How I learned food getting stuck was actually due to EoE

- James, a real patient living with EoE

James:
I’ve always noticed with certain foods I would choke. But then it progressively got worse. The only thing that would alleviate it is if I cleared it myself. Even when I was choking or had something lodged in my throat I could still get air through, but it always seemed like there was always something that never quite made it down my esophagus.

The symptoms reached the breaking point when I was out to eat with my wife. We had ordered gator bites. I had taken one piece, and it got stuck. I tried to drink water, tried to clear it. It would not clear. Got to the point that I couldn’t swallow anything, and we went to the local ER.

James:
When they were first describing what was going on with my esophagus, he told me my esophagus was supposed to be the size of a thumb. Mine happened to be the size of, like, a soda straw.

We had to do an upper endoscopy scope. After the scope, he determined it was eosinophilic esophagitis.

My doctor explained that it was an allergy-based condition that caused inflammation in the esophagus. After the diagnosis, my gastroenterologist referred me to an allergist. I found out I had several allergies that I was unaware of before.

As I work to manage my EoE, I keep a constant watch on what I’m eating, what I’m putting in my body.

I’m learning every day how to manage my EoE.

James:
Living with EoE, it’s important to take one day at a time.

Follow your doctor’s advice. Realize it’s not the end of anything. It’s just the beginning of changing how you were doing things.

I’m happy to say that by carefully managing my EoE, I can be an active participant in my family’s life.

If you're struggling to swallow and have symptoms of EoE, let your doctor know and consider discussing a diagnostic endoscopy.

Symptoms vary by patient. This information is not intended to make a diagnosis or to take the place of talking to a U.S. healthcare professional.

Learning my difficulty swallowing was due to EoE gave me a sense of control again

- Stephanie, a real patient living with EoE

Stephanie:

Growing up, food really meant everything to me. So many of my memories revolve around food and being with my family.

My relationship with food began to change when I started to have incidents where I started choking.

I started experiencing some difficulty swallowing and choking.

I actually was dismissive of it at first. Every food I tried to swallow was just causing so much pain.

I was confused, and I wasn’t quite sure what that meant for me.

When I first met with my gastroenterologist, we had an endoscopy right away and he took multiple biopsies in my esophagus and stomach to see what was going on.

Stephanie:

One week after, he called me with news that the biopsies showed elevated eosinophil levels. And I definitely had eosinophilic esophagitis.

Once I hung up the phone, I actually ran straight back to my computer and started Googling eosinophilic esophagitis. I discovered that, you know, so many of the symptoms were lining up with what I was experiencing.

I felt a huge sense of relief.

We tried a couple of different treatments, but unfortunately nothing was working for me. So I set out to find another gastroenterologist.

I found a new team of doctors who had experience dealing with eosinophilic esophagitis.

When you are diagnosed with EoE, and if you have numerous food reactions like I do, you really just have to start cooking for yourself. I've actually learned I love it and I actually feel like I'm kind of good at it.

Stephanie:

The advice I would give to someone newly diagnosed with EoE is to just keep looking for the right physician for you. Because it is a rare disease, you really do have to be your own advocate. I’m definitely inspired by my journey with EoE.

I have a resilience, a really strong willpower, and actually have gained a lot more confidence in myself.

Don’t dismiss what you’re feeling. Speak to your doctor about your symptoms and whether a diagnostic endoscopy is appropriate for you.

Symptoms vary by patient. This information is not intended to make a diagnosis or to take the place of talking to a U.S. healthcare professional.

Getting diagnosed with EoE allowed me to manage it

- Pranav, a real patient living with EoE

Pranav:

Some of my fondest memories growing up were dinnertime with my family.

As much as I love food, growing up, dinners were a bit of a struggle for me.

After college, I decided to go back to school. It was during that time that I began to have GI issues again. My initial symptoms were pains in my belly. It felt like it was in my chest.

At that time I didn’t know what was causing my issues. Was it the stress of school? Was it what I was eating? The pains progressed, and they persisted. That became concerning.

What was heartburn or an intermittent sticking of food was now more frequent episodes where things I love eating—steak, burritos—was becoming a big problem.

I finally sought medical attention. It was with a gastroenterologist.

Given the nature of my symptoms, the gastroenterologist I was seeing decided to proceed with an endoscopy to diagnose what, if anything, was going on.

Pranav:

The endoscopy showed that I had eosinophilic esophagitis. Being diagnosed with EoE was a curveball.

I didn't know what to make of it, but I was happy I had an answer.

I eat healthier, and I watch for any triggers.

Where I am today is very different than where I was. Over the course of my journey with EoE, I have learned a lot about myself.

Everyone has their own journey. Having support makes all the difference.

Don’t dismiss what you’re feeling. Speak to your doctor about your symptoms and whether a diagnostic endoscopy is appropriate for you.

Symptoms vary by patient. This information is not intended to make a diagnosis or to take the place of talking to a U.S. healthcare professional.

My trouble swallowing turned out to be due to EoE

- Kelly, a real patient living with EoE

Kelly:

Food has always been a big part of my life. My husband and I, we like to grill out in the summertime.

We like to try new recipes. We were having some type of meat, and I was just noticing that even if I was cutting it up into smaller pieces, it was still hard for me to swallow.

It was just so uncomfortable I had to go to the hospital.

Before I was discharged, they did give me a referral to a gastroenterologist. I ended up having the endoscopy and they did take a tissue sample that confirmed that I had EoE.

My doctor explained to me that it's a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus.

After I was diagnosed, I did go through some allergy testing. They did confirm I had some food allergies and environmental allergies.

Kelly:

I did go through a period of time where, you know, there was grief, and anger, and sadness.

Getting past that, I've learned how to adapt certain recipes, substituting different ingredients, and I've even discovered different recipes or foods that I might've not tried before.

I thought it would be a great idea to start a blog and just explain my story, and then also share recipes that I adapted with others who might have dietary restrictions.

I've definitely become more aware of what I'm putting into my body. It's a lot of checking the ingredients on the back of the box.

Everybody's EoE might be different, so making sure that you're communicating with all your providers, getting all their perspectives, is really important. It’s important to take one day at a time.

If you're struggling to swallow and have symptoms of EoE, let your doctor know and consider discussing a diagnostic endoscopy.

Symptoms vary by patient. This information is not intended to make a diagnosis or to take the place of talking to a U.S. healthcare professional.