EE

Long post ahead. Proceed with caution.

Ever since I moved to Austin at the ripe age of ten, I have been plagued with the worst allergies known to man. I started immunization therapy (allergy shots) around eleven years old, have been on countless medications, I have eczema and sensitive skin, and have recently developed horrible asthma in the last few years. My biggest triggers are changing season and cats. I've learned to deal and go on with life with a runny nose, mostly because I have never wanted to miss out on something because of my allergies. As a kid, I used to sleep over at my friend Emily's house all the time, but she had a cat and a Golden Retriever which was a recipe for allergy disaster. Each time my mom would pick me up from her house, we would drive home, she'd strip me of my all my clothes, send me to a steam shower and drug me with Benadryl. But I kept going for sleepovers because it was worth it for me to spend time with good friends. Same is true now when I go up north to see my in-laws who have three cats and a dog! It's life, and I don't want to miss it.

In January, 2010, I wound up in the ER because I choked on a piece of chicken during my lunch break at work. When the doc removed the chicken from my esophagus, he also did a biopsy of the tissue and diagnosed me with a condition called Eosiniphillic Esophogitis and referred me to some specialists. It is a fairly new disease, but becomes more common in people with severe allergies. Essentially, just like allergens in the air make me sneeze and wheeze, allergens that I am ingesting cause inflammation in my esophagus and make it difficult for me to swallow and sometimes even choke. Since that initial choking incident, I have experienced three other significant ones (all of which required someone to perform the Heimlich on me or force myself to throw up multiple times to move the blockage from my airway). It's scary stuff, and with no cure for this condition, I have become more frustrated and scared about being alone when this happens.

None of my doctors had answers, and finally after talking to a friend who also had been diagnosed with this condition and doing some research of my own, I found a new allergist who is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about this disease. I met with him last week for the first time and we went through my history and medical records and he smiled at me and said, "You are a textbook case of an allergic mess. And I'm going to help you." He was so positive, so forthcoming with information and so eager to find me some comfort, I told him he was going to be my new best friend.

After explaining to me the most current research on EE and asking me what I've previously tried: swallowing, rather than inhaling, an asthma inhaler medication to decrease inflamation in the esophagus. He agreed that my case of EE was pretty severe if I've had so many choking instances and told me we should probably take an immediate and pretty severe approach to finding the cause of this. In the last couple of months, a recent study came out that showed 80% improvement in EE patients when they followed the Six Food Elimination Diet. The six foods to eliminate are the six most common allergens (wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, nuts and shellfish). My heart about stopped when he told me this is what he wanted me to do. I didn't even think this was humanly possible, but after panicking for a couple of hours, asking for suggestions on Facebook (thanks friends!!) and doing a little more reading myself, I am feeling more confident and secure that this is the best option for me right now.

The plan is to do the SFED for one month and go back to the doctor at the end of November to check my progress. I'm looking for a decrease in difficulty swallowing and choking incidents, and the doctor will also want to start taking regular biopsies of my esophagus to see if the "allergy cells" are decreasing. Seems invasive and like a lot of work, but as he explained to me, this is a life-threatening condition if I choke and can not dislodge the impaction. That put it into perspective for me. I can definitely survive without ice cream or pasta for a little while if it means I won't have to worry every time I chew my food.

So, my new diet started today. I had black coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, and I plan on eating a lot of fruits and veggies for the next month. Depressed? A little. Thinking about Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday of them all!) makes me sad, but I'm a little excited thinking that this new way of eating will help my jeans fit better.

I hope I've shed some light on a fairly new condition and maybe there's someone else out there suffering from the same thing who wants to give me some hope on what has worked for them! And, if any of you out there follow an egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, shellfish-free, and nut-free diet, send me some of your favorite recipes and tips to making this work!


Of course, to avoid a pictureless post, here are a few pictures from our Trick or Treating adventures last night with Leela D.