for me and that I would never find a doctor who would do an allergy treatment on me, because I was an adult female who never outgrew her allergies and had strong markers on blood tests. But, I had seen stories of women my age successfully doing OIT and knew it could be possible. Eventually, I found a program that had options and a doctor who was willing to treat me. 

Before starting OIT, I did skin tests, blood tests, and food challenges to confirm what I was truly allergic to. I learned I could safely eat most tree nuts except for peanuts, cashews, and pistachios. This was a huge win, since I had reacted to one of the nuts in the past but have successfully added it back into my diet.

Now, I eat small amounts of peanut flour and cashew flour daily (cashews and pistachios are related, so only one is necessary to treat). Over time, I gradually increase the dose. The end goal is to eat one peanut, one cashew, and two pistachios every day. The daily maintenance dose protects me against severe reactions from cross contamination or accidental exposure.

I have continued to increase my doses and move forward within the OIT program. But, it has not been easy and I have had a few allergic reactions. Allergic reactions are scary and one of the hardest parts is that there are not many resources about adults, especially women, going through OIT. 

I am so glad you are here and I am excited for you to follow my journey!