I work out of my house most of the time. It’s quiet and peaceful and I usually get more work done at home than I can in my office. About a month ago, I was working at home when I remembered that I had not taken my vitamins that morning. I had purchased some new vitamins and didn’t realize how big they were. They were huge! I had a bottle of water to help wash it down so I didn’t think much of it. I tried to swallow it, and I immediately felt a huge knot in my throat. I tried drinking some water and the water came right back up. I could not breathe and immediately started to panic as I was at home by myself.

#I grabbed the landline and dialed 911. I couldn’t breathe, much less talk, as the operator began asking me questions. I vaguely remember trying to cough and talk but couldn’t. I must have been making some sort of noise because the operator told me to walk outside, open my garage if I had one and sit down. I was scared and did exactly as she instructed. I don’t know what I did to make that vitamin move, but it finally made its way a little further down my throat. After about 20 seconds of pure panic, I was finally able to breathe and talk!

#I still had a huge vitamin sitting in my chest, but I cannot describe the sense of relief that came over me. Those 20 seconds felt like 20 minutes. The 911 operator was the nicest lady. She talked to me through the whole process and waited on the phone until the ambulance arrived (Yes, an ambulance came to my house because of a vitamin!). I was crying, sweating and beginning to feel really silly for calling 911 by the time the EMTs made it to my house.

#If you are like me, then you don’t worry about what you look like when you are at home by yourself. I had not done anything to my hair. Bedhead is always a good look. I had on a pair of old, cut-off jogging pants, a ratty t-shirt and no shoes. And I hadn’t had a pedicure lately either! By the time the EMTs arrived, I had been crying for a good 4-5 minutes. I can only imagine what the EMT was thinking when he saw me, a blubbering train wreck that couldn’t swallow a vitamin! I am positive he called his wife when he got back in the ambulance and said, “Honey, you aren’t going to believe the call we just got …”

#Most of you may be wondering what the big deal is about not being able to swallow a vitamin. My problem was that I had been having issues swallowing food and vitamins for years, but never thought much about it. I noticed about 10 years ago that food would occasionally get hung in my throat. I would have to stop eating, take several sips of water and patiently wait for the food to make its way down. This started happening more often through the years and I remember a couple of times that it would take 30 minutes or more for that pain in my chest to go away as food would finally push its way through. I ignored all of these warning signs that something wasn’t right …until the big vitamin day. I honestly thought I was going to die in my kitchen because of that vitamin.

#I made an appointment with a gastroenterologist as soon as the EMTs pulled out of my driveway.

#It turns out that I have a fairly new condition called eosinophilic esophagitis. What the heck does that mean? My esophagus is restricted and lined with allergens that aren’t supposed to be there. We discovered this when I had an EGD, a test that examines the lining of your esophagus. I was on a liquid diet for several days after the EGD and couldn’t swallow because of the inflammation and issues that were found.

#I’ve also had to see an allergist and have the “prick” testing done. I’m highly allergic to basically every grass and tree they tested, plus peanuts (peanut butter!), peas, soybeans, tree nuts and few other things that don’t really affect my life. I also had some blood tests done for additional testing.

#As I am writing this article, I am waiting on the results from the blood tests so we can decide the best way to tackle my problem. The doctor hopes that by eliminating some of these foods that I’m allergic to that my esophagus will open up. Weird thing is I’ve never had an allergic reaction to any type of food and had no idea I was allergic to anything except cats and really bad pollen.

#I didn’t think much of my diagnosis until the doctor said one word. Cancer. He explained that my condition was just discovered about 10 years ago, which is very “young” compared to most other esophageal issues. He told me that my esophagus has been chronically inflamed for a very long time. Chronic inflammation causes cancer. Wow. That is a scary word to hear even when it’s just a warning and not the real thing.

#I consider myself to be extremely healthy. I exercise religiously. I eat right. I don’t smoke. I don’t get sick often.Unfortunately, I’m not immune to health problems. None of us are.

#Do not ignore any warning signs that your body may be sending you. If you have been noticing little quirky things happen (like not being able to swallow a vitamin!), go see a doctor. The worst thing that could happen is you waste a couple of hours and you have to pay an insurance co-pay. Your health is worth much more than that. I wish I had gone to a doctor years ago. Take care of yourself. You may think you are too healthy to get sick. Don’t be fooled. Looks like I’ll be backing off on the peanut butter. Life is worth more than a jar of Jif.

#Michele Moulton is a certified group fitness, boot camp and Spinning instructor with over 23 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. She operates Bodystrong Fitness offering group fitness classes at the Stardust Skating Rink facility. She is a Category 1 cyclist and the PCP Race Team Director. She is also a state auditor and the mother of two boys, Austin and Harrison.

– Michele Moulton (source: albanyherald.com)

LANCASTER — When Mike Dube was 3, his doctors thought he had a wide range of food allergies.

It wasn’t until he was 8 that he was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition that prevents him from eating most foods because his white blood cells mistake food for a virus.

Last summer, he was also diagnosed with Crohn’s disease of the esophagus, an inflammatory disease.

Now 14, the Nashoba Regional High School freshman said he’s glad he took a chance last month and revealed his condition to the whole school.

“Not too many people treated me different or thought I was weak; they just asked a lot of questions,” he said.

The consequences of his condition mean this fan of rough, high-impact sports has to eat most of his meals by dripping a special mix into a port installed in the skin on his stomach.

“Sometimes when you burp you can taste it,” said Dube.

Complications from his condition have caused him to take a break from playing sports. He has competed in wrestling, football, baseball, lacrosse and mixed martial arts.

He’s been absent more than 40 times this school year already because of complications, even though he looks like a healthy teenage on the surface.

During lunch period he gives himself a feeding in the nurse’s office.

When he started at Nashoba Regional High School last fall, he avoided going over to people’s houses out of a fear he would have to explain.

“I was thinking people might treat me differently when they found out … like, ‘He’s a cripple and he can’t do anything,'” said Dube.

In seventh grade his doctors realized how severe his condition was. He wasn’t growing and got sick a lot. The feeding tube was installed as a desperate measure because it’s such a life changer, explained his mother, Jodie Bell.

Dube said he still misses eating like he used to. It was especially hard at first.

“When my mom was cooking I would sit in the kitchen and just smell the food,” said Dube. He said he misses macaroni and cheese, and pizza the most.

He has found several foods he can safely eat. His condition is severe and he has to use trial and error to see what foods his body can tolerate. Each “food trial” takes 12 weeks of eating a single type of food. Some times there is a severe reaction and the trial is aborted. If he goes 12 weeks without symptoms his stomach is analyzed chemically to see if his body has any hidden problems with the food.

So far they have found out he can eat five foods safely: rice, potatoes, turkey, pork and apples. He may use salt, pepper, sugar and cinnamon.

He has severe reactions to beef, dairy, nuts, corn and sunflower seeds, which he said are often hidden in prepared foods.

Dube said he never tried bringing safe food with him to gatherings because it would stand out if he’s eating fried slices of sweet potato when everyone else is having pizza. He said eating nothing draws no attention.

The immune suppressants he takes have kept him from playing football this year. Dube said he hopes he can play high school lacrosse this spring.

J.J. Linn was Dube’s lacrosse coach last spring. Linn said Dube chose to play as a defenseman because it was a high-contact position.

“That was definitely something he enjoyed doing. He loved throwing his body out there and pushing off guys,” said Linn. “”He just had a knack for it. Mike definitely did not want to let his condition hinder him from enjoying sports.”

Linn said Dube couldn’t make it to every practice because of medical issues, but he never held back when he was on the field.

Curtis Ludden coached Dube three years ago when he played Leominster Youth Football. Ludden said at first the medical issues were minor and he didn’t worry about them, but as Dube’s condition progressed he always had concerns in the back of his mind.

“He’d say, ‘Don’t worry about it. I can do it. Let me go, let me play,’ ” said Ludden.

“He’s just a kid that doesn’t give up on anything. He has a heart of gold; it’s like he’s made of steel. He gave it all, every time,” said Ludden. “He just goes and goes and goes.”

Now that he’s taking a break from sports, Dube said he spends a lot of time on his computer. That includes playing video games and making money through web design and selling Minecraft modifications programs he’s created.

Dube said when he used to live in Leominster he dealt with some kids who made fun of his condition, although he said one student frequently labeled as a troublemaker and a bad seed said he would deal with anyone who gave Dube any problems.

When he moved to Lancaster this school year with a different group of classmates he thought it would be best if he just kept his condition secret. His sister Maddison, 16, goes to the same school and eventually told him it’s too much work and he should just spill it already.

That’s exactly what he did last month over Facebook.

“People always come up to me now and say, ‘I can’t believe how brave your brother is and how strong he is for doing what he did,’ ” she said.

Dube said above all else, he wants to be thought of as a normal kid.

– Michael Hartwell (source: Sentinel & Enterprise)

The day after Thanksgiving we’re taking a look at a rare condition that affects the esophagus. Imagine not being able to eat most foods that a lot people take for granted. It’s a problem for people who suffer from a disease that you could almost say makes people allergic to food. Here to talk with us are Margie and Doug Hemme, their son John is dealing with this rare disease.

Watch the video here.

– Nancy B. Allen (source: WREG News Channel 3 – Memphis)

WATSONTOWN — A Watsontown couple is proud that their son is moving through life like a normal 7 year old, in spite of a rare condition which he’s struggled with since he was just 1 year old.

Brian and Tina Cotner said their son Tyler was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, as an infant. EoE is defined as an inflammatory condition in which the wall of the esophagus becomes filled with large numbers of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.

“It started when he was under the age of 2, when he started eating solids,” Tina said of the condition. “He would always have eczema on his face.”

The pediatrician Tyler was seeing at the time assured his parents that the condition would go away.

“We finally went to a specialist, a dermatologist, and they kind of cleared that up,” Tina said. “About that time, he just started vomiting a lot. It was just attributed to him being an infant who spit up a lot.”

But the Cotners soon realized Tyler’s condition was a little more than just an infant who “spit up a lot.”

“He got to the point he was vomiting all the time,” Tina recalled. “It was very scary, it was frustrating. It got so you couldn’t go anywhere because he would vomit.”

The family quickly realized Tyler needed to see a different doctor. He was soon seen by Dr. John Peters, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, who diagnosed Tyler’s EoE.

Peters then referred the family to Dr. Allison Freeman, director of allergy and immunology at Geisinger, who helped the family get to the bottom of what triggers Tyler’s condition.

“Food allergies is what causes what he has, which is the EoE… but they don’t know what foods cause it,” Tina said.

When he was 2, Tina said the Geisinger doctors put Tyler on a diet where he would only drink a special formula.

That diet was followed for about six to eight weeks. At that point, doctors began doing regular scopes of Tyler’s esophagus and began adding food to his diet as a way to determine what foods he’s able to eat without triggering the EoE.

At one point early on, Tina said doctors had determined her son could only eat about six different foods without having an allergic reaction.

He continues to have scopes about every six months as doctors work to make sure Tyler is not having any reactions to the foods he is eating.

“For five years, it’s been pretty much, we make two separate meals,” Tina sad. “One for the rest of the family, one for whatever Tyler would eat.”

She said Tyler is a student at Watsontown Elementary School and takes a packed lunch to school each day to make sure he doesn’t eat anything which triggers his condition.

“He’s handled this very well since he was little,” Tina said of Tyler. “It’s basically normal to him… I’m so proud of him. It brings tears to my eyes because he handles it so well… It makes me very proud that he handles it so well.”

If people offer food to Tyler, Tina said he’ll either politely tell them that he can not have it or he’ll have to check with his mother first to make sure it’s OK for him to eat the food.

“Most people have always been understanding about it,” Tina said. “I would want people to know if they have a problem with a child who is vomiting, they have a place to go.”

She lauded the Geisinger physicians who helped to diagnose Tyler’s condition and who continue to work with the family to make sure he’s eating the right foods.

“I am very thankful that we were referred to Dr. Peters and that he was aware of (EoE), it’s not commonly known,” Tina said. “When we met with Dr. Peters, he knew we needed to see Dr. Freeman. I don’t think we would be where we are today without them.”

Tyler also has a 10-year-old sister named Sarah.

– Kevin Mertz (source: Standard Journal)

LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. – A Wesley Chapel boy with a rare condition has spent the last eight years unable to do the one thing we have to do to live. Eat food.

It’s lunch time at Pineview Middle School in Land O Lakes.

The 7th graders all hop up to get food, leaving Remington Walls behind with what looks like only a juice box in hand. “It’s like a nutrition shake that comes in a few flavors, but I only drink one.”

One flavor, 12 to 16 times a day. A mini-fridge in school must stay stocked full of these boxes.

Remington may look like a healthy 12-year-old, but he can’t eat solid food. No pizza, no Doritos — definitely no school lunch. When he does, “I cough a lot, and sometimes I vomit. I get really sick.”

I first met Remington when he was only four years old. He was going through tests to figure out why. His mother Stephanie finally got a diagnosis. “Remington has Eosinophilic Esophagitis. It’s also known as EE. Basically he’s allergic to all foods.”

Since his diagnosis, he’s tried different foods, but they’ve damaged his esophagus. His mom says, “There’s not a cure and we’re still going down a long road. We still don’t know what his prognosis is.”

Remington just wants to stay off a feeding tube, so he can play ball and be the Pineview mascot. But that probably means a food-free world forever.

How does he stay away from that pizza or birthday cake? “Sometimes I just don’t look at it.”

So, in the dark at first, mom wants the world to know this rare disease can be managed. And kids like Rem can lead a mostly normal life.

We asked him what he would say to other kids who might have a medical condition that takes managing. “No matter what you have, you can still do whatever you want.”

Watch the video here.

– Linda Hurtado (source: ABC Action News – Tampa)