It all started on August 9th, 2017. I was on vacation in Puerto Rico at a breakfast buffet. I was eating scrambled eggs and I started to have a hard time swallowing. I had gotten this feeling thousands of times before so I didn't think too much of it. I would just drink water and it would go away. Well, this time was a little different and the feeling didn't go away after a gulp of water. I started choking and I instantly freaked out. I threw up and immediately felt better, despite being a bit freaked out.
After many hours reading anything we could find on the internet, my family and I concluded I had Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE). Now it was time to find the culprit. Since I live in Westchester County, NY, we were able to meet with multiple doctors who specialized in EOE, however, we felt we were not getting the answers we were looking for. During my first endoscopy my esophagus was so inflamed and had so many strictures that it needed to be stretched. I immediately felt better when I woke up and drank water. I was prescribed medication, but my second scope did not look much better. I then eliminated dairy from my diet, however, my third scope did not change much either.
My mom spent hours and hours reading about EOE and anything that could help explain the disease and how to figure out what was causing it for me. Along the way, she found a team located at Boston Children's Hospital and hoped they would be willing to see me. Luckily after reviewing my case, they agreed to set up an appointment. Our first trip to Boston was on June 26, 2018. I never imagined that would be the first of many trips. Once there I saw an allergist, a GI doctor, and a nutritionist. I really recommend Boston Children's Hospital by the way. They decided I should start a full elimination diet. I was instantly upset because I wouldn't be able to eat all of the foods I love. Fast forward a year and 4 more endoscopies in Boston... I have found out that dairy is bad, peanuts are good, and eggs are bad. Update: I then tested wheat; did not come out good. My final food challenge was eggs. That scope (my 10th one) proved that eggs were another trigger for me. So for the foreseeable future I cannot have dairy, wheat, or eggs; they are all triggers for my EOE. Additionally, I cannot have tree nuts and various fruits and vegetables because I also have oral allergy syndrome.
One year later, I had a follow up endoscopy which came out clean! I had been in remission still. I was told I could add eggs when cooking and baking.
If you are reading this right now and are going through the same thing I went through, DO NOT WORRY! Like I said before, I was extremely upset when I found out about the full elimination diet. It is really not as hard as you think, especially once you find foods you can eat. My mom reads every label in the store and made me my own cabinet in the kitchen. With time and patience, you will overcome the challenges of EOE.