Scope Results

We did do that upper endoscopy last Tuesday. The procedure went well, the results were not good though. The visuals of his esophagus were quite bad. The biopsy results a couple days later confirmed that the Eos had returned to his esophagus in quite large numbers. Funny thing is, he has had ZERO symptoms or complaints or anything.

We increased his Flovent and made an appt. with the allergist. The Flovent is great at calming them darned eos, but some consider it as "masking" as it doesn't cure anything and once you go off of it, they can come back. Plus, long term Flovent isn't recommended due to the side effects.

We spoke with the Allergist today. We are removing wheat from his diet again. Poor kid. He's so bummed. Even though he had tested negative to wheat recently, perhaps it was a false negative and is the main culprit in the returning Eos. We are also making plans to do additional skin prick testing to see if there might be some other things we are missing. I'm compiling a list of ingredients I typically feed him, including spices such as garlic and oregano, etc.

What about environmental allergens causing this? The GI says it's controversial since the EE usually goes away on a non-food diet, pointing to food being the culprit. The Allergist says that in his field, there is no controversy, environmental allergies can definitely contribute to EE. Jason has been suffering hayfever all spring and summer despite the large dose of daily Zyrtec.

What about Probiotics to help the immune system and the GI tract? Our GI says they're fine to add to the diet. Our Allergist also says there is no harm in trying. Though, there is no studies at this time relating Probiotics to reducing/eliminating EE. There are studies showing that probiotics given to pregnant mothers and infants can reduce the chances of the child developing allergies in the first place.

So, we keep plugging away. Back to the drawing board for some of my recipes, the big one being our pancakes! I can't just go back to the no wheat, no egg version because that had barley in it which we're also avoiding. I'll have to do some experimenting.

Vote For EE - Raise Money for EE Research

There is still time to vote! Go to www.VoteForEE.com now. American Express is going to fund winning projects. We are hoping the Eosinophilic Esophagitis project can be the winner!

Take 2 minutes of your time to vote. You do NOT need to be an American Express card holder.

American Express is going to fund the winning projects with $2.5 million:

$1,500,000 for the winning project
$500,000 for the 2nd place project
$300,000 for the 3rd place project
$100,000 each for the two remaining finalist projects

The funding will be provided to the organizations that have been matched with the final five projects.

We thank you in advance for placing your vote at www.VoteForEE.com

Thanks!!!!!

Planning for Upper Endoscopy Next Week

At Jason's GI appointment last month she scheduled him for an upper endoscopy. I've been talking with the hospital and such getting the final details all smoothed out. What worries me most about this procedure is the need for general anesthesia to get into the esophagus and get pictures and biopsies. Children, anyone for that matter, shouldn't have to do something like this on a regular basis. Jason of course has been a trooper from the day we started poking and proding him looking for answers. He's a tough little guy. The hardest thing for him right now is that I've restricted his diet completely. No cheating with a little corn syrup here and there. Corn is one of his foods he's allergic to. But the allergist says he should be able to eat corn syrup because it shouldn't have that many proteins in it. If you look at the corn syrup industry, they say that yes, there is a little corn protein in it, but it shouldn't bother anyone. Though they don't understand that for some people even the smallest amount could put them in the hospital. We're lucky... Jason doesn't seem to be affected by corn syrup. However, I want to ensure a 100% clear scope next week! If it comes back showing eosinophils in his esophagus, I'll be completely stumped as to why, except for maybe wheat. So you can understand me wanting to make things as simple and understandable as possible. All Jason wants is a lollipop!

Detroit News Story about Eosinophilic Esophagitis

I'd like to share another news story with you about another child and her family dealing with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I think that seeing the faces of the people affected by this condition will help to spread awareness and help people to understand that this is a very real affliction. I think it also helps to hear different peoples stories as not everyone got their diagnosis the same way.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/17179036/index.html