The Mother of all Food Allergies

Now, I know when you're going through something, it doesn't help much to hear, "if you think you have it bad, listen to this one...".

But if food allergies are getting you down, you gotta listen to this one...

A California teen is allergic to ALL food. Her symptoms of difficulty breathing, weight loss, extreme fatigue and facial swelling, baffled family and doctors alike. As her health continued to deteriorate, an answer was finally found. The teen was diagnosed with Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder or EGID. This condition causes eosinophil (one of the body's white blood cells) to treat food as an invader, causing an allergic reaction.

In order to get nutrients into her body, she was given the choice of a stomach pump, or drinking a foul-smelling, foul-tasting liquid. She chose the liquid which had to be ingested several times a day.

After several months, her body has healed enough to begin to re-introduce foods- one at a time. Her father says, "It's like Russian roulette".

I know the trauma we went through with our recent, unsuccessful egg challenge. I can't even imagine going through this process over and over.

Apparently little is known about EGID and there is virtually no funding available for it. According to the teen's father, "This isn't just a food allergy. It's the mother of all food allergies. If you go to any kind of allergy conference nowadays, this is the hot topic. This is what they're all talking about."

Did any of you hear about this at FAAN conferences this year?

So, the next time I grumble about making egg and dairy-free cupcakes for another party, remind me about this story. Sometimes it does make things easier when you think, "Okay, this isn't SO bad".

Check out the full story.

Posted in: allergic to ALL food,EGID,eosinophil,Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder