01/28/2025
News from our collaborators!
From Food Allergy Research & Education:
"It was a long road getting my Eosinophilic Esophagitis diagnosis. On November 28th, 2014, during my first year of college, I went out to dinner with my family (I won't mention the restaurant's name - this is hardly an advertisement) and ordered a salad, loaded with good stuff: Turkey, hummus, cucumbers, etc. Two bites in, I couldn't breathe. The food was lodged in my throat and I couldn't get it down. The Heimlich Maneuver didn't work and I found myself in an ambulance. It was not the first nor the last time I choked on my food, but it was the only incident (so far, knock on wood) that wound me up in the hospital. Hours later, during which time I was put on anesthetics and intubated, my esophagus was finally clear and the doctor informed me that my esophagus was abnormally small in diameter. And so I began an 8-year-long search for answers...
In the meantime, I took small bites of food and chewed slowly and deliberately to minimize the risk of choking again. My enflamed, tiny esophagus made eating scary. Sometimes, I restricted myself to liquid foods, but even a gulp of water felt like it was going through a funnel down my throat.
Now that I know my Eosinophilic Esophagitis symptoms are caused by allergies to foods, I consider myself lucky because not everyone with my condition can just change their diet and feel better. Nonetheless, having food allergies is not simple. Restaurants make mistakes or are unable to accommodate me; making the same recipes at home becomes monotonous; and traveling presents another set of challenges.
I've tried and failed a lot with my allergies, so I created the website EoEating and Instagram .eating to share what I've learned (and am still learning). I want to help others (with and without allergies like mine) to eat healthy." -Chloe Luyet
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