Happy New Year! This took a while but I’m finally updating the blog again. Jacob and I flew out to CA in October for our 3rd trip, which was technically visit 2 of active treatment. I was definitely nervous seeing it was just the 2 of us this time and it was an interesting few days to say the least!
Logistics:
We flew Southwest from Midway but this time we flew into Los Angeles (LAX) instead of Long Beach (LGB). The flight times and prices just worked out better for us this time. On the way there we had a 2 hour delay out of Chicago and I was grateful we didn’t have same day appointments this time around. Southwest sent us LUV vouchers 2 days later as an apology, without us having to complain, so that was an unexpected and welcome surprise.
I’m used to the easy layout at the tiny LGB airport so I was anxious about navigating LAX but it wasn’t bad at all. Once I figured out where to catch the car rental shuttle, everything went smoothly. Picking up our rental from Hertz was easy. Since we use their Gold Member program, I was able to just walk up to the row of cars and choose whichever one I wanted from our assigned section. We chose a cute Ford Eco Sport which felt like an upgrade since I paid for a compact car.
My only complaint in general is that my cell connection with T-Mobile is spotty out there, which makes it very nerve-wracking and frustrating when trying to navigate somewhere unfamiliar!
We stayed at the Staybridge Suites in Irvine again, utilizing their SoCal discount. We are trying to be consistent with our airline, hotel, and car rental services so that we rack up points for future visits!
The fun begins…
Once we had our car, of course the first stop was In and Out Burger and that’s where our excitement started. As Jacob was happily eating his burger, he lost a tooth that we’d been trying to get out for the past week! This is significant because any time there’s trauma to the mouth, a lost tooth, cut, dental work, etc., we are supposed to pause treatment for at least 24 hours. We want to avoid any allergens going straight into the bloodstream through an opening in the skin, because this can cause a reaction.
So there we were, just landed in CA and with 3 food challenges scheduled the next day, and facing our first hurdle. I internally panicked and emailed the 24 hr TipHelp line. They responded quickly and told us to come to the appointment regardless and the PA would assess and determine if it was safe to proceed. I was terrified that they would have to reschedule us and that we’d have to extend our stay!
Appointment 1:
Our appointment was in the afternoon so that next morning we slept in and had a relaxed morning, then hit the pool for an hour. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, and we had the pool to ourselves.
Afterwards we got ready and on the way to the clinic made a stop at Sensitive Sweets for some treats!
Since it was Halloween week, the clinic was all decked out in a Harry Potter theme. I of course geeked out but Jacob couldn’t have cared less. He was in costume though and loved pretending that he was a doctor too!
Our PA, Marcella assessed his mouth and decided to proceed, thank God! She put a little vaseline on his gum to create a barrier. He then proceeded to successfully challenge alfalfa, mustard, and macadamia nut!
Afterwards, breathing a sigh of relief, we picked up a pizza from Rafael’s Pizza in Santa Ana and headed back to the hotel to rest.
Appointment 2:
The next day our appointment was bright and early and then we were headed back to the airport to fly home that afternoon. As soon as I woke Jacob up, he said “I think I have a cut in my mouth”. Sure enough, he had a gash on the inside of his lip! We had no idea how that happened but there I was, freaking out again. We got ready to go and headed to the clinic where he was supposed to introduce 3 new foods. Once again, Marcella assessed him and decided to proceed. I wanted to cry with relief! He then successfully introduced walnut, flax seed, and kidney bean!
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to finish packing our bags and have lunch, then we headed home! The trip back was thankfully uneventful and we made it home safe and sound.
I can’t believe we now head back for visit 3 next week! For the past 9 weeks Jacob has dosed walnut, flax seed, and kidney bean with no major issues! He will challenge these at the next visit and introduce pumpkin, navy bean and quail egg yolk!! We are so pumped to already be starting his egg journey!!
