My story with EoE

Hi, I'm Lucía and I want to talk about my story with eosinophilic esophagitis (Eoe). I have to say that English is not my first language so I'm sorry for the mistakes. The first time that I choked was during a barbecue at the house of my parents' friends. It was horrible, everybody though that I choked with beef for not chewing well. It happened after I drank water, the water got stuck and I couldn't swallow it or spit it out. When it stopped, I kept eating normally (maybe this happened 8 years ago idk exactly).

This happened again 6 years ago during I was eating rice at the house of my parents' friends (not the same friends). This time the food got stuck longer and when it stopped, I was feeling worse and I didn't keep eating.

This problem kept happening but it was not so much like the other times, the food got stocked but in minutes I could swallow it.

Two years ago it happened again and it was worse than the previous times. I was eating beef and it got stuck. I tried to vomit putting my fingers in my throat but I couldn't. I was turning red, so my mom called to emergencies and they told her that she had to take me to the health center (idk how to explain this but it wasn't a hospital). The doctor did nothing 'cause the choking stopped by itself.

A year ago (feb. 2019) I was with my period and I was feeling terrible so before going to high school, I took a pill (with water) that it got stucked. This time was the worst, I was salivating a lot and I tried again to vomit but I couldn't. My mom took me to the health center again, we were there for half an hour until the doctors decided to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital. In the way to hospital, it stopped by itself and I felt so ashamed. I literally told the boy who was with me in the back "I'm so sorry, there's people dying and I'm here occupying the ambulance". They were so nice and after I told them "sorry" and "thanks" a milion times, they left us in the hospital. The doctor only said that I couldn't take pills from that moment.

Last summer, I went with my mom to the doctor cause I was sick. She commented to her about the chockes and the doctor send me to the digestive doctor. I saw him for first time in September, I told him everything and he asked me a few questions. Then, he told me "it seems like you have eosinophilic esophagitis but we have to do a biopsia and a endoscopy". He explain to me that it was a new disease which was recently discovered and blah blah blah.

The weeks before the endoscopy, I was really scared and very nervous and I couldn't stop thinking about this disease (despite of the fact that I couldn't say the name right). I couldn't concentrate and that wasn't the best way to start segundo de bachillerato (my last year of high school).

The results proved it and since then I have to take a pill of omeprazol every morning. After that, I got allergy tests and they indicated that I'm allergic to egg, pistachios, kiwi (outside), peach (outside), lentejas (I knew it since I was 5), chickpeas and nuts. Also, they took my blood to analyze it and they told me that I had to go in two weeks. It was so difficult to me accept everything. My mom and I went to buy things that I could eat because a lot of things that I used to eat had egg in many ways (powder....).

We went back to the doctor and the blood test proved that I'm also allergic to cow milk. In the way to my house I fell down when I realized that I wasn't able to eat chocolate, nocilla and a lot of things that I love anymore, I cried a lot and it was the worst day of the year.

I admit that since then I've been having a hard time, luckily now I'm a little more animated than months ago.

My family and some friends (I will explain this lol) support me, but I can't stop feeling that none of them doesn't really understand me. Even if they put themselves in my place they don't know how horrible is go out to eat, be worried about allergens all the time and the fear of chocking. I really hope that this doesn't sound bad, I love them and I am very grateful for the little gestures that the have.

I write this more for me to clear my mind and with the hope that it reaches to someone with Eoe, someone that feels so lost as me. If you are that someone I want you to know that you are not alone and you have all my support.