With children's food allergies on the rise, have you ever wondered if there is something else behind the scenes that could be the cause? If your child has multiple food allergies, EE could be a factor.
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EE (Eosiniphilic Esophagitis) is a disease that is an allergic reaction in the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. The foods that trigger EE vary from person to person.
My daughter was finally diagnosed with Eosiniphilic Esophagitis when she was five. It was a battle prior to the diagnosis. But once it was figured out, we knew what we were up against, and that it needed to be managed closely for our biggest chances at success. Three short years later, she is improving greatly! Here's her story.
Like I mentioned, the foods that trigger EE vary from person to person. In my daughter's case, there were SEVERAL foods that caused problems for her. We started to notice something was up when she was only three months old and began with vomiting and digestive issues. I had to alter my diet as I nursed her to be sure she did not take in any of the harming foods.
When she turned three, she was found to have stomach ulcers and acid reflux (diagnosed via an upper GI and colonoscopy). But still, the doctors did not understand why.
When she turned five, I brought her back to the gastro specialist because I feared the ulcers had returned since she was complaining of a lot of pain. That is when they did another endoscopy and a biopsy which revealed the Eosiniphilic Esophagitis cells.
This was challenging since I had, up until that point, battled with the doctors and allergists who told me there was no way she was allergic to all those foods since nothing would show up on any type of allergy test. She had done both a RAST test and scratch tests. All negative. But, I insisted that I had discovered problematic foods from her symptoms, and that her health would improve once I eliminated the foods. I was even accused of withholding too many foods from her for no reason. It was a very frustrating experience and although the Eosiniphilic Esophagitis news was saddening, it was also an explanation and verification of what we had been battling.
After the diagnosis, we visited an Eosiniphilic Esophagitis specialist. There still was not much we could do since we could not test for the allergies. We did do an allergy test (IgG) that is controversial and not covered by insurance. It revealed some allergens that we had not thought about, and we eliminated those foods. Fortunately, the pain subsided and we were thrilled. We figured if we followed the current diet, she would outgrow her condition in a few years (which is very common) and one day be able to eat more foods. Some allergies (e.g. nuts) may never subside. But that's a short list compared to the 30+ problematic foods we were eliminating.
One key point worth mentioning… kids with Eosiniphilic Esophagitis need a variety in their diet. Repeat foods day after day can eventually become problematic foods. It happened with my daughter with rice and potatoes. This adds to the stress of trying to figure out what to feed your child. A nutritionist can be very helpful.
Today, my daughter is almost eight years old and is doing very well. With all the eliminations, her body was allowed to heal and she has outgrown several of the allergies. She has much less pain, enjoys eating different foods, and is much happier overall.
There are local allergists and EE specialists. If you've had no luck and you're looking for EE resources, there are also Eosiniphilic Esophagitis specialists available at a children's hospital in Cincinnati. Additionally, there are some Eosiniphilic Esophagitis clinical trials available that are recruiting participants. For a list of the clinical trials, click here.
About the author:
Lisa LaGrou is the founder of OaklandCountyMoms.com. She and her team work to present quality content to their readers. Lisa likes to provide information and options for families about a myriad of topics without preaching or condoning. If she experiences something, she want to share it. If she doesn't know about something, she tries to find information to share. She's delighted when people contact her with suggestions about content and resources. For more information on how to become a member of Oakland County Moms click HERE