Eosinophilic Esophagitis
So on New Year's Eve, I went into the hospital in Asheville, to have an Upper Endoscopy with a 48-hour Bravo monitoring test. The 48-hour test was given by clipping a tiny electronic reader on my esophagus to test the PH Balance. I would then carry a monitor around with me for the next 48-hours, recording everything that I ate, when I slept, when I laid down, when I burped, when I coughed, when I had any symptom listed on my chart, in order to correctly measure how much acid I produce. Well the results came back, and was told I have a mild amount of Acid, so they prescribed Pepcid. That's good, because if it was a large amount, I would have to be on a medicine called a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) and I have already tried four, and been allergic to each of them.
So while the doctor did the Upper Endoscopy, he also did a biopsy of the Esophagus lining to rule out any other possibilities. What he found was Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I still don't know how to pronounce the first word correctly. Apparently this is an allergic reaction to an unknown food and sometimes other common allergens such as mold. And the allergic reaction, although the culprit is unknown, causes a swollen esophagus, scaring of the esophagus, difficulty swallowing, severe chest pain, nausea, and a few others. For this, I was prescribed an Inhaler which I must take twice a day, followed by three hours of not drinking or eating after each spray. I'm fine with the no eating for six hours a day, it's the drinking I have a problem with. I drink water all day long, mainly because my medications cause me to be dehydrated, so I don't know how this is going to work. Not only that, the doctors don't even know what food is causing this. So even if I use the Inhaler, if I continue to eat a food I'm allergic too, unbeknownst to me, than wouldn't the medicine not work correctly?
So while the doctor did the Upper Endoscopy, he also did a biopsy of the Esophagus lining to rule out any other possibilities. What he found was Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I still don't know how to pronounce the first word correctly. Apparently this is an allergic reaction to an unknown food and sometimes other common allergens such as mold. And the allergic reaction, although the culprit is unknown, causes a swollen esophagus, scaring of the esophagus, difficulty swallowing, severe chest pain, nausea, and a few others. For this, I was prescribed an Inhaler which I must take twice a day, followed by three hours of not drinking or eating after each spray. I'm fine with the no eating for six hours a day, it's the drinking I have a problem with. I drink water all day long, mainly because my medications cause me to be dehydrated, so I don't know how this is going to work. Not only that, the doctors don't even know what food is causing this. So even if I use the Inhaler, if I continue to eat a food I'm allergic too, unbeknownst to me, than wouldn't the medicine not work correctly?
This is apparently a newly discovered chronic disease. Add that to my list. This will be #4 of chronic diseases, and also relatively new to science diseases that I have been diagnosed with. I'm not sure what to think about this one. I'm definitely not too excited to use an inhaler twice a day for an allergic reaction to something unknown.
At this point, I'm a little confused, frustrated, and tired. I just want to be free of pain, and to feel healthy. That thought is starting to look more unrealistic as the days go by. So if any of my nursing friends, or just anyone has ever heard of this before, or knows someone who has it, I would love to hear from you!
