I don’t mind you asking at all :). The allergy desensitization involved an admission to ICU with 1:1 monitoring during the procedure. They started an IV and had 5 IV bags in increasing dosages of the octreotide. Each bag of octreotide was infused over 30 minutes and with any allergic reaction, they would treat accordingly. My experience went like this:
Benadryl prior to start
Bag #1: @ about 10 minutes heart rate went from 60 to 168, infusion stopped, Benadryl and Pepcid given and then restarted
Bag # 2: no issues
Bag #3: respiratory issues - Benadryl, pepcid again - at that point the MD contemplated stopping the desensitization but they decided to wait for an hour and then restarted with more Benadryl and other medications to treat allergic reaction. Things get a little fuzzy from here from a memory perspective due to all of the benadryl
Bag #4: no issues
Bag #5: rash, mild chest pain but made it through the entire bag with more Benadryl
(I slept very well that night :))
They next day, with pretreatment, they gave me a subcutaneous dose of octreotide and I was able to tolerate so they discharged me with a prescription to start the short acting injections 3 times a day and after a little over a month, I was able to convert to the monthly injection. I still have to take anti-allergy meds daily and have mild allergic reaction symptoms such as rash/hives but am able to tolerate the medication. The octreotide helps a great deal with my hypoglycemia. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have additional questions. Always happy to help.