What's Wrong With You?

#228
#228
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition that has troubled me for 16 years. Only recently have I had a breakthrough. Hopefully, my story will help someone who has the same issues and cannot find a solution.

16 years ago, my wife and I were at a restaurant having dinner with my sister and her husband. I took a bite of my steak, chewed and swallowed. It went halfway down and stopped. My throat felt like it was in a spasm. I could still breath so I didn't panic but my wife could tell something was abnormal. I swallowed hard several times without improvement. I took a sip or two of water and swallowed. Huge mistake. I could feel the liquid backing up in my throat and as it did I began to gag. I rushed to the bathroom coughing and gagging up water and steak. I was so embarrassed; partially because of the scene I created and partially because I had been gluttonous (I thought) by not chewing my food thoroughly. As suddenly as the issue developed, it disappeared after my gagging.

Months later a similar experience. Eating normally when out of the blue an obstruction developed. This time I was at home so I tried stretching my neck, wiggling my Adam's apple, and coughing. Nothing helped. I went to the bathroom to sip water and as I could feel the water level approach my trachea I gagged and spit up the food. Episodes slowly happened more frequently over the next couple of years. Always with the same pattern of no warning, no correlation to what I was eating and only relieved by gagging and spitting up. I had epidodes during family holidays, at parties, anniversary meals, business functions, and while at business lunches with my boss. Only my wife knew the truth. I was too afraid to share this issue with others. I got creative at finding ways to leave a table suddenly.

I saw my family doctor, specialists, and a speech therapist without any solutions. One lovely MD actually told me to chew my food better only to suggest it was psychological after I protested his recommendation. At this point, I was having an event once or twice every week. I learned a method through trial and error on how to manage an episode. I would stop chewing and swallowing, spit anything in my mouth out, go to the bathroom, stick my finger down my throat and throw up. Actually, is was more of a self induced dry heave where my esophageal obstruction would be forced out while my stomach contents would remain. About 50% of the time, this method was succesful on the first attempt. Other times, I would have to continue my inducing a dry heave as many as four times but this was effective about 90% of the time. Just my luck I would have an eating disorder and not lose any weight off my fat arse.

The 10% of the time where it didn't work was miserable. At the onset of an episode, my salivary glands would go into overdrive. The glands produced a thick, viscous mucus that gravity pulled down my throat. So, even when I didn't drink anything, I felt my saliva backing up towards my epiglottis (the flap of tissue covering the trachea). When I couldn't gag out the obstruction, I would have to stay up at night spitting out as much saliva as possible. The episode could last 4-6 hours before it slowly resolved. Of course, because my throat had been in spasm the whole time it was impossible to know when it resolved spontaneously. The only way to know was to swallow my saliva or other liquid and see what happened.

About a year ago, I was at Cheesecake Factory with a business acquaintance and his wife. She and I had never met. We were eating and chatting having a nice time. My eyes met Julie's across the table. She sat perfectly still, staring off in the distance but not really focused on anything. I knew that look. That was MY look. She was experiencing my problem. She excused herself to the bathroom. After she xame back and resumed eating, I asked her if she was okay. She said she was. I told her I knew what happened to her because I have the same problem. She was tartled by my observation at first but settled down once I explained it was a huge relief just to know I wasn't crazy and someone dealt with this. We shared stories as she educated me on the problem. Basically, it is a food allergy where the offending food may not cause the event but set up the conditions for the event with other foods. This makes it tricky to figure out. She was diagnosed about a year earlier with eosinophilic esophagitis. It is an allergic reaction where eosinphils (a cell produced as a normal immune response) latch onto food in the throat causing an obstruction. Eosinophils are a thick, mucousy, sticky substance.

I was relieved. I called my wife on the way home and shared all I learned. As soon as I got home, we googled the condition. I went to my doctor armed with my info and had a positive test. I began an elimination diet to determine my trigger food(s). I have been unsuccessful identifying my allergy experimenting with my diet . 4 weeks ago I found my trigger. Milk. If I consume more than an ounce or two of milk in a 24 hour period, I will have an episode. Guaranteed. Other dairy like cheese and icecream are not an issue but the doctor says I will likely develop sensitivity to all dairy as I age. Unfortunately, I love milk and dairy. However, it is a small sacrifice to get my peace of mind back and feel somewhat normal for the first time in 16 years.
 
#229
#229
My+.gif+of+a+sloth+saying+cool+story+bro+is+_fa16ee6d91992d2a8d55664c9c156399.jpg
 
#230
#230
Sounds like a mastication and bulimia problem. I suggest watching cows chew their cud and banging skinny strippers.
 
#233
#233
McDad said:
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition that has troubled me for 16 years. Only recently have I had a breakthrough. Hopefully, my story will help someone who has the same issues and cannot find a solution.

16 years ago, my wife and I were at a restaurant having dinner with my sister and her husband. I took a bite of my steak, chewed and swallowed. It went halfway down and stopped. My throat felt like it was in a spasm. I could still breath so I didn't panic but my wife could tell something was abnormal. I swallowed hard several times without improvement. I took a sip or two of water and swallowed. Huge mistake. I could feel the liquid backing up in my throat and as it did I began to gag. I rushed to the bathroom coughing and gagging up water and steak. I was so embarrassed; partially because of the scene I created and partially because I had been gluttonous (I thought) by not chewing my food thoroughly. As suddenly as the issue developed, it disappeared after my gagging.

Months later a similar experience. Eating normally when out of the blue an obstruction developed. This time I was at home so I tried stretching my neck, wiggling my Adam's apple, and coughing. Nothing helped. I went to the bathroom to sip water and as I could feel the water level approach my trachea I gagged and spit up the food. Episodes slowly happened more frequently over the next couple of years. Always with the same pattern of no warning, no correlation to what I was eating and only relieved by gagging and spitting up. I had epidodes during family holidays, at parties, anniversary meals, business functions, and while at business lunches with my boss. Only my wife knew the truth. I was too afraid to share this issue with others. I got creative at finding ways to leave a table suddenly.

I saw my family doctor, specialists, and a speech therapist without any solutions. One lovely MD actually told me to chew my food better only to suggest it was psychological after I protested his recommendation. At this point, I was having an event once or twice every week. I learned a method through trial and error on how to manage an episode. I would stop chewing and swallowing, spit anything in my mouth out, go to the bathroom, stick my finger down my throat and throw up. Actually, is was more of a self induced dry heave where my esophageal obstruction would be forced out while my stomach contents would remain. About 50% of the time, this method was succesful on the first attempt. Other times, I would have to continue my inducing a dry heave as many as four times but this was effective about 90% of the time. Just my luck I would have an eating disorder and not lose any weight off my fat arse.

The 10% of the time where it didn't work was miserable. At the onset of an episode, my salivary glands would go into overdrive. The glands produced a thick, viscous mucus that gravity pulled down my throat. So, even when I didn't drink anything, I felt my saliva backing up towards my epiglottis (the flap of tissue covering the trachea). When I couldn't gag out the obstruction, I would have to stay up at night spitting out as much saliva as possible. The episode could last 4-6 hours before it slowly resolved. Of course, because my throat had been in spasm the whole time it was impossible to know when it resolved spontaneously. The only way to know was to swallow my saliva or other liquid and see what happened.

About a year ago, I was at Cheesecake Factory with a business acquaintance and his wife. She and I had never met. We were eating and chatting having a nice time. My eyes met Julie's across the table. She sat perfectly still, staring off in the distance but not really focused on anything. I knew that look. That was MY look. She was experiencing my problem. She excused herself to the bathroom. After she xame back and resumed eating, I asked her if she was okay. She said she was. I told her I knew what happened to her because I have the same problem. She was tartled by my observation at first but settled down once I explained it was a huge relief just to know I wasn't crazy and someone dealt with this. We shared stories as she educated me on the problem. Basically, it is a food allergy where the offending food may not cause the event but set up the conditions for the event with other foods. This makes it tricky to figure out. She was diagnosed about a year earlier with eosinophilic esophagitis. It is an allergic reaction where eosinphils (a cell produced as a normal immune response) latch onto food in the throat causing an obstruction. Eosinophils are a thick, mucousy, sticky substance.

I was relieved. I called my wife on the way home and shared all I learned. As soon as I got home, we googled the condition. I went to my doctor armed with my info and had a positive test. I began an elimination diet to determine my trigger food(s). I have been unsuccessful identifying my allergy experimenting with my diet . 4 weeks ago I found my trigger. Milk. If I consume more than an ounce or two of milk in a 24 hour period, I will have an episode. Guaranteed. Other dairy like cheese and icecream are not an issue but the doctor says I will likely develop sensitivity to all dairy as I age. Unfortunately, I love milk and dairy. However, it is a small sacrifice to get my peace of mind back and feel somewhat normal for the first time in 16 years.
Click to expand...

Try raw milk, just for kicks.
 
#234
#234
McDad said:
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition that has troubled me for 16 years. Only recently have I had a breakthrough. Hopefully, my story will help someone who has the same issues and cannot find a solution.

16 years ago, my wife and I were at a restaurant having dinner with my sister and her husband. I took a bite of my steak, chewed and swallowed. It went halfway down and stopped. My throat felt like it was in a spasm. I could still breath so I didn't panic but my wife could tell something was abnormal. I swallowed hard several times without improvement. I took a sip or two of water and swallowed. Huge mistake. I could feel the liquid backing up in my throat and as it did I began to gag. I rushed to the bathroom coughing and gagging up water and steak. I was so embarrassed; partially because of the scene I created and partially because I had been gluttonous (I thought) by not chewing my food thoroughly. As suddenly as the issue developed, it disappeared after my gagging.

Months later a similar experience. Eating normally when out of the blue an obstruction developed. This time I was at home so I tried stretching my neck, wiggling my Adam's apple, and coughing. Nothing helped. I went to the bathroom to sip water and as I could feel the water level approach my trachea I gagged and spit up the food. Episodes slowly happened more frequently over the next couple of years. Always with the same pattern of no warning, no correlation to what I was eating and only relieved by gagging and spitting up. I had epidodes during family holidays, at parties, anniversary meals, business functions, and while at business lunches with my boss. Only my wife knew the truth. I was too afraid to share this issue with others. I got creative at finding ways to leave a table suddenly.

I saw my family doctor, specialists, and a speech therapist without any solutions. One lovely MD actually told me to chew my food better only to suggest it was psychological after I protested his recommendation. At this point, I was having an event once or twice every week. I learned a method through trial and error on how to manage an episode. I would stop chewing and swallowing, spit anything in my mouth out, go to the bathroom, stick my finger down my throat and throw up. Actually, is was more of a self induced dry heave where my esophageal obstruction would be forced out while my stomach contents would remain. About 50% of the time, this method was succesful on the first attempt. Other times, I would have to continue my inducing a dry heave as many as four times but this was effective about 90% of the time. Just my luck I would have an eating disorder and not lose any weight off my fat arse.

The 10% of the time where it didn't work was miserable. At the onset of an episode, my salivary glands would go into overdrive. The glands produced a thick, viscous mucus that gravity pulled down my throat. So, even when I didn't drink anything, I felt my saliva backing up towards my epiglottis (the flap of tissue covering the trachea). When I couldn't gag out the obstruction, I would have to stay up at night spitting out as much saliva as possible. The episode could last 4-6 hours before it slowly resolved. Of course, because my throat had been in spasm the whole time it was impossible to know when it resolved spontaneously. The only way to know was to swallow my saliva or other liquid and see what happened.

About a year ago, I was at Cheesecake Factory with a business acquaintance and his wife. She and I had never met. We were eating and chatting having a nice time. My eyes met Julie's across the table. She sat perfectly still, staring off in the distance but not really focused on anything. I knew that look. That was MY look. She was experiencing my problem. She excused herself to the bathroom. After she xame back and resumed eating, I asked her if she was okay. She said she was. I told her I knew what happened to her because I have the same problem. She was tartled by my observation at first but settled down once I explained it was a huge relief just to know I wasn't crazy and someone dealt with this. We shared stories as she educated me on the problem. Basically, it is a food allergy where the offending food may not cause the event but set up the conditions for the event with other foods. This makes it tricky to figure out. She was diagnosed about a year earlier with eosinophilic esophagitis. It is an allergic reaction where eosinphils (a cell produced as a normal immune response) latch onto food in the throat causing an obstruction. Eosinophils are a thick, mucousy, sticky substance.

I was relieved. I called my wife on the way home and shared all I learned. As soon as I got home, we googled the condition. I went to my doctor armed with my info and had a positive test. I began an elimination diet to determine my trigger food(s). I have been unsuccessful identifying my allergy experimenting with my diet . 4 weeks ago I found my trigger. Milk. If I consume more than an ounce or two of milk in a 24 hour period, I will have an episode. Guaranteed. Other dairy like cheese and icecream are not an issue but the doctor says I will likely develop sensitivity to all dairy as I age. Unfortunately, I love milk and dairy. However, it is a small sacrifice to get my peace of mind back and feel somewhat normal for the first time in 16 years.
Click to expand...

Tl;dr
 
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#236
#236
McDad said:
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition that has troubled me for 16 years. Only recently have I had a breakthrough. Hopefully, my story will help someone who has the same issues and cannot find a solution.

16 years ago, my wife and I were at a restaurant having dinner with my sister and her husband. I took a bite of my steak, chewed and swallowed. It went halfway down and stopped. My throat felt like it was in a spasm. I could still breath so I didn't panic but my wife could tell something was abnormal. I swallowed hard several times without improvement. I took a sip or two of water and swallowed. Huge mistake. I could feel the liquid backing up in my throat and as it did I began to gag. I rushed to the bathroom coughing and gagging up water and steak. I was so embarrassed; partially because of the scene I created and partially because I had been gluttonous (I thought) by not chewing my food thoroughly. As suddenly as the issue developed, it disappeared after my gagging.

Months later a similar experience. Eating normally when out of the blue an obstruction developed. This time I was at home so I tried stretching my neck, wiggling my Adam's apple, and coughing. Nothing helped. I went to the bathroom to sip water and as I could feel the water level approach my trachea I gagged and spit up the food. Episodes slowly happened more frequently over the next couple of years. Always with the same pattern of no warning, no correlation to what I was eating and only relieved by gagging and spitting up. I had epidodes during family holidays, at parties, anniversary meals, business functions, and while at business lunches with my boss. Only my wife knew the truth. I was too afraid to share this issue with others. I got creative at finding ways to leave a table suddenly.

I saw my family doctor, specialists, and a speech therapist without any solutions. One lovely MD actually told me to chew my food better only to suggest it was psychological after I protested his recommendation. At this point, I was having an event once or twice every week. I learned a method through trial and error on how to manage an episode. I would stop chewing and swallowing, spit anything in my mouth out, go to the bathroom, stick my finger down my throat and throw up. Actually, is was more of a self induced dry heave where my esophageal obstruction would be forced out while my stomach contents would remain. About 50% of the time, this method was succesful on the first attempt. Other times, I would have to continue my inducing a dry heave as many as four times but this was effective about 90% of the time. Just my luck I would have an eating disorder and not lose any weight off my fat arse.

The 10% of the time where it didn't work was miserable. At the onset of an episode, my salivary glands would go into overdrive. The glands produced a thick, viscous mucus that gravity pulled down my throat. So, even when I didn't drink anything, I felt my saliva backing up towards my epiglottis (the flap of tissue covering the trachea). When I couldn't gag out the obstruction, I would have to stay up at night spitting out as much saliva as possible. The episode could last 4-6 hours before it slowly resolved. Of course, because my throat had been in spasm the whole time it was impossible to know when it resolved spontaneously. The only way to know was to swallow my saliva or other liquid and see what happened.

About a year ago, I was at Cheesecake Factory with a business acquaintance and his wife. She and I had never met. We were eating and chatting having a nice time. My eyes met Julie's across the table. She sat perfectly still, staring off in the distance but not really focused on anything. I knew that look. That was MY look. She was experiencing my problem. She excused herself to the bathroom. After she xame back and resumed eating, I asked her if she was okay. She said she was. I told her I knew what happened to her because I have the same problem. She was tartled by my observation at first but settled down once I explained it was a huge relief just to know I wasn't crazy and someone dealt with this. We shared stories as she educated me on the problem. Basically, it is a food allergy where the offending food may not cause the event but set up the conditions for the event with other foods. This makes it tricky to figure out. She was diagnosed about a year earlier with eosinophilic esophagitis. It is an allergic reaction where eosinphils (a cell produced as a normal immune response) latch onto food in the throat causing an obstruction. Eosinophils are a thick, mucousy, sticky substance.

I was relieved. I called my wife on the way home and shared all I learned. As soon as I got home, we googled the condition. I went to my doctor armed with my info and had a positive test. I began an elimination diet to determine my trigger food(s). I have been unsuccessful identifying my allergy experimenting with my diet . 4 weeks ago I found my trigger. Milk. If I consume more than an ounce or two of milk in a 24 hour period, I will have an episode. Guaranteed. Other dairy like cheese and icecream are not an issue but the doctor says I will likely develop sensitivity to all dairy as I age. Unfortunately, I love milk and dairy. However, it is a small sacrifice to get my peace of mind back and feel somewhat normal for the first time in 16 years.
Click to expand...

Can someone summarize this novel in a single paragraph?
 
#238
#238
Weezer said:
Can someone summarize this novel in a single paragraph?
Click to expand...

Without warning, as he's eating dinner, the bite of food he has just swallowed won't go down. The only thing he can do is force himself to throw up. He has figured out it is related to a milk allergy.

This happens to my husband as well, but without having to force himself to throw up. It takes five or ten minutes for the episode to be over. His doctor told him it was just esophageal spasms. Scared the absolute **** out of me the first time it happened to him.
 
#243
#243
vollygirl said:
Without warning, as he's eating dinner, the bite of food he has just swallowed won't go down. The only thing he can do is force himself to throw up. He has figured out it is related to a milk allergy.

This happens to my husband as well, but without having to force himself to throw up. It takes five or ten minutes for the episode to be over. His doctor told him it was just esophageal spasms. Scared the absolute **** out of me the first time it happened to him.
Click to expand...

What did the doctor offer as a cure or aide?
 
#245
#245
Coastypop said:
his bill and a referral to a specialist
Click to expand...

That's about what I'd expect. Saw one of those today. Have a follow up next week. I'm about ready to fold and find a new doc but have no idea if there are any good ones left that haven't been incorporated.
 
#246
#246
Slydell said:
What did the doctor offer as a cure or aide?
Click to expand...

Nothing. Other than to say it is a spasm and won't last forever. (But my husband is the kind of person who won't make a big deal of anything, so I don't know for a fact the doctor understood how big of an issue this is for him.)
 
#247
#247
Coastypop said:
his bill and a referral to a specialist
Click to expand...

Nope. Not even a referral. (My husbands isn't to the point of McDad's, but it could potential get there I guess. Just glad to read the info and the name of the diagnosis here.)
 
#248
#248
vollygirl said:
Nothing. Other than to say it is a spasm and won't last forever. (But my husband is the kind of person who won't make a big deal of anything, so I don't know for a fact the doctor understood how big of an issue this is for him.)
Click to expand...

Perhaps, it's not just a spasm. Does he plan to seek a second opinion? It's almost necessary in today's world.
 
#250
#250
vollygirl said:
Nothing. Other than to say it is a spasm and won't last forever. (But my husband is the kind of person who won't make a big deal of anything, so I don't know for a fact the doctor understood how big of an issue this is for him.)
Click to expand...
That is THE biggest problem with doctors today, they don't seem to be able to understand the reason people come to them is because they need help with a health problem that is a big deal to them. They can't take it to a personal level and think "how would I feel if this were happening to me".
 
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