Food Trials

This has proven to be a complicated process, just as I know it is for most families with EE.  Andrew failed his trial with bison based on symptoms.  He was having stomach pain, chest pain and increased regurgitation.  The GI took him off the bison and had him back on elemental only for about a week before he was able to trial his next food.  He noticed a difference in the way he felt almost immediately.  We knew we were taking a chance with bison.  On the food introduction list that we are following, most meats are in the "C" list category, where as "A" and "B" list foods are less allergenic.  However, months ago, Andrew had been told he could eat a meat first, so the doctors wanted to grant him his wish, and he started with one of the least allergenic meats.

After he failed bison, he chose to start over again with sweet potato, a vegetable on the "A" list.  He has truly enjoyed eating sweet potatoes, a food that he did not like before the elemental diet.  It's amazing what 9 months on EOSplash will do for the taste buds.  I mash them with a little of the water I boil them with and slice them very thin and bake them in the oven.  He has also had a baked sweet potato.  He never complains and will eat them any way they are fixed, but prefers the "french fries" best.

Believe it or not, we had 2 weeks symptom free so we began peaches.  I'm not completely sure how they are going.  He says that he is fine, but I know that his stomach bothers at times.   It is hard to say if it is an "EE" hurt or just from the constant constipation.  We just keep trucking along and hoping for the best. 

Our doctor recommends scoping after 5 foods,  which would be 10 weeks.  We are hoping to get a scope done over Christmas Vacation.  I never like to get my hopes up.  There have been so many times he has been symptom free, but has had 75 or more eos per hpf....even on the elemental only diet.  But wouldn't it be a wonderful Christmas present if he was able to eat 5 foods safely and scoped clear for Christmas!!

***I feel as though I need to apologize for not posting in such a long time.  I accepted a 2 week substitute position at my children's school (that was 6 weeks ago), and there is no end in sight.  Between that and my children I have been extremely busy and seem to have neglected my blog.  Although I never had any intentions of accepting long term substitute positions, I am completely enjoying teaching again....it has reminded me why I went into the profession so many years ago.  

Thanks To the National Institutes of Health (CoFAR) and Voters for EGIDs at Chase Community Giving

During National Eosinophil Awareness Week it was stated that the National Intstitutes of Health (NIH) gave $0 a year in funding toward Eosinophil research.  I am happy to say, that is no longer the case.  In a press  release on Wednesday, July 14, NIH Expands Food Allergy Research Program Consortium of Food Allergy Research Renewed With a Five-Year, $29.9 Million Grant, NIH announced the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) will be funded for 5 more years.  CoFAR has been working on ways to treat and prevent food allergies since 2005.  It will now broaden it's scope to include genetic causes of food allergy and studies of food allergy associated with EGIDs, mostly EE (EoE).

While food allergies are associated with the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies as a response to a food which may lead to symptoms anywhere from hives to anaphylaxis, EGIDs can also be associated with IgE, but are also associated with stomach pain, vomiting, chest pain, and trouble swallowing.  There is also inflammation, irritation and a large number of eosinophils in the esophagus.

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Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Boy, this is a hard topic to write about. I still don't understand all the facets of the disease myself. For that matter, neither do the doctors.


The definition of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) is an allergic inflammatory disease characterized by elevated eosinophils in the esophagus. Okay, so what is an eosinophil (eos)? It is a type of white blood cell that is an important part of the immune system which helps fight off certain types of infections (among other things). Many problems can cause high numbers of eos in the blood, but in Andrew's case it is caused from food and possibly environmental allergies.
As written on the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) website,

Eosinophilic esophagitis is characterized by a large number of eosinophils and inflammation in the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach). These eosinophils persist despite treatment with acid blocking medicines. People with EE commonly have other allergic diseases such as rhinitis, asthma, and/or eczema. EE affects people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Males are more commonly affected than females. In certain families, there may be an inherited (genetic) tendency.
In individuals with EE, the eosinophils cause injury to the tissue in the esophagus. EE can be driven by food allergy or intolerance: most patients who eliminate food proteins from their diet (by drinking only an amino-acid based formula) improve.

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