
I’ve just started sublingual immunotherapy. It’s like allergy shots, but as a liquid you drip under your tongue. They do a gradual ramp of strength. One drop the first two days, then two drops the next two days, etc. up to five drops. Then I switch to a stronger bottle, and start again at one drop. The fourth bottle is the maintenance strength, and I should be ramped up on that in 40 days, assuming everything goes well. It’s supposed to be nearly as effective as allergy shots, but a lot more convenient and lower risk.
What could go wrong: I could have an allergic reaction, up to and including anaphylaxis. I could forget a day, though you have to miss quite a lot for the consequences to be anything more than a delay in benefit.
With the third dose, I had a mildly itchy tongue while the two drops sat under my tongue, which passed quickly. It’s supposed to be a few months before I notice the benefits of the drops, and then I’ll be on them for 3-5 years to keep the benefits.
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to waking up not puffy or groggy, and hopefully not grumpy.