Personally I don't see the danger in the SLIT version of desens., seeing as during ejaculation you're exposed to pure semen anyway, but I can understand the concern. I swallowed pure semen almost every night for 3 months in my SLIT trial with no positive or negative effect, but everyone's body is different.
Incorrectly using an epi-pen sounds like it could be more dangerous than swallowing semen so my suggestion on this issue is maybe it'd be good to take some benadryl when you perform your desens as a small preventative measure in case anaphylaxis does occur.
VM and Everyone,
No -- using an epi-pen incorrectly is not dangerous. It's actually very safe, very easy to self-administer, and a good physician will only prescribe one-two epi-pens at a time. They have saved countless lives. Even people with serious heart conditions who also have severe allergies (like to shellfish, for example) are prescribed epi-pens -- and should always carry one with them.
I've seen one or two anaphylaxis episodes as a nurse --
neither patient lived through it. ANAPHYLAXIS is a worst nightmare -- an immediate emergency tracheotomy is needed because the throat swells up, the blood pressure bottoms out --
every single second counts. So -- if one has an epi-pen, those symptoms can be stopped in their tracks (most of the time) and a life can be saved.
SLIT therapy
with any allergen -- if not done in the doc's office under very careful supervision -- can definitely, unequivocally be deadly.
For those of you who are trying your own version of semen SLIT therapy -- I honestly doubt that you are accomplishing anything. (I don't mean to be at all disrespectful here.)
IF there is a component of semen that is causing POIS -- a true, bona fide allergist would isolate that component and administer
it on its own, in slowly increasing dosages, under very cautious supervision.
I think that simply diluting semen is not the same as real SLIT therapy -- because the person is receiving semen in total -- not the specific allergic component (if one exists) in increasingly therapeutic doses.
Stef