Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) Diagnosis

I have been dealing with a new diagnosis that’s been taking up some of my time recently. This diagnosis has nothing to do with ESG, but it does have to do with food/diet so I thought I’d make a post about it here (just in case someone else is battling with this).

When I had an endoscopy in September of 2019 (prior to my first ESG), the doctor noticed my esophagus was narrowed, and had scarring. He dilated it, and then sent a biopsy off to test for a certain white blood cell called an Eosinophil. It came back positive and then I was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

What Is EoE?

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is a rare autoimmune disease where white blood cells (eosinophils) attack your esophagus, causing it to scar and narrow. In some circumstances people lose the ability to eat (swallow) entirely and have to have a feeding tube placed. It is believed to be caused by allergies (especially food allergies).

Treatment

At this point treatment is managing symptoms with corticosteroids, and dilating the esophagus to make swallowing easier. It’s also important to find the food allergies that are causing the reaction so that the esophagus doesn’t continue to narrow and scar. There is also something called sublingual immunotherapy, which can be beneficial in treating allergies (environmental and food).

What’s Next?

I see an allergist at Allergy Associates of LaCrosse and they are very knowledgeable about EoE. I have started up my sublingual immunotherapy there as well to try to help with my environmental allergies (which are abundant and could be contributing to the problem).

I already eliminated wheat years ago due to an allergy, and recent testing shows I also have an allergy to peanuts. So I eliminated peanuts around mid December. However, my allergist thinks I need to eliminate dairy as well, and then have a repeat endoscopy to check if it helps. I have been hesitant to do this, but after further testing showed that my lungs are really struggling too (also due to Eosinophils), I am starting to wean myself off of dairy right now.

Eliminating dairy is hard for me. Mainly because dairy is a large source of my protein, and I LOVE cheese. I have not been able to find a satisfactory substitute for any cheese at all. It all tastes horrible*. Bread and cheese are my two most favorite food staples, and it’s very hard to think I have to give both up forever. At this point, though, I’m willing to try, and it will be worth it if it makes me feel drastically better.

*If anyone reading has found dairy free satisfactory cheddar cheese, PLEASE feel free to comment below!